Sascha Heiniger

As Head of Corporate Communications & Strategic Branding I am responsible for the communication strategy, media services, strategic brand management and internal communication at the Valora Group. Leading the Valora communications team, I am responsible for developing the Valora brand and communication strategy and strengthening the communicative umbrella across the Group's different national companies and divisions.

In this role I was responsible to build up and establish the national sales unit of Polestar, the new premium, electric performance car brand focusing on uncompromised design, technology and sustainability. My responsibilities and achievements: - Built successfully a highly motivated and performant national team of specialists from different fields based on Agile Leadership approach including personal empowerment, open communication, and flat organization. - Built a credible brand aligned with Polestar’s values: Sustainability and Innovation. Created the new format "Polestar Future Talk" that addresses the topic of sustainable business transformation and launched successful partnerships in the area of sustainable mobility with external partners (e.g. destination Laax-Flims). - Grew fast Polestar's brand awareness and brand equity in Switzerland through appropriate online and offline strategies and maintained a positive brand reputation in media. Achieved the highest brand awareness (30%) in the DACH region at the end of 2022 through appropriate online and offline strategies. - Responsible for the national implementation of Polestar's sustainability strategy and contribution to the common goals in the areas of carbon neutrality, circular economy, transparency and inclusion. - Acted as media spokesperson for Polestar Switzerland and maintained a trusted working relationship with leading, national media. - Selected and lead the communication, brand and event agencies. - Deepened my knowledge of e-commerce and digital business development through Polestar's direct-to-customer business model. - Built strong relationships with Swiss Polestar investors. - National budget responsibility.

As head of Corporate Communications and Corporate Spokesperson, I built a trusting cooperation with all nationally relevant journalists and media. With various national and international media events, Volvo annually achieved a higher media presence than that of its direct competitors in comparison to its market share. Highlights, such as "Volvo In-car Delivery", in collaboration with Die Post and LeShop, generated major national media exposure with coverage on Swiss national TV, 20min.ch and Blick.ch. In the 2016-2020 period Volvo Switzerland was able to position itself even more clearly as a premium player and raised its sales from 7,100 to more than 8,800 units (+24%). Volvo differentiated itself as an independent, Swedish alternative to the existing, German premium brands. This could be experienced, among other things, at the national event "Volvo Art Session", which I initiated. Under the premise "Human meets digital," renowned artists and futurologists annually brought Volvo's leadership in this area to life. In 2019, the "Volvo Art Session" attracted over 1,800 visitors.

In this role I took an active role in lifting and sharpening the defined brand positions and, as a consequence, the brand perception to achieve future VCG business goals. Strategic Brand Communication adds a brand and topic related approach in Corporate Communication, next to product, corporate and media communication. I wrote a white paper for the global Communication Department that would henceforth define communication at Volvo with the corresponding sub-themes, the connected, electrified and autonomous driving vehicle. This epochal shift meant a change for the entire company. In collaboration with the global R&D and IT department, we presented new products, ideas and concepts of the company. These were also based on collaborations with other global companies such as Microsoft, Ericsson or POC. We defined the appropriate platforms to present innovations to the public, like CES Las Vegas or MWC Barcelona. The global communication of Volvo innovations like "Volvo In-car Delivery" or "Connecting Cyclists and Cars" was highly successful. I thus have extensive experience with transformation processes and bringing together internal and external stakeholders.

In this role I was responsible for media relations, partnerships and events at Volvo Car Switzerland. With the acquisition of Volvo Cars by the Geely Group in 2010, the company declared its goal to position Volvo even more clearly as a premium brand. In addition to the launch of the new model portfolio, I positioned Volvo not only as a leader in safety but also in design and innovation in various press and public events. Strengthening these brand values significantly supported the rise of Volvo as a premium brand in Switzerland. In 2011, I created the "Volvo Art Session" event with the aim of promoting the brand values of design and innovation to a wider Swiss audience. I was also the national contact for Volvo's global presence at Geneva Motorshow and, together with my team, responsible for the operation and management of the Volvo booth. Furthermore, I started new partnerships with well-known Swiss brand ambassadors and placed Volvo stories for the first time in non-automotive media such as women's, design, architecture and lifestyle publications.

I founded and managed the communication agency SAFT. I created communication concepts for companies such as Heineken, Camel and Zuckerfabriken A+F. On a mandate basis, I was responsible for PR and sponsoring of two national cultural events (among others for Migros Kulturprozent). In collaboration with an audio-visual agency, I conceived and realized corporate films.

I was responsible for PR and promotion of the cultural club "CARGO" at Arteplage Neuchâtel in the context of the national exhibition EXPO.02. In addition, I was in charge of the CI of the overall project and looked after the various sponsors. I was press officer for German and French-speaking media.

In this role I was responsible for Marketing, PR, Sponsoring and Events. From 2000 onwards, I was Marketing Director and introduced a new CI after the merger of the two companies Jecklin & Fréquence. I was responsible for the development and management of the company's online sales platform. In addition to selling CDs online, I established and led an in-house editorial team that wrote online reviews.