Paul Holmes 08 Jun 2021 // 8:46AM GMT
ZURICH—When he joined independent public relations consultancy Farner in 2012, Roman Geiser was already an established leader in the European communications business and the firm was already a dominant force in the Swiss market. But the success both have enjoyed together over the past decade that earn Geiser a SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.
Geiser had previously spent close to 20 years in a variety of leadership roles at Burson-Marsteller, as CEO of its Swiss operations (and later, of Young & Rubicam in the Swiss market) and as chief operating officer for the entire EMEA region.
Farner, meanwhile, was celebrating its 60th anniversary and had spent decades as the largest PR firm in the Swiss market, with a particularly impressive reputation in the corporate and financial realm, and in public affairs.
Since then, Farner has not only maintained its leadership position in the market, but built on it, tripling in size in less than a decade. After an outstanding 2020, during which the firm grew by 25%, Farner now ranks among the top 60 public relations firms in the world, the top 20 headquartered in Europe, and the top six European independents.
Geiser has helped to drive that growth by transforming a staid corporate communications consultancy into a modern, full-service firm with outstanding data and analytics capabilities, a formidable digital practice, and expertise that spans marketing communications (including advertising and other creative services) as well as branding and identity.
At the same time, Farner has maintained its position at the intersection of the economy, politics and society, handling most of the critical issues in its market. Under difficult circumstances, Farner managed the nationwide COVID campaign for the Swiss ministry of health. The firm also leads the public debate around Switzerland’s relationship with the European Union, and represents a host of Swiss companies and NGOs (as well as many multinationals).