In times of change, excellent communication points the way.
- Katharina Berlet
- Strategic Communication Consulting
Successful companies are managed wisely. Successful leadership needs strong communication.
Transformation and change are omnipresent in our world. This makes effective internal and external corporate communication more important than ever. Whether in times of growth or crisis, strong positioning with clear messages is the key to success. Good communication makes a vision, a strategy, or a decision tangible. Good communication gives orientation and builds trust.
As an independent communications consultant, I support companies and leaders in growth and change – as a strategic sparring partner, process facilitator or interim manager.
Strategy, Positioning & Reputation
To build trust, you need a strong narrative that is consistently communicated – internally and externally. I develop a strategic roadmap for long-term positioning that is aligned with your business goals. With crisp messages and a differentiated channel strategy. This includes thinking through crisis scenarios, preparing leak protocols and playbooks for active reputation management.
Building future-proof Structures & Teams
Strategic communication expertise should be anchored in-house. I advise the in-house team – from the executive to the communications lead –to build a future-proof communications team. Together we scrutinize and optimize processes and formats, define relevant resources, and create the necessary structures.
Interim Management
As an experienced leader, I take on interim communications responsibility. As a member of the team, I develop the communications department from the inside, support strategy changes or restructuring, prepare IPO processes and financial transactions, and keep day-to-day business running at the same time.
“Strong communication creates impact and contributes to business success.”
My career in communications spans close to two decades. Years, in which I have repeatedly dealt with new brands, industries, target groups, and a wide variety of strategic challenges. I have learned how to act fast, make analytically sound arguments, think creatively, and develop smart solutions.
I recognized the power of precise messages during my journalistic work for daily newspapers, publishing houses, and radio stations. I learned how powerful communication can be when I entered the world of consultancy agencies after studying communication science, politics, and psychology at the University of Münster.
At Scholz & Friends, Zum goldenen Hirschen, and the owner-managed agency rpm – revolutions per minute, I developed national and international communications campaigns for global companies such as Procter and Gamble, Campari, and Ferrero, sharpened the narratives of political actors and advised associations, institutions, and companies on positioning issues, supported restructuring programs, and steered them through ad hoc crises.
In 2015, I moved to Mister Spex as Vice President of Corporate Communication & PR and accompanied the then-still-young start-up on its journey from visionary digital disruptor to pan-European omnichannel retailer and finally to a successful IPO in 2021. In my seven years at Mister Spex, I succeeded in establishing the brand and the success story behind it. As a member of the management team, I had to steer the company’s transformation from early stage to public company in terms of organization, internal structures, and processes.
Most recently, I supported GetYourGuide, the world’s leading online marketplace for travel experiences, in times of massive and rapid growth and, as Global Communications Director with an international team, built awareness, particularly in the UK and the US, and anchor the strategic positioning in the relevant core markets.
Selected references – companies, agencies, projects
I have advised numerous companies and their management teams, developed excellent internal and external campaigns and successfully communicated various brands in the market.
Companies & Brands
GetYourGuide
Mister Spex
Procter & Gamble
Campari
Freixenet
28 Black
Ministry of Health
Reemtsma
Tchibo
Apollo Optik
Agencies
Scholz & Friends
Zum goldenen Hirschen
RPM – revolution per Minute
Cobrand
Awards
The employer branding campaign I developed for the IPO of Mister Spex AG was honored with the German Brand Award 2022, the Digital Communications Award (DCI) 2022, and the Inkometa Award 2022.
I am a founding member of the consulting collective We&C – a network of freelance communication experts.