BUILDING TRUST
THROUGH AUTHENTIC
COMMUNICATION

PROFILE

We are a strong partner to leaders who aim to connect and engage through authentic communication. We help our clients build and maintain trust, manage crises, and strengthen their corporate culture.

With over 25 years of experience working with leaders in various industries and geographies, founder Barbara Fry combines excellence in communications management with business acumen and strategic thinking.

After starting her career at PR consultancy Hill+Knowlton, Barbara joined biotech company Merck Serono in Geneva, where she managed corporate affairs and investor relations. She advised leading companies as an independent consultant out of her Zurich office before moving to Toronto to direct the communications and strategic alliances unit for Merck/EMD Serono’s Canadian business. Upon her return to Zurich, Barbara headed corporate communications for real estate developer Steiner Group and led communications projects for the India-based parent company. Her board and pro-bono assignments include advisory work for Human Rights Watch and other non-profit organizations.

Barbara Fry holds an MA in Economics, an EMSc in Communications Management, and completed an executive program on Behavioral Science at Harvard Business School.

SERVICES

Weshalb: Die Organisationskultur beschreibt und gibt vor, wie sich Mitarbeitende verhalten sollten. Sie hat einen direkten Einfluss auf Motivation und Engagement. Gleichzeitig prägt das Verhalten der Mitarbeitenden gegenüber Kunden und Lieferanten die Reputation Ihrer Unternehmung ganz entscheidend. Keine Imagekampagne ist erfolgreich, wenn das Markenversprechen im Kundenkontakt nicht eingelöst wird.

Was: Wir übersetzen die Werte Ihres Unternehmens in konkretes Verhalten: «so arbeiten wir». Dadurch wird es für jede Funktion und jedes Team konkret fassbar, welche Verhalten die gewünschte Kultur und die Marke zum Leben bringen. Im Austausch mit Kolleginnen und Kollegen sowie gegenüber Kunden.

Wie: Wir klären mit Ihnen die bestehenden Werte auf ihre konkrete Bedeutung im Alltag und unterstützen Sie dabei, die gewünschte Kultur in klaren Worten zu beschreiben. Wir definieren konkrete Verhaltensweisen, die von allen Mitarbeitenden erwartet werden können. Damit es zu messbaren Veränderungen kommt setzen wir Erkenntnisse der Verhaltenswissenschaften ein, und entwickeln eine begleitende Kommunikationsstrategie.

Resultat: Eine starke Organisationskultur gibt intern Orientierung und schafft Gemeinsamkeit, stärkt Ihr Profil gegen aussen und unterstützt Ihren Employer Brand.

Why: Authentic communication is vital in creating strong business relationships. It isn’t only about sharing information or stating an opinion. Rather it is about communicating effectively so that organizations can build and maintain trust within, with their clients and with other external stakeholders.

What: We help you develop your authentic communication strategy to build trust, nurture connections, and engage in a meaningful dialogue with your audiences. We also support you in achieving internal alignment for your strategic goals.

How: Based on your current communication strategy and the messages you convey we uncover potential for a better connection with your audiences.  We also look at the opportunities for employees to engage with each other and with management; it is fostering a workplace culture where everyone feels their voices are heard and ideas valued.

Outcome: Communicating with authenticity helps companies build trust. An engaged workforce that feels valued becomes advocates and innovators.  At the same time, a management team that feels connected to their workforce can lead with great confidence.

Why: Crises like the coronavirus pandemic put organizations under great pressure as they try to respond to the – often conflicting – interests of their stakeholders while the outlook remains uncertain. Authentic communication is critical to successful crisis management.

What: Authentic communication increases your organization’s resilience. They provide employees and other important stakeholders with timely information while a management’s transparent and empathetic approach will enlist confidence in time of uncertainty.

How: We support you in communicating frequently, transparently, and with empathy. Knowing what to say in which moment can make all the difference. In times of crisis, being honest is more important than having all the answers.

Outcome: Authentic communication helps you maintain strong business relationships and keep the trust in your organization’s ability to successfully manage the crisis. It is in the moment of crisis that effective leadership and resilient organizations rise to the top.

Why: Managing transformations is on top of the agenda of most leadership teams. Digitization, changes in global supply chains, or M&A activities force companies to adapt their business models and processes. These transformations require agility and resilience in the face of change.

What: The vast majority of employees are open to change, provided they understand the rationale behind it, and their concerns and ideas are heard. Authentic communication is a key leadership tool to achieve buy-in for your change process.

How: Translating the need for change into convincing messages, listening to constructive feedback, engaging in dialogue, sharing success stories – those are elements of an internal communication program that supports your transformation process. We’ll help you develop and deliver such a communication program.

Outcome: Move your workforce from being observers to becoming advocates of change, because they understand why you need to do it, and what’s in it for them.

PHILOSOPHY

We help our clients use authentic communication to win over people’s hearts and minds, to manage change and crises, and to strengthen their culture. 

The following principles are the foundations of our work:

  • Authentic communication is an essential management tool to
    • connect to and engage with people,
    • manage change and crises,
    • accelerate strategy implementation, and
    • foster a culture of trust
  • People perform at their best in organizations where they
    • can trust their leaders
    • are appreciated and heard,
    • can learn and grow
  • Workplace culture is a key driver of engagement, performance and differentiation, and it needs to be actively managed

We listen carefully and ask questions that are informed by our broad experience with diverse industries, stakeholders, geographies and cultures.

Under the brand Re-Thinking Diversity, we support organizations in creating diverse and high-performing workplaces with a focused offering that leverages insights from behavioral science. Learn more at www.re-thinking-diversity.ch

TESTIMONIALS

Relationships of trust are essential to achieving results.
Here’s what some of our clients and business partners say about our work:

“Barbara was instrumental in developing a highly effective communications strategy for my business unit. She translated my vision into a consistent message framework and provided guidance on how to foster a culture of collaboration across teams. Her work reflected an in-depth understanding of the demands and expectations linked to my role as Managing Director at Biogen Switzerland.”

Natascha Schill

Former Managing Director at Biogen Switzerland, today VP Program and Alliance Management at Neurimmune

“Barbara has successfully sharpened the positioning of Steiner Group and initiated and managed the cultural change process. The new corporate identity provided our employees with a renewed sense of purpose, and externally achieved to convey clear messages to our stakeholders. Thanks to her business acumen and her know-how, she was a trusted business partner to the Executive Team.”

Stefan Eisenhut

Former General Counsel and Member of the Executive Board, Steiner AG

“Shaping a culture where people see a connection between their role and the company’s strategy was a guiding principle for Barbara. Her strength in mapping out communications that kept our strategy and values at the forefront, coupled with her ability to deliver tangible results were invaluable to keep our corporate vision alive within the company.”

Deborah Brown
Managing Partner, Accelera Canada, former President of EMD Serono Canada

“Barbara is a passionate communicator with a sharp analytical mind. Her ability to connect the dots and include stakeholders’ perspectives in decision making allow her to develop and execute solutions which build and maintain trust. Barbara’s professional standards and integrity position her as trusted advisor.”

Christoph Lamps
Senior Partner, Dynamics Group

“Barbara has provided invaluable guidance on how to sharpen our profile with key stakeholders and how to better connect with them. Her experience working in international settings and across cultures directly translates into strategies which resonate with our audiences and further strengthen our reputation.”

Brigitte Schmid
Senior Director, Human Rights Watch, Zurich