LONDON—German public relations firm Schwartz Public Relations has been selected as the Best PR Agency to Work For in Continental Europe and the Middle East, based on a survey of its employees and those of many other agencies in the EMEA market.

Schwartz, which is based in Munich and has 34 employees delivering services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for around 80 international clients, scored the highest marks from its employees on the full range of criteria we ask about, which cover topics such about the quality of agency leadership, personal empowerment, ethics, work-life balance, and diversity and inclusion.

After adjusting the raw data from employees to account for agency size (since smaller agencies tend to score higher marks) and response rate, Schwartz came out ahead of four other finalists for the top spot—just as it did in 2021 and 2023.

The other top ranking agencies were::
2.PRAM Consulting, headquartered in Czechia
3. Trigger Oslo, one of the largest PR agencies in Norway and a creative powerhouse
4. Global Think, a communications consulting firm headquartered in Riyadh
5. Netprofile, one of Finland’s leading independents

Asked to describe their firm in three words, Schwartz employees selected “transparent,” “fair,” and “respectful” more than any other terms, although there were also multiple mentions of “professional,” “cooperative,” and “quality-driven.”

Asked to name the best thing about their agency, one respondent notes “the overall team perspective.  We have a great workplace culture that is based on respect and fairness, humour and helpfulness. We are all pulling in the same direction. And everyone is treated as an individual.”

Another likes “having a really great team around, that’s not only fun to work with, but that also shares the same attitude in terms of delivering excellent work in everything we do.    And I think the agency does a good job in attracting people with this attitude and maintaining this special culture.”

Several respondents mention the influence of founder Christoph Schwartz, which was much in evidence as the firm celebrated its 30th anniversary last year with an all-employee two-day trip to a mountain hotel in the famous Zillertal. “These magical days led to a deeper understanding not only of Schwartz PR's history, but more importantly, of the agency's future.”

Schwartz is known for its transparency and communication (regular town hall meetings, team updates, feedback sessions); its commitment to values such as loyalty, respect, fairness and appreciation and team spirit celebrated through a variety of company events.