New head of Corporate Communications at voestalpine AG

2014-10-28 |

From January 1, 2015, press spokesman Peter Felsbach (37) will take over as Head of Corporate Communications at the voestalpine Group. He succeeds Gerhard Kürner (44) who is leaving voestalpine of his own accord and on the best of terms. voestalpine’s unchanged strategic objective as a globally active Group is to drive forward communications at an international level while consistently focusing on the 2020 Group Strategy and sustainably maintaining the renowned high corporate information standard in spite of permanent growth.

Peter Felsbach has been in charge of the voestalpine Group’s PR activities since 2011. Starting in January 2015, the 37-year-old will head the entire Corporate Communications Department which currently has a staff of 18 employees. Corporate Communications is responsible for brand management, internal communications, media relations, online & social media management, sponsoring & event management, corporate history & documentation, as well as strategic corporate communications. As a result, he joins the Group’s first management level, reporting directly to Dr. Wolfgang Eder, CEO and Chairman of voestalpine AG. As spokesman for the Group, Felsbach remains the key contact person for external bodies as well as national and international media, in addition to his new management function.

Peter Felsbach has worked in corporate and financial communications for the past 15 years, primarily in public and media relations. Born in Klagenfurt, prior to joining the voestalpine Group he held management positions in corporate communications and investor relations with international companies, and directed the communications activities of companies, institutions, and public contracting authorities as a consultant. Felsbach qualified as a Certified Investor Relations Officer (CIRO) at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. He has postgraduate qualifications in Public Relations and a degree in Communications and Sports Science from the University of Vienna and has been the lecturer of courses at several universities.

On April 1, 2015, after 14 years his predecessor Gerhard Kürner (44) will leave voestalpine of his own accord to work as an independent entrepreneur. The communications expert began his career with the Group in 2001 as Group Content Manager. After completing jobs internationally, Kürner was appointed Head of Corporate Communications in 2006. “Gerhard Kürner has done excellent work on behalf of the voestalpine Group and has helped shape its positive development in spite of difficult times. We thank him for his huge commitment and wish him all the best for his future success,” said Wolfgang Eder.

The voestalpine Group

The voestalpine Group is a steel-based technology and capital goods group that operates worldwide. With around 500 Group companies and locations in more than 50 countries and on all five continents, the Group has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995. With its top-quality products, the Group is one of the leading partners to the automotive and consumer goods industries in Europe and to the oil and gas industries worldwide. The voestalpine Group is also the world market leader in turnout technology, special rails, tool steel, and special sections. In the business year 2013/14, the voestalpine Group reported revenue of EUR 11.2 billion and an operating result (EBITDA) of EUR 1.4 billion; it had around 48,100 employees worldwide.