Inside PIABO: Katharina Hein on the multiplicity of Tech-PR, her position as team ambassador and PIABO's new home
In our new blog series "Our longest serving employees'' we introduce you to Katharina Hein. She is Communications Director and has been a permanent member of the PIABO team since 2016. Katharina is part of the B2C unit and deals with topics ranging from education and new work to mobility and sustainability. Her clients currently include the mobility start-up Cowboy, the learning app simpleclub, the foodtech Infarm and the sustainability pioneer Patagonia. Katharina was also the first team ambassador. Find out how she came to PIABO, what she particularly appreciates about her daily work and what it is like as a PR consultant to suddenly coordinate a construction site.
Focus on personality and individual growth
I became aware of PIABO through Simone, my current team leader and Unit Director B2C. We got to know each other at the agency where I did my PR traineeship after my master's degree. Her positive stories encouraged me to apply with PIABO and get to know Tilo, the team and the agency. I was invited to an informal meeting – without any obligations, of course. I have been part of PIABO for over four years now and I am glad I made the decision back then to learn more about the agency’s culture back then: now as before, I am very fond of the variety of clients and topics as well as the international environment in which we work. During my time at PIABO, I have implemented national and international communication campaigns with partners from a wide range of industries reaching from design and new work, consumer electronics and mobility to food and sustainability. And I appreciate getting to know so many inspiring personalities. Especially with our focus lying on the innovation industry, we are always close to the pulse of the times and work with those who are shaping our future. This is not just an empty phrase, but something we really lived by. As a PR consultant, it is my job to make technological innovations and future trends that our customers stand for accessible to a wider audience and thus convey them to society. We help companies and entrepreneurs to make their ideas known and drive technological progress and innovation. This is what makes working at PIABO so exciting for me personally and it allows me to expand my knowledge every day and develop together with our clients.
PIABOAT Summer Party 2019
Variety at all levels
Speaking of further development: A lot has also happened in our team over the last four years. When I started, there were twelve of us, today we are more than 50. So we have also grown together as a team and agency. All team members of PIABO share an interest in future trends and the digital industry, but everyone also brings their individual skills and expertise as well as their own network – and everyone shares these things openly and gladly with their colleagues. I am always amazed by the amount of expert knowledge on a wide range of topics that our team members have and that is sometimes revealed in online chats or at the coffee machine. Whether it is the exchange of knowledge or contacts, there is always someone in the agency who can help me at short notice on (almost) any topic.. This openness combined with the mindset that we are a real team and not just a bunch of lone fighters really sets PIABO apart.
Office Warming Party 2019
As the first "ambassador" I also had the opportunity to represent the team to the management for six months. This was a really exciting task, because as an ambassador for the team I was able to discuss issues that are important to my colleagues with the management and bring their perspective straight to the management level. I truly believe that such a position is very valuable for both sides.
Living passion: Contributing personal expertise
The fact that working at PIABO is a truly multifaceted job and can bring many surprises is also evidenced by the fact that in 2017/18, in addition to my job as a PR consultant, I became PIABO's internal designer and construction site manager. The reason is quite simple: My personal passion for architecture, design and beautiful things is well known in the agency. For this reason, Tilo got me involved in the search for a new office location as well as in designing and furnishing our new office – from property viewings, visits to construction sites and appointments with builders to the selection of wall colours, furniture, lighting and planting. For a period of nine months, in addition to my job as Communications Director, I got to know a completely different way of working in which I was supported by my dear colleague Henni and worked in cooperation with our partners at Vitra and designfunktion.
A big thank you for the fabulous management of the project design office
I never thought that as a PR consultant I would ever have the opportunity to set up an office and work so closely with architects and design professionals. And even though this job doesn't seem to have much to do with my "normal" job at first glance, I learned a lot about project management. This also brought benefits to my everyday work in the agency and in my collaboration with clients. But the best thing is to see that the team feels so comfortable in our new home at Gendarmenmarkt, that we can implement exciting campaigns with our clients in Germany and around the world and thus help shape the future.
