Herbert Heitmann

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Herbert Heitmann

Before founding his communications strategy consultancy Karaktero, Dr Herbert Heitmann was most recently Founding Chairman of BoldT, a consultancy firm which he co-founded together with Ex-Burson-Marsteller EMEA CEO Jeremy Galbraith. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President of Global Brand, Communications and Government Relations at life sciences company Bayer (2013-2016). Other previous roles include Executive Vice President of external Communications at oil and gas company Shell (2010-2103) and Chief Communications Officer at business software leader SAP (1998-2010). Dr. Heitmann is also President of the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD), which he co-founded in 2006. Other active roles include Partner at LiveTube Ltd, a curated live-news platform, and Member of the Board of Trustees at Arthur W. Page Society, the leading American communicators network. He began his career as engineer and scientist, in areas of gold-mining and disposable diapers, nuclear and environmental research.

Where business strategy meets communications

On the threshold of a new chapter in his career, communications veteran Herbert Heitmann reflects on "the sweet spot" where business strategy and communications meet

Herbert Heitmann

Posted: 16 May 2018

In 2006, the European Association of Communication Directors was founded by a diverse group of communications professionals, led by industry veteran Herbert Heitmann.

This year, at...

Future-proofing reputation

Reputation has emerged as one of the major determinants of a company’s success: managing it is a key role of the chief communications officer

Herbert Heitmann

Posted: 25 August 2016

When you enter the communications world from an engineering world, as I did, you come from a world of numbers, equations and machines to a world of words, relationships and people.

You also move from a world where you are trained to...

The new CCO

Helping enterprises earn trust and create value for stakeholders.

Roger Bolton, Herbert Heitmann

Posted: 30 May 2016

At a meeting of Arthur W. Page Society members hosted at Bayer’s offices in Germany last October, Reidar Gjærum, who heads communications for Statoil, crisply summed up the role of today’s chief communications officer (CCO): “Interpreting society...

Updating the profile

Eight key lessons that outline the new communication director profile.

Herbert Heitmann

Posted: 14 November 2013

The work of the communication director is changing: new challenges and expectations have to be met, new tools can be used and a new position within the organisational hierarchy is to be negotiated.

To understand the changes at the highest...

"That’s not just a risk, its real"

Executive Vice President of External Communications, Royal Dutch Shell

Herbert Heitmann

Posted: 04 December 2012

More than the traditional 100 days have passed since you started as executive vice president of external communications at Royal Dutch Shell. How does it feel to work for a company with around 100,000 employees, in comparison to a company...