Small Business Awards 2020

Founded in 2006, CEO Positions AG is an international consultancy specialised in strategic corporate communication, CEO Positioning, and reputation management. Following their success in the Small Business Awards 2020, we caught up with Susanne Mueller Zantop to find out more. From the outset the aim of CEO Positions AG was to increase its customers influence, presence and relevance online through innovative tools, advisory and implementation. To start, Susanne provides a brief overview of the firm and offers more insight into its typical clientele. “In 2006, CEO Positions formed with the belief that company leaders would embrace video to reach out to all stakeholders and explain the company vision, strategy and purpose. It took 14 years for our belief to become reality, but we couldn’t be happier that in 2020, it has all come together.” “New clients love the fact that we have so much experience in a field which is fairly new to them. Typically, clients tend to be leaders of brand-name companies who have great ideas that deserve a much bigger audience, in fact many of them are involved in tech, telecoms and engineering. Since the beginning our goals have remained the same, we constantly find ourselves adapting to a client’s needs, meeting them where they are.” Trying to differentiate yourselves from a rival can be a difficult challenge, particularly in the management consulting industry where competition is so fierce. However, as Susanne goes on to explain, the firm has a rather unique selling point in this regard. “Using our measurement tools, we are able to understand a person’s communicative identity. With incredible “before and after” examples of leaders, the way we train people at the top with a minimum amount of time invested is unique. Having been blessed to work with amazing leaders, we are a humble consultancy.” With any project the firmundertakes, understanding the client’s needs and conducting research on the business is of most importance as Susanne explains further. “First, we listen. Secondly, by scraping the Internet with our tools, we are able to find out everything about the firm and its team of leaders. Moving on, we define KPI’s before we begin to dig for real stories. Business is full of drama, passion, Best Corporate Reputation Management Consultancy 2020 Sep20075 winning and losing. These are the stories that we use to portray the leadership and explain the differentiating strategy of a firm. Authenticity needs a certain degree of vulnerability.” Regarding the internal culture in place at CEO Positions AG, taking a break fromwork commitments to recharge the batteries is highly valued by the firm as Susanne goes on to explain. “There is a habit of my people avoiding any talk on current projects and instead talking about films, food, health and sports. It is good for people to take their minds off work for a short period.” Teamwork has been a vital element behind the success of the firm, and it has been particularly evident when a new team member joins the business. “Naturally, when somebody joins the company the quality we look for is sportsmanship. With a commitment to deliver to excel, to try again after failure and to improve on feedback from team mates, we can all succeed.” Finally, Susanne shares a plan the firm has in place for the near future. “Currently, we are building an online school for executives to learn everything about leadership communication whenever they want and tailored to special situations. For us, growth lies on the side of technology and learning.” Company: CEO Positions AG Contact: Susanne Mueller Zantop & Pia Cramer Web Address: www.ceo-positions.com Small Business Awards 2020 53 With incredible “before and after” examples of leaders, the way we train people at the top with a minimum amount of time invested is unique. Picture: Rafael Duarte Picture: SRF