Matthias is an experienced senior communications professional with fifteen years of experience in journalism and communications. He was most recently Chief Communications Officer at Ringier, Switzerland’s biggest international media and entertainment company, and prior to that spent three years as Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Google in Switzerland. He has previously held positions at Dow Chemical, Sony and T-Online.

“I am delighted that Matthias is joining us to take on the leadership of Burson-Marsteller in Switzerland. Matthias has strong corporate experience, and a focus on delivering measurable outcomes that fits very well with Burson-Marsteller’s evidence-based approach. I am confident that his leadership, strategic abilities and drive will lead to us strengthening our position as the leading international communications agency in Switzerland. I also want to thank Marie-Louise Baumann for everything she has done leading Burson-Marsteller over the recent period. I am grateful that she has agreed to become Chairman where she will continue to provide advice and support to Matthias and the company,” said Jeremy Galbraith, CEO Burson-Marsteller Europe, Middle East & Africa.

“I am very much looking forward to the challenge of leading Burson-Marsteller in Switzerland and taking it to the next level. Burson-Marsteller Switzerland is the leading international agency and there is a great team in place. With my experience as a consultant to senior business leaders and in managing high performance teams, I will be building on this foundation and looking to take the business forward,” said Matthias Graf. “I also look forward to working closely with Marie-Louise to ensure a smooth transition.”

“It has been a privilege to lead Burson-Marsteller in Switzerland over the past months. I am confident that Matthias will do an excellent job as the new CEO and am looking forward to working together with him to continue to build the business,” said Marie-Louise Baumann.

Contact

Marie Louise Baumann

+41444558434
Marie.Louise.Baumann@bm.com

About Burson-Marsteller Switzerland
Burson-Marsteller Switzerland (www.b-m.ch) is one of the leading agencies for public relations and communications advisory services in Switzerland, with offices in Zurich, Berne and Geneva. 45 employees provide services in the fields of Corporate & Financial Communications, Crossmedia, Energy & Environment, Healthcare & Science Communications and Public Affairs.

About Burson-Marsteller International
Burson-Marsteller (www.burson-marsteller.com, www.burson-marsteller.eu), established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and programme execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, reputation and crisis management, advertising and web-related strategies. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 73 offices and 85 affiliate offices, together operating in 110 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services networks.

Reputation, reputation, reputation

The beauty of the PR business is that our principles are internationally recognized. Reputation drives business, business drives reputation, and targeted, strategic communications campaigns are the key to both. This makes working abroad in communications much simpler than many other professions. When it comes to reputation, communications professionals need to be smart when working with the unique challenges and opportunities facing Swiss based companies. “Made in Switzerland” is a highly regarded accolade of quality and the most successful companies have embraced this in their communications strategies to counter other more negative perceptions about business models and tax structures when working in other markets.

A stable market looking to the global marketplace

First impressions of the Swiss market are usually of a world of bankers and financiers. This is a major part of the Swiss economy and it is battling, along with the global financial sector, to rebuild its reputation after the challenges of the past few years. But Switzerland is also home to diverse, world leading companies in the pharmaceuticals, chemicals and energy sectors, and of course luxury goods, spread through Zurich, Bern, Basel and Geneva. Lesser known Zug, just up the road from Zurich, is the epitome of a region that has brought commerce and talent to the shores of its lake by implementing business friendly policies. Over 30,000 companies are registered here alone, 17,000 of which are listed on the stock exchange.

Having largely weathered the economic storm, Swiss businesses are well placed, both in terms of reputation and geography, to continue to reach beyond Switzerland’s borders to the global marketplace. This means that communications professionals have plentiful opportunities to work with the companies that will continue to dominate their respective fields in the years ahead.

Multi-lingual domestic market

The domestic market is Switzerland should not be overlooked. The ease of travel between the major cities makes same day business meetings from Zurich to Bern, Basel, Zug or Geneva the norm. But it also highlights the biggest change to media relations from London to Switzerland, the need to reach out in multiple languages on a daily basis to domestic media. Having to decide whether to send out a story in German, French or some cases Italian or English to the media adds a whole new dimension to a national PR campaign and requires a delicate understanding of the language sensitivities. Like working in the UK, this is not a new phenomenon when working on international campaigns, but Swiss based companies are already aligned to the need for it, which tends to make the process run more smoothly.

When it all gets too much, head for the hills

By far the biggest attraction to living and working in Switzerland is that you are never far away from the mountains. Cycling, walking or skiing in the evenings or at weekends allows you to relieve some of the stress of the PR world. However, despite having actual mountains to climb, Switzerland also has effective mobile phone reception, so, like in the UK, you can never escape the office entirely!

Successful communications require a good story, told to the right people, at the right time. And it is helped along by a credible storyteller with an established reputation. But you also need the ability to think on your feet. An acquaintance working in-house called me yesterday morning distraught that his PR campaign was ruined. The story was in place and well-rehearsed and the spokesperson was fully prepared to tell it. Then, out of the blue…the Pope resigned. Social media was ablaze with just one story and the next day’s newspapers had written themselves with little room for anything else in the news agenda. He put it down to bad luck, but other companies did not face the same concerns. While the Pope’s resignation was a big story today, it wasn’t the only story. It is clear that the companies that have spent time developing their reputations can be surprising and shape the news agenda, while others who haven’t will often be knocked off course by it.

Burson-Marsteller, a leading global communication agency in Switzerland, announces that Toula Stoffel, previously Head of Healthcare & Science Communications, and Ute Dehn Christen, previously Head of Corporate & Financial Communications, leave the company to undertake new challenges. Dev Rakshit and David Hart respectively take over the leadership of the two practices.

Dev Rakshit has been with Burson-Marsteller’s Healthcare & Science Communications practice as a Senior Consultant since January 2011. Dev has more than twenty years’ experience in global communications, strategic marketing, and advertising and branding, mostly gained from the pharmaceuticals and consumer goods industries. Among other things, Dev has been Global Brand Communications Manager at Novartis and Head of Strategic Marketing & Branding at Swarovski. In addition to his communications experience, Dev has a solid background in science, including six years clinical research experience from the medical technology industry in the EU and United States. Dev holds a PhD in chemistry and an MBA from City University in Washington. A native English speaker, he is also fluent in German and Swiss German. “The Healthcare landscape is becoming more complex with issues now having an ever-increasing importance for the public at large and not just the industry. I look forward to working across all the BM practices to be able to develop communication strategies which will help the Healthcare industry get its message across to all stakeholders”, says Dev Rakshit.

David Hart joined Burson-Marsteller earlier this year. David comes from AGT International, a global security solutions provider, where he was responsible for global communications from their Zürich based headquarters. Previously, he was Director and Head of Corporate Communications and Issues Management in the London office of Fleishman-Hillard. Here, he developed expertise in the aviation, financial services, technology, food, energy and pharmaceutical sectors over a five year period.

David brings over 14 years’ experience to Burson-Marsteller, during which he has provided strategic communications advice, crisis communications support and creative solutions to a range of organisations, including one of the world’s largest airlines, a global insurance provider, a multinational electronics company and a leading IT outsourcing organization. In addition, he has conducted numerous media trainings for executives and politicians, and served as press secretary for leading British politicians in London and Brussels. David holds a degree in politics from the University of Leicester. “This is an incredibly interesting time to be helping organizations to build and protect their reputations through communications. This new role is both exciting and challenging, but I’m delighted that it also brings with it an experienced, dedicated and professional team, whom I am thrilled to be working alongside.”

“David Hart and Dev Rakshit are two communications professionals and recognized experts in their respective fields. I am pleased to have them on board and to have their support with developing our team and using their experience to benefit our clients’ communications activities”, commented Marie-Louise Baumann, CEO of Burson-Marsteller Switzerland.

Contact:

Marie-Louise Baumann
CEO Burson-Marsteller, Schweiz
marie.louise.baumann@bm.com

T: 079 227 34 64

@GreatBritain, @Israel, and @Sweden are notable examples of nations promoting themselves on Twitter. @GreatBritain is part of the ‘Britain is Great’ campaign launched in March 2012 to highlight everything that is great about the United Kingdom.

@Israel is the country’s official Twitter channel, maintained by the Foreign Ministry’s Digital Diplomacy Team. The account is one of the most followed country accounts with more than 66,000 followers and serves as the focal point for Israel’s government Twitter activity.

The Swedish government has given its official Twitter handle to the people. Every week another Swede is in charge of the @Sweden account sharing recommendations, opinions and facts about life in Sweden with over 65,000 followers. The Curators of Sweden project was launched in December 2011 and, despite some unfortunate tweets, has been copied with varying success by @Ireland and @NewZealand. The project has also inspired volunteer groups in over 20 countries to engage in what has become known as the rotation-curation movement.

The Twitter accounts of @AntiguaBarbuda, @Barbados, @Lithuania, the @Maldives, @SouthAfrica, and @Spain are run by their respective official tourism organisations to promote tourism in each country.

However, three out of five country accounts are either protected, dormant, inactive, or suspended and almost half of the 71 remaining active accounts are tweeting an automated news feed broadcasting news about the country.

“Looking at the findings it becomes clear that few governments and tourism organisations have understood the power of country branding and marketing on Twitter,” said Matthias Lüfkens, head of the Burson-Marsteller EMEA Digital Practice. “There is a huge opportunity for countries to use Twitter as part of their communications to engage with a large and growing audience.”

Data used was taken in November 2012 looking at the Twitter handles of the 193 UN member countries. Burson-Marsteller used Twitonomy (http://twitonomy.com) to analyze tweeting patterns and the Twitter history of each account.

To access the complete analysis of these findings, visit: http://twiplomacy.com/country-promotion.

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About Burson-Marsteller

Burson-Marsteller, established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, reputation and crisis management, advertising and digital strategies. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 73 offices and 83 affiliate offices, together operating in 108 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a unit of WPP, the world’s leading communications services network. For more information, please visit bm.com.

Contacts:

Matthias Lüfkens
Burson-Marsteller
18, Boulevard des Philosophes
1205 Geneva
T +41 22 593 6926
M +41 79 514 47 81
http://b-m.ch
matthias.luefkens@bm.com
@Luefkens

Marie-Louise Baumann joined Burson-Marsteller from the Liberal Democratic party in 2000 to head the Public Affairs Practice. She is an experienced communications professional and lobbyist who has led high-profile political campaigns for many different industries and organisations. Prior to the Liberal Democratic party she worked for the Federal Chancellery.

“I am confident Marie-Louise will be a strong leader of Burson-Marsteller Switzerland. Her strategic approach and significant experience both at Burson-Marsteller and previously in politics will benefit our employees and clients alike. I look forward to working closely with her over the coming months,” said Jeremy Galbraith, CEO Burson-Marsteller Europe, Middle East & Africa.

# # #

For media enquiries please contact:

Katarina Wallin Bureau (English/French)
Burson-Marsteller EMEA
Tel: +3247342114
Katarina.wallinbureau@bm.com

Valerie von Eberhardt (German)
Burson-Marsteller EMEA
Tel: +3247858600
Valerie.voneberhardt@bm.com

Overall, the 811 survey respondents rated the individual performances of most Commissioners quite poorly. They believe the performance of the Barroso II Commission, both collectively and individually, has deteriorated over the past year.  Respondents seek more ambition and focus during the Commission’s last two years in office.

European Commissioner Neelie Kroes was the star performer.  She received the highest individual rating (6/10) with a very strong assessment for her work on the Digital Agenda, was identified as having showed the “biggest improvement” in performance, and she was also ranked the “best communicator” of the current European Commission.

Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, and the Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, received the most individual ratings and the worst scores by far (2/10 and 2.5/10 respectively). By contrast, Commissioners Janez Potočnik (Environment, 5/10), Kristalina Georgieva (International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, 5.5/10) and Maroš Šefčovič (Inter-institutional Relations & Administration, 5/10) were assessed as relatively strong performers.

The survey also queried into who might be in the running for the job of Commission President in 2014.

Candidates from the three main European political families stand out in the top 3 results:  Guy Verhofstadt (BE) is the clear choice within the Liberal family (17.9%), Tony Blair (UK) is the somewhat surprising top favourite for the Socialists of votes (16.3%), and Angela Merkel is the ‘preferred’ (19.3%) and José Manuel Barroso the ‘likely’ candidate for the EPP (8.2%).

David Earnshaw, CEO of Burson-Marsteller Brussels, said: “The results of our Mid-Term Review show that the Commission – as we found last year – must do better.  At a time when Europe is more necessary than ever, the Commission needs more ambition.  Less than one per cent of respondents give the Commission full marks. The message for the Commission as a whole – and also for individual Commissioners – is that they need to do a lot better!”

Daniela Vincenti, Editor-in-Chief of EurActiv.com, said: “The principal policy challenge, not surprisingly, for the remainder of the mandate of the Barroso II Commission is the economic and financial crisis. Growth, jobs and social policy were among the top two priorities of for more than a third of respondents. Looking further ahead, our survey suggests a clear desire for the next President of the European Commission to be a ‘big-hitter’.”

The 2010-2014 European Commission Mid-Term Review online survey garnered 811 respondents from all corners of the EU policy-making world (MEPs, government officials (national and European), consultancies, trade associations and corporate representatives, Media, NGOs and think tanks, …). The full list of the survey questions and methodology is also available on www.bmbrussels.eu.

The survey results are available in a summary report “The European Commission – Mid-Term Review” and in full detail on www.bmbrussels.eu. A compilation of responses to open-ended questions and the survey methodology is also available. Another article on the survey’s findings has also been published on EurActiv.com/MidTermReview.

Press contact: Mayssa Badr – Burson-Marsteller Brussels – Mayssa.badr@bm.com – Tel: +32.2.743.66.98 or Mobile: +32.476.32.14.58

The research found high levels of trust in the IT community.  Technology companies are highly trusted by IT decision-makers, with between 51 per cent claiming to trust vendors a lot.  This is reflected in the finding that 34 per cent cite corporate websites as very influential in their purchasing decisions, versus 39 per cent citing trade press as very influential.  Traditional media is still trusted by IT decision-makers more than social media, but trust in social media is rising, with approximately one in five trusting Twitter across UK, France and Italy, almost the same level of trust as radio.

The study also sought to analyse the most influential factors in any technology purchase.  Quality of products was cited by an average of 60% and 57% cited a technology vendor’s brand or reputation as key (67% in the UK said this was key).  56% said value for money was influential.

Chris Cartwright, Chair of Burson-Marsteller’s Technology Practice in EMEA, commented: “CIOs are a pragmatic group.  In these tough economic times, CIOs are focused on product quality and value for money as key purchasing criteria – far more than ‘softer’ factors such as CSR, leadership of the vendor company, or its financial performance.  However, getting this right is really just the entry-level today.  The insight that reputation is a key decision driver suggests that technology communicators need to really focus on what drives their own reputation and builds the brand.”

In order to probe further, the study asked IT decision-makers what they thought the key ingredients of market leadership were for technology vendors. “We felt this would give us an insight into what should be the base elements of any reputation-building campaign in the technology arena,” said Cartwright. “Overwhelmingly, respondents said: Innovation, Quality, Reliability.”

In spite of the trust engendered by traditional media, trust in social media is rising, with around 70% of IT decision makers citing social media as very or somewhat valuable.  Among social media properties, YouTube is identified as important in the decision-making process.  One in three IT decision-makers said that they use YouTube as part of their purchase decision making process. This combined with the use of corporate websites noted above suggests that video is a powerful tool that should be leveraged both on corporate web sites and corporate social media properties.

“This was an unexpected finding for us and an actionable one.  However, a cautionary note should be made: recent research and the experience of many in the sector  suggests that many communications directors are fighting to retain control of these channels as marketing, customer service and sales parts of the organisation, as well as dedicated ‘digital and social’ functions are exerting their influence.  If using owned media to reach the CIO is as vital as our data suggests, communications professionals need to exercise far more control in this space,” Chris Cartwright continued.

Looking at how IT decision-makers feel about their roles, the study found that they constantly battle stereotypes which they feel underestimate their value.  They are passionate about innovation, which they see as vital to their organisation’s business strategy. According to the research, 75 per cent feel that innovation is central to their organisation’s business strategy and 67 per cent see themselves as the primary source of innovation in their organisations.  Over two-thirds think that the IT department is central to their company’s business strategy – rising to 79% in the UK.

Christine Armstrong, Vice President, Penn Schoen Berland, commented: “Stereotypical attitudes to technology experts remain prevalent. The research shows a significant divergence between the day-to-day experience of the IT decision-maker role and the image held by non-IT colleagues and the wider world.  While 60 per cent of IT decision-makers agree that colleagues believe they can work miracles by retrieving un-backed-up data, 37 per cent believe colleagues think they solve problems by pushing control-alt-delete.  Over a quarter think their peers believe they spy on their emails!  IT decision-makers clearly feel misunderstood, and their contribution underestimated quite significantly.  Being seen as service-providing ‘geeks’ is a perception that CIOs would actively like to dispel.  They see themselves, rather, as strategic innovators, vital to the success of their company.”

The research highlighted a number of points worthy of further consideration in executing communications that help move CIO’s and others along the IT purchase decision path:

1. Brand and Reputation is important

There is a critical need for technology vendors to spend more time and effort working out what they stand for, what their mission, purpose, values and messages are, and what makes them different, because it really does make a difference to the IT decision maker.

2. Innovation is the defining characteristic of market leadership

Although many factors contribute to enhancing brand and reputation, our evidence suggests that if you want to build reputation enhancing programmes that will actually resonate with IT decision makers, they should focus on innovation as a key theme.

3. Products, Quality, Value

IT decision makers are most influenced by the quality of products, reputation  and value for money.  Placing these three factors at the heart of a campaign may seem like a back to basics approach, but our research suggests its effectiveness.

4. Make better use of owned media

At a time when many different departments and agencies are claiming ownership of these channels communications directors need to take more interest in the content of their web sites and social media properties.  Our research suggests that many IT vendors may be missing out on a significant channel of influence, YouTube. Producing quality videos as a way of conveying and controlling messages, either on the corporate site, or via YouTube is certainly something that technology brands should be investigating.

5. The Five Key Communications Channels

Focus communications on the five key communications channels IT decision makers pay most attention to and are influenced by the corporate web site, using video; technology and trade media; sector specific press; industry analysts; industry conferences.

More information

Burson-Marsteller, a leading global communication agency in Switzerland, is announcing the following change to its management:

Gabi Badertscher, previously Senior Public Affairs Consultant, has been appointed the new manager of the Public Affairs division and at the same time becomes a member of the executive Board of Burson-Marsteller. Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, Gabi Badertscher worked in various managerial positions in the airline, healthcare, education and training and financial sectors. At the same time she was actively involved in politics for many years, including as a member of parliament of the canton of Thurgau, as a member and chairperson of the Auditing and Finance Committee and as President of the parliament of the canton of Thurgau. Gabi Badertscher holds an Executive Master degree in Communications Management from the universities of Lugano, UCLA Anderson Business School Los Angeles and the Copenhagen Business School.

Gabi Badertscher has an extensive network of contacts in politics, business and the media. Her many years’ experience on both the client and the consultant side of the business make her a competent partner in dealings with legislative and executive authorities at the municipal, cantonal and national levels, in the area of public relations, internal and external corporate communication and crisis and change management. Gabi Badertscher is also an experienced consultant for communication solutions across different cultures and in the areas of media, performance and argumentation training as well as coaching: “Gabi Badertscher combines both strategic consulting expertise and effectiveness in implementing advice. I am convinced she will contribute a great deal of added value to Burson-Marsteller’s clients”, said Urs Rellstab, CEO Burson-Marsteller Switzerland.

“Consitor will help companies build and communicate their unique scientific contributions in ways that resonate with healthcare decision makers, providers and users,” said Burson-Marsteller Worldwide CEO Donald A. Baer. “Consitor’s strategic support will help clients achieve crucial differentiation from the competition.”

Consitor has offices in Zurich, Switzerland under the leadership of Dr. Toula Stoffel and Washington, D.C. under the leadership of Dr. Reyn Archer.

“Consitor’s strategic approach rests on linking three critical elements, namely science, medicine and health,” said Consitor President Dr. Stoffel. “Showing the link between these elements will serve to drive the development of a winning strategy.”

“Policy and advocacy for new and existing paradigms are key to framing the value for society and improving health and science outcomes,” said Consitor CEO Dr. Archer. “Consitor knows how to connect the pieces to reach defined goals providing benefits for patients, society, healthcare professionals and the organizations themselves.”

Dr. Toula Stoffel
Currently, Dr. Toula Stoffel has been leading Burson-Marsteller’s EMEA Healthcare Practice since 2009.  Before joining Burson-Marsteller in 2008, she was Vice President and Scientific Director at Sudler & Hennessey in New York. In this position, Toula functioned as the Senior Medical Strategist for the areas of Oncology, Neurology and Metabolics in product launch, marketing, medical and clinical trial communications. Dr. Stoffel has a medical background and is a former Assistant Professor of Laboratory for Cancer Biology at Rockefeller University in New York. She is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Hematology, the American and European Societies of Clinical Oncology and the New York Academy of Sciences.  She is a Lymphoma Foundation Fellow of the Americas and her research has resulted in a number of high impact original publications and expert reviews.

Dr. Reyn Archer
Dr. Reyn Archer is a Managing Director and Chief Medical Officer in Burson-Marsteller’s U.S. Healthcare Practice. He supports public health, health policy and health system regulation communications programs for the practice. Earlier in his career, Dr. Archer served as Commissioner of the Texas Department of Health. He oversaw 118 public health programs including acute care Medicaid – payer contracts and the state vendor drug program, health facility regulation, food safety, communicable and environmentally mediated disease programs, and healthcare services for women and children. He has been a leader on critical public health issues such as diabetes, obesity, hepatitis, food borne illness, immunization and toxicology. Prior to his career in communications and government, he was a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist in the Washington, DC area.

About Consitor
Consitor is a division of Burson-Marsteller that helps clients develop customized business strategies geared to drive future success within the healthcare, science and technology marketplace.  Consitor offers a team of dedicated specialists with a combined knowledge and expertise spanning the fields of Strategy Development, Brand Life Cycle Management, KOL Development and Scientific Communications, Advocacy and Policy, Medical Education, Health Economics, and Market Access.  Consitor teams counsel clients on business issues at both the corporate level and product level. A key aim is to help clients break away from a siloed approach to stakeholder engagement and develop a fully integrated approach to healthcare policy and communications issues.