Immediately after fighting started in February 2012, Wintershall not only set up a crisis team and a hotline for staff and relatives but also launched a comprehensive range of aid measures. For example, the company from Kassel supported the emergency aid provided by the Red Crescent, International Red Cross and the Save the Children charity, as well as an airlift that enabled critically injured war casualties to be treated in Germany. Wintershall employees throughout the world were kept fully up to date by means of special pages on the Intranet and in the staff newspaper.
“The partly around-the-clock deployment of our communications proved to be worthwhile,” explains Stefan Leunig, press spokesman for Wintershall and a member of the crisis team. “In particular, the internal communication led to increased motivation and identification with the company. For example, we were able to restart oil production in the Libyan Desert immediately after fighting ceased in October 2011.” The media analysis also showed that Wintershall was able to position itself as a close partner of Libya in the external communications.
The International German PR Award is considered to be the most prestigious PR award in the German-speaking world. With this prize, the Deutsche Public Relations Gesellschaft (DPRG), the F.A.Z.-Institut and further partners honour excellence in communications management. The prize ceremony took place on Friday evening in a festive gala.
(Source: Wintershall)
