Digital Awards 2019

Irina Gushchina has been working in media and Public Relations for more than 16 years.
She started her career as a journalist of a business weekly magazine, and then has worked for several years in prominent Russian and international PR agencies including Edelman Imageland, where she led a number of PR programs in healthcare for Procter&Gamble, Johnson&Johnson, AstraZeneca, and worked on several international projects including Russian Winter Festival in London.
From 2007 till 2011, Irina headed Strategic Alliances and Communications group at Pfizer Russia, a major global pharmaceutical company. In 2011, Irina joined Abbott Russia, one of the leading global healthcare companies, as Director of Public Affairs and Communications. In her role at Abbott, Irina was responsible for external communications, reputation management programs and strategic internal communications. In January 2017, Irina joined Uber as Communications Director for Russia and CIS.
Irina is a certified public relations professional and holds MBA degree in “Communication and Leadership” from Quadriga University of Applied Sciences Berlin.

Professor for Digital Transformation and Politics

Jean-Paul Chapon is head of the Digital Communications & e-Reputation department at Société Générale, in charge of the e-Reputation of the Group, it’s presence on social media and the internal deployment of 2.0 platforms. Previously he worked in the telecommunications sector, where he was responsible for the reorganisation of internal online tools, designed to take advantage of all Web 2.0 resources at Alcatel-Lucent and SFR. Jean-Paul Chapon is also the author of „Paris est sa Banlieue“, a popular blog on the difficult relationship between the city and the suburbs.

Duccio Manetti studied Philosophy of Language and Philosophy of Science at the University of Florence in Italy. Following his first degree, he earned a second degree in Science of Communication and a PhD in Cognitive Sciences.

After his studies, he was appointed Junior Professor and Researcher at the University of Florence and collaborated with local institutions and government for scientific divulgation and communication projects, both online and through local events. Duccio Manetti is the Editorial Manager and founder of the international scientific journal Humana.Mente (www.humanamente.eu).

In 2011 he joined General Electric’s Digital Internal Communications Dept. and he then held the position of Global Digital Strategist for the Oil & Gas business and various global marketing communication roles for GE Oil & Gas headquarters. Today he is Demand Generation & Commercialization Manager for BHGE, managing commercialization and marketing of main product lines.

Hannah Cole is currently Head of Communications at the European Commission, on development cooperation and international cooperation. She has been at the Commission for over 10 years and been involved in a range of communications projects ranging from crisis communications and high-level events. In her current role, she oversees digital campaigns both inside and outside of Europe on EU development issues.

Setting up innovative and efficient digital media structures is key for my professional understanding and activities - be it in newsrooms, current affairs of corporate communication. My focus topics are: international Policy, development & democratisation worldwide, human rights and innovative ideas in sustainability. Twitter: @uteschaeffer

Chiara Valentini is full professor of Corporate Communication, at the University of Jyvaskyla School of Business and Economics (JSBE), Finland. Her research interest focuses on strategic public relations, public communication, and crisis communication in the digital environment. Her work has appeared in several international peer-reviewed journals, such as Public Relations Review, Corporate Communication: An International Journal, International Journal of Strategic Communication, International Journal of Press/Politics to name a few. She is the editor of the Handbook of Public Relations (de Gruyter Mouton, forthcoming) and currently working on a project on artificial intelligence, big data and strategic communication.

Rob is Head of Digital at EF Education First, the world leader in language training and private education. So nailing marketing innovation to reach younger audiences worldwide is fundamental to success. Rob’s experience spans from advertising & creative concept work, to social media and content marketing.
Rob has worked in multiple countries, and currently with 50 countries on their digital and social media strategy.

Before joining EF, Rob was an entrepreneur in the leisure and travel sectors.

Digital strategist with creative mindset and love for everything content. Strong communicator with hands-on experience developing communication strategies and creative campaigns. I enjoy a high paced working environment and I laugh a lot.

Julia Kovar-Mühlhausen is Director of Communications of Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, one of Germany’s largest foundations. She is responsible for all PR and content issues in online and offline channels. The BW Stiftung has been awarded for its communication projects several times. Julia has 12 years of expertise in marketing and communications also in FMCG and industrial sector and holds degrees in economics and communication. She works as a lecturer and speaker at different universities.

As a team leader and press spokesperson, Hans Ruijgers is responsible for KWR’s corporate profiling and is the first point of contact for press questions. Since his appointment in 2010, he has focused on the distinctive display of researchers’ knowledge and skills. For our customers, they are the face of KWR, and in many cases now also a ‘brand’ requiring well thought-out profiling. As a creative strategist, Hans advises the management team about issues including brand development (in addition to KWR, the brands Watershare and Allied Waters), trade fair exposure (biannual IWA fair) and the organisation-wide switch to digital (online) communication. He designed the various KWR awards (Willem Koerselman Award, KWR-IWA Resource Recovery Award and BTO Implementation Award). Hans previously worked as a communication policy adviser for Utrecht University’s management services and as a communications agency consultant, specialising in interactive policymaking (on e.g. Automatic Vehicle Guidance and Hollandsch Diep Deposit for contaminated dredged material). Following a Master’s in Public Relations & Mass Communications, he started his career at Gasunie. Hans is a member of the European Association of Communication Directors.

Hans tweets @hansruijgers.

Lasse Hoegfeldt is head of Communications and head of social media at Jyske Bank. He was in 2008 involved in the transformation of Jyske Banks Communication Department into a Brand Newsroom and is one of the creators of the award-winning online tv-station and internal/external communication platform: Jyske Bank TV. Lasse is today editor-in-chief at Jyske Bank TV.

His background is MA Literature, Film & Media. Studies in Journalism, Creative Storytelling, Leadership. Copywriter, brand journalist and editor of brand magazines in Danish, German and English. Worked with Content Marketing since 1999.

Keynote speaker in Denmark, Europe and USA about “Internal and External Communication”, “Content Marketing”, “Game Change and Digitalization”.

Prior to joining Munich Re as Group Spokesperson, Florian was Head of Communications of ERGO Direkt and Deputy Head Media & Internal Relations at ERGO Group. Throughout his career with further positions at AXA, Thüga and UniCredit, Florian has developed expertise in corporate communications, pushing ahead change, innovation and digitalisation topics, strategic realignments and reorganisations, mergers & acquisitions and crisis communications. He is a member of the executive committee of the Federal Association of German Spokespeople. Florian holds a Master of Theology from the University of Edinburgh and a Master of Arts from Quadriga University of Applied Sciences Berlin.

Tina is responsible for global communication for Total’s exploration and development teams. A consultative leader of several account managers, Tina thrives on empowering others to achieve above expectations. Previously, Tina was a key player in the Maersk Group’s digital strategy implementation and served on several related steering committees. Prior to Maersk, she held senior Communications roles within the United Nations – UNICEF, UNDP, WHO – providing advice to leaders and visionary concepts, activations to fulfil organizational objectives.

Fabio leads Learning Communication & Coordination at UniCredit, one of the leading commercial banks operating in 14 European countries.

He has an extensive experience in the areas of internal communication, employee engagement, online communications, social media, user experience design, innovating digital channels evolution, as well as facilitating effective cross-functional cooperation.

Before joining the Human Capital department, Fabio was the head of the Social & Digital Internal Communications team in the UniCredit Holding Company and he led the Internet & Remote Banking activities in the Italian Retail bank of the Group.

Fabio is adjunct professor of Internal Communication at the International Postgraduate Master in Corporate Communication at Università Cattolica (Milan).

Prof. Dr. Ana Adi is the Head of the Department Corporate Communications at Quadriga University of Applied Sciences. She is a digital humanist whose research focuses on digital media, its applications and challenges to public relations, political communication, CSR and activist communications. As a consultant, her expertise lies within the field of social media strategy, monitoring and measurement.

Prof. Dr. Adi has a background in public relations. Prior to joining Quadriga, Prof. Dr. Adi has worked, lived and studied the USA, Great Britain, Belgium, Bahrain, Thailand and Romania. She defines herself as a geek at heart, a polyglot, foodie, travel lover and a world citizen.

Eero Loonurm has been active in higher education internationalisation for nearly 15 years.
His responsibilities in Archimedes Foundation (Estonia) include the development and execution of the national higher education marketing strategy for "Study in Estonia" and representing Estonia in communications-related working groups on the state level and European level. He is the marketing and communications expert in promoting Europe as a study destination for the European Commission project “Study in Europe”.

Mischa Coster MA MSc is a consultant, researcher and public speaker in the area of mediapsychology and persuasion. “I change how people see things” is his personal slogan. He does this by applying evidence-based and theory-inspired psychological tactics. Mischa comes highly recommended by dr. Robert Cialdini, the international expert-scientist in consumer psychology and persuasion.

Dr Astrid Deilmann has been director of digital communication at WWF Germany since 2012. Previously, she worked for several years as a spokeswoman for WWF. In 2015, she and her team were awarded the German Content Marketing Prize for digital storytelling. Since 2016, Astrid has been a member of the jury of the German Content Marketing Prize and of the Digital Communication Awards. She is part of the Digital Media Women #DMW network and speaks and publishes on digital topics focusing on influencer relations and YouTube.
©WWF/ dseiffert

Marnix is a professor and research & innovation manager at NHTV (in 2015 voted best large university of applied sciences in the Netherlands) and board member of the NIMA Online Marketing Group. As a research director (2005-2012) he was responsible for the initiation and implementation of media related research projects for over 50 brands (among others RTL, Sanoma Media and MTV networks). Marnix published in more than 75 national and international magazines. With an international team of media researchers and game developers Marnix is involved in several innovative media and game related National and European funded projects on topics such as virtual reality, human body sensors, transmedia storytelling and new media business models. Marnix was nominated for the AMMA award for best media related research (2014), the Pfizer Press price (2010) and MOA Dutch Market Researcher of the year award (2009). In 2006 Marnix got his PhD (NWO grant) in Communication Sciences at the Radboud University.

Vera Strauch is founder and host of the Female Leadership Podcast and various empowerment projects. She is a consultant and speaker on topics such as organization, management and diversity. Vera worked in various management functions in the construction industry for the past 10+ years. As a Fulbright scholar, Vera holds a Master’s degree in International Business from the University of South Carolina (SC) in the US and a Diplom (FH) from Nordakademie in Germany.

Sebastian is Head of CRM, E-Commerce & Service at Borussia Dortmund within the management devision Sales, Marketing & Digitalization of CMO Carsten Cramer. The German football club is the most intense experience when it comes to stadium atmosphere and fan engagement: More than 80,000 spectators celebrating each matchday, 55,000 of them own a season ticket, 25,000 chant in the famous Yellow Wall. Sebastian is passionate about data driven communication and providing excellent services on digital plattforms across the customer journey. He started at BVB in 2011 as Manager New Media/CRM. In this role he was, amongst others, responsible to create digital campaigns for highlight events such as UEFA Champions League Final or various German FA Cup Finals. Further he was jointly responsible to build up the social media and digital channels for the club.

Audrey Mehn is Professor at the International School of Management (ISM) in Dortmund and Cologne. She teaches, among other topics, the online strategies of fashion and luxury retailers and their way of communicating with their customers. Prior to that, Audrey worked for fashion retailers and for a strategic communication agency.

Nicolas Baltes works for the Digital Media team of Universal Music Germany in Berlin. He directs online campaings for domestic artists, focusing on innovative marketing trends and digital strategies. Before he joined Universal Music in 2011, he worked with different clients and helped them to implement various digital communication projects. Nicolas holds a masters degree in media economics/business administration (Diplom-Kaufmann) from the Technical University of Ilmenau, Thuringia

Dr. Sebastian Rudolph (41) is Head of Corporate Communications & Public Affairs at Bilfinger SE. He is responsible for the worldwide activities External -, Internal -, Marketing-, Online-, CSR-, HR- and Compliance-Communication as well as for governmental relations. In his function, he reports directly to CEO Tom Blades. Before this, Sebastian Rudolph was Head of Communications at the Federal Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure and the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development. Sebastian Rudolph started his career as a journalist, working for the ARD (TV), n-tv and a daily newspaper.

Ina Froehner has been the Head of Communications at company builder finleap since 2017. The company develops start-ups specialized in the fintech sector. At finleap, she is responsible for internal, external and digital communications and events, as well as the brand marketing for the company. Prior to finleap, Froehner was the Director Corporate & Brand Communications at e-commerce company, Dawanda. Before that, she worked at the communications consulting company Ketchum Pleon and Edelman New York.

In 2014 she was awarded the Golden Apple for Press Office of the year. Additionally, she has been a member of the executive committee of the Federal Association of Press Spokespeople in Germany since 2017.

Elizabeth is passionate about creating artificial intelligence (AI) and business intelligence (BI) products that generate scalable and impactful wisdom, as well as meaningful experiences. Through D3M Labs, which she founded, Elizabeth enables her clients to create and commercialize AI and BI products. With D3M Labs, Elizabeth has worked with Mondelēz, Betahaus, IAV, the German Foreign Office and global players in finance and aerospace. Elizabeth has been a mentor for business intelligence and digital marketing at accelerators in Berlin and the New York Metropolitan area. As an intrapreneur at Dell, Elizabeth built up and managed advanced analytics functions globally. She also worked in top-tier strategy consulting and quantitative finance.
Achievements include academic publications and speaking at conferences in the fields of artificial intelligence, business intelligence and FinTech, as well as awards for her achievements at Dell.

Christiane Germann is the co-founder of „Amt 2.0 Akademie“, a brand that empowers government authorities using social media platforms for their communication. She’s also a blogger, speaker and professional writer on this subject. Having worked for several public authorities in the past 15 years, Christiane has become a leading expert on governmental digital communication and social media. She has earned a diploma in Media Management and is currently doing her MBA in Public Affairs & Leadership at Quadriga University of Applied Sciences.

Alexander is a digital hard-hitter in the corporate communications scene. He was a first mover for digitalization at E.ON SE, where he joined the social media team at its inception and immensely grew the social channels. As part of the young talent pool, he has taken over vital digital projects, such as the strategic development and implementation of several international campaigns. Prior to his role at E.ON, he worked in the political communications arena, working for different agencies, including Ketchum Pleon and ergo Kommunikation.

Stephanie Bauer joined the online team of Group Communications in July 2011. Since August 2013, she has been responsible for the management of numerous projects to ensure the quality of the strategy, processes, technology and content of the Group’s online and social media presence. In January 2015, she also took over the editorial management of the Newsroom. Since the end of 2017, she is additionally responsible for the MaCom structure (Marketing & Communication).

Barney Brown’s career in Digital Communications has been split between web development and communications teams spanning the education sector, the Forestry Commission and the music industry. As Head of Digital Communications at the University of Cambridge, Barney works in a team of ten focussing on the production of guidelines and assets to aid in the management of thousands of websites and social media profiles.

Guy is global manager social media & digital at Royal DSM. A global science-based company active in Health, Nutrition & Materials. Previously to this, Guy worked in several external communications roles within the DSM Europe region. In his current position, he is responsible for DSM’s Corporate social media strategy, focused on building the brand & reputation and financial/Managing Board communications. Also, he directs corporate social media campaigns.

Next to that, Guy works closely together with the Marketing Communications teams of the DSM Business Groups to advise them in using social media in Marketing & Sales.

Martin Schneider is Global Digital Marcom Manager at Signify (Philips Lighting). He is responsible for segment channel which covers four different B2B channels. He defines and executes the Online & Digital strategy for those channels. Martin is passionate about brining best practices from B2C segment to B2B and to create a seamless customer journey by connecting all digital platforms worldwide. He has managed long-term projects in China and North-America to establish a global digital infrastructure for B2B customers. Those achievements have been recognized and awarded internally and externally (Global Golden Marcom Award, Philips Excellence Competition, Digital Communication Awards). Moreover, he continuously explores new digital opportunities for Philips Lighting and has also privately a strong passion for digital media.

Ana-Maria is a corporate communication specialist and a leading expert in crisis communication. In her management activity in the past years, Ana-Maria contributed to the growth of social media competences of the teams she worked with, especially in the context of social media crisis. Currently, she is working with corporate clients to develop holistic PR strategies, especially in critical areas and situations. Her agency offers tailored PR solutions in areas such as reputation management, social media, crisis communication, financial communication, PR measurement and evaluation.

Ana-Maria is a member of CIPR and Founder of Global Women in PR Roumania. She has been also a jury member at the Romanian PR Awards for the last 5 years.

Ana Maria is dedicated to the education of youth, sustains media literacy training and works with other media organizations in addressing educational issues in Romanian school system.

Tina Mellergaard is Head of Social Media at HK/Privat. Previously she was Head of Social at the Danish Agriculture & Food Council with the responsibility for overall strategy and streamlining of 50+ social media accounts across platforms and campaigns. She operates in a constant mix of digital lobbyism, branding, communication and traditional campaigning.

Prior to the council, Mellergaard was employed in the agency industry as Head of Social at the creative agency BABY and social media advisor at Advice A/S. She also has a background working with content strategy and employee advocacy as Social Business Manager at IBM Denmark and is regularly used as a social media specialist in Danish media.

Nico Reinhold is Business Partner Digital Strategy and Communications at Aareal Bank. Before he was Head of Social Media & Films of Deutsche Bank AG. He was, amongst others, in charge of content strategy, digital formats and blogger relations. Nico worked as a spokesperson and a journalist, and he holds a degree in economics and communications.

Annette Frijns is the Group Director Marketing & Communication for Dynniq, a dynamic, high-tech and innovative company offering integrated mobility and energy solutions and services internationally. Based at the head office in the Netherlands, Annette is responsible for managing all Group Marketing & Communication. Prior to joining Dynniq, she was the International Manager Communication & Marketing for Zanders, a leading European consultancy within the area of treasury and financial risk management, from 2011-2016. In total, Annette gained over 15 years of experience in the field of marketing, corporate and financial communications, in B2B as well as B2C.

Natan Edelsburg is the Chief Operating Officer at Muck Rack, a digital PR and journalism platform, where he handles the business side of the company. He’s also the Senior Supervising Producer of The Shorty Awards honouring the best of social media. Natan is the company’s most tenured employee and has helped bring on customers that include Mastercard, NBCUniversal, BuzzFeed, Goldman Sachs and more. Natan is also the Executive Editor of Found Remote, a news site about the future of TV that he founded. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @twatan.

Kathrin has 18 years of professional experience in various fields of Communications. Recently, she worked as Communications Officer for the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Before that she advised companies and public institutions in the areas of Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. Expertise in social media, campaigning, stakeholder relations, press relations, public policy, government relations and investor relations. She is a specialist in the information technology and telecommunications sector. Further industry expertise: healthcare, intellectual property and education. Studied Science of Communication and Media at Leipzig University, graduated in 2000. Leading the group of LPRS alumni in Berlin.

Professor Gutzmer is also editor-in-chief at the architecture magazine Baumeister, and editorial director of the Munich-based publishing house Callwey. He got a business degree from Free University Berlin and Warwick Business School. After this, he achieved a masters degree in cultural studies at Goldsmith College (University of London), where he also received his PhD with a thesis about Gilles Deleuzes and Peter Sloterdijks theories of architecture. His main fields of research: cultural theory of todays information society, and the relationship of media and space.

Alexander Gutzmer developed rich expertise in journalism, communication and media in several editorial departments of respected newspapers, magazines and publishing houses. He worked as the London correspondent for the German national weekly “Welt am Sonntag”, as editor-in-chief for the magazine “pressesprecher” at Helios Media, as editor-in-chief at the management magazine “think:act” (Roland Berger Strategy Consultants) and as editorial director at the Burda Creative Group.

After having studied Intercultural Communications in Saarbruecken and Lyon, Tim joined BASF in 2003 as a trainee within the Corporate Communications division. Since January 2018, he is heading the Global Communications Team of BASF’s Construction Chemicals division. Before that, he was in charge of internal and external communications for various global and regional business units. In 2018, Tim and his team were awarded with Deutscher Preis für Onlinekommunikation for the best microsite, in 2019 with German Brand Award for content marketing and storytelling.

A newsroom as recruiting tool: the integrated approach within communications brought Anne Wahl to Accor. Initially responsible for the Brand PR, she is now in charge of Media Relations, Internal and Partner Communications for the region Central Europe which includes 480 hotels and 38 brands ranging from Economy to Luxury. In her role she is also part of the management team bringing functions and topics closer together– with the clear mission to focus on customers and target groups instead of channels and structures.
After her communications and economics studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, she had several roles within PR for luxury hotels before moving to Accor in February 2016.

Paul Ketelaar (PhD, MSc, MSc) is Senior Assistant Professor of Communication and Influence in the Behavioural Science Institute (BSI), Department of Communication Science, at the Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, where he heads the Tailored Communication Project. His research interests focus on cognitive and social issues for the design and use of interactive communication technologies and e-commerce. His research examines tailored communication in virtual reality settings, online strategic communication through social media, and message design of online content. He is also guest professor at the University of Amsterdam and advises marketing (research) agencies about research and strategies.

Magnus Hüttenberend heads the communications of travel company TUI in the Nordic countries Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland as well as the digital communications of the global TUI Group. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the German association of communicators BdP. Before his time at TUI, he held positions in digital marketing and communications at Vodafone.

Magnus tweets at @mgns.

Selena Gabat is Head of Brand & Consumer Product Marketing at LinkedIn. Prior to this she was Director Social Media at Sky Deutschland. In this role, Selena wasresponsible for Social Media Campaigns, Community Building, Social TV and continuous development of a corporate Social Media Strategy. Before joining Sky, Selena was a Senior Consultant at Iskander Business Partner. Prior to that she has worked in various international Marketing Management Roles for Siemens AG and SAP AG. Selena holds a Bachelor Degree of Economics from the University of Greenwich & the University of Mannheim.

Laura is the head of communication department in “Eurovaistine”, part of “Euroapotheca Group” – the biggest pharmacy chain in the Baltics. She is responsible for internal and external communication, social media, sponsorship and customer experience in Lithuania. The latest and most important goal of Laura has been to show people that the pharmacy is not only the place to buy medicines, but also the daily partner for health and beauty. She has more than 10 years of experience in the communication field as public relations manager, spoke person, communication director in different companies. Before she worked as a journalist in several Lithuanian radio stations.

Anne Jensen is the Director of International Brand Development at FKP Scorpio, one of Europe’s leading festival and concert promoters, presenting around 20 festivals across Europe and several hundred shows annually. Based at the head quarters in Hamburg, she is responsible for the company’s international development at offices in Norway, Sweden and Finland among others. Prior to her time at FKP Scorpio, Anne built festival brands from scratch to leading festivals in Denmark. She has worked with digital and online media for 10 years, and is an expert of developing and designing brand profiles. She has extensive experience within the fields of branding, media, communication and trends development.

Lina Jakučionienė counts almost 20 years of experience in the communications field, both internal and external, as well as international communication. Lina has deep knowledge and experience in Marketing management, too. Lina is the Head of the Public Institution “European Innovation Projects”, she has been the Director of Corporate Communication at ERGO in the Baltic States and worked as the Head of the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania.

Lina also has work experience in the German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag) and the European Parliament (Brussels). Lina has been the Chairwoman of the Lithuanian Communication Association. Since 2017 she is the Member of the Management Committee for the International Communication master’s degree Study Programmes of Vilnius university.

Jutta Klauer is Senior Manager Digital Communications at Pfizer Germany. She is responsible for the digital communication strategy, Digital Health, Transformation and Innovation activities. Before she joined Pfizer in August 2010 she was working as Online-PR and Social Media Consultant at Ketchum Pleon for more than 10 years, where she was head of the Online-Team in the Berlin Office. Jutta Klauer holds a M.A. in English and Media-Science from Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf and a MBA from TiasNimbas in Utrecht/Bradford.

Dominik is a visionary achiever with a passion for digital marketing having acquired his broad experience in integrated communications at Roche, Clariant, Coop, and Straumann. After graduating at the University of Fribourg (CH) in Media- and Communication Sciences Dominik started his career at Clariant as Head of Online Communications and moved on to be become a Global Media Relations Manager. He then transferred to Coop – the largest Swiss retailer – as a Spokesperson and finally shifted to Straumann to build up all the global social media channels and now heading the Digital & Content Marketing team, where he is responsible for global integrated digital marketing campaigns, content marketing, marketing automation, email marketing, social media and also the digital transformation of the entire company.