Uniper
Birmingham and Dusseldorf
The Client
Uniper’s global portfolio combines large-scale power generation and the effective management of global and regional energy supply chains. After its divesture from its parent E.ON SE in 2016, Uniper established a standalone business model and energy brand. In the UK, the new company needed to talk to its stakeholders in a fresh and meaningful way from the outset.
The Brief
The brief was demanding and wide-ranging. Separating away from E.ON UK meant that Uniper needed to set-up a whole new external communications department, responsible for Communications, Brand, PR and Internal Communications. Crisis and Incident communications planning also needed to be carved out of E.ON UK and tailored to the new company. It was identified early on that an agency would be needed to support the team and provide additional day-to-day resource, and specialist media training for senior colleagues was required.
At the same time, there was a need to position its new country chairman with the UK national press and set the tone for future PR and leadership positioning. And finally, the client also needed support in delivering its rebranding programme for its key sites across the UK.
This was all done against the challenging backdrop of Brexit and strong political interest in energy.
The Strategy
- Working with the UK management team, guide the set-up of an external communications department for the newly created power generation and trading company by first identifying the complexities and challenges of a matrix organisation and available resources.
- Working with E.ON UK and Uniper specialist business contingency/communications colleagues, identify the needs and challenges for a new Crisis and Incident Plan and requirements for a new ‘out of hours’ PR agency.
- Research opportunities and appetite for media engagement plan in partnership with Country Chairman and UK Communications Lead.
Testimonial
“Working with Rebecca was a real pleasure. Throughout the project, we worked closely together to achieve our wide-ranging communication and branding goals to set up the UK Comms function and her guidance and experience were particularly appreciated in setting up the work flows and external communication processes.
Rebecca’s ability to build relationships and network ensured that our work received the buy-in it needed from senior management and also meant that I could be completely confident in assigning projects, without having to get the sign-off myself; freeing me up to concentrate on other tasks.
She led the way in developing the media strategy for our new country Chairman, working directly with him and liaising with our colleagues in Germany. She negotiated our first high-level conference opportunity and led the way in producing the speech and sponsorship activation. Her guidance and support with crisis communication preparation, and media training our senior leadership team was invaluable, especially the ‘out of hours’ pitch process she prepared for us which was very thorough and together we achieved a great result!
Two years’ later the foundations that Rebecca helped me put in place are still rock-solid and I have no hesitation in recommending Middleton Davies.”
Lindsey Firth
UK Communications Manager, Uniper UK
- Deliver and advise German parent company on set-up and work flow of new department
- Prepare and write a number of key communication processes and information flows
- Counsel Country Chairman and UK Board and deliver media engagement plan
- Negotiate and set-up keynote speaking opportunity and sponsorship of the Economist Energy Conference
- Take a lead role in updating and developing Uniper’s Crisis Communications Policy, Plan and Stakeholder approach
- Deliver agency brief for PR Out-of-Hours/Crisis Support tender process, select short list and tender out to 6 UK leading agencies, manage the process for interviewing and selecting from final three, support the handover to the selected agency and prepare ‘lines to take’ catalogue and policy positions
- Manage the crisis media training for UK Board & senior management, researching and preparing scenarios for training and following up issues with crisis media training provider
- Deliver new brand photography at key generation sites across the country, including preparing brief for photographers and managing the tender process
- Prepare job specification and support the hiring of a new Senior Press Officer for the UK team
- Support other functions across the business including internal communications and political affairs.