A shared passion and approach

Wordsmith and stage lion – a rare combination. Having been in on the action at the forefront of the industry for almost 20 years, Bettina Gebhardt has seen all the relevant trends come and go. From 2010 to 2015, she was managing director at the international agency Grayling Schweiz AG (formerly Trimedia International). In addition to managing the location and advising national accounts, she was also responsible for winning and strategically developing international clients. Before that, she earned her spurs at leading agencies: Ahrens and Behrendt (today: A&B One), Hering Schuppener, Kothes Klewes (later: PLEON, today: Ketchum). It was during this time that she developed an absolute feel for all things “consumer”. Now she is setting the standard in all facets of brand communication. The university-trained art historian learned from scratch how to implement themes by storytelling. Having graduated from the rigorous school of the humanities, she effortlessly summarizes in key points the most complex topics of corporate communications. In media and crisis training seminars and strategy workshops, she finds herself in her element. When it comes to media work, she is a force to be reckoned with on the phone.  Her common sense and an approach that is just down-to-earth enough enable her to bring these strengths to the table. In addition, she has a great deal of expertise in the Swiss and German markets in the areas of industry, food/beverage, tourism, bodycare and lifestyle. Bettina is a confident advisor at the management level and a sought-after sparring partner for clients. Her team appreciates what it is to be challenged by her. She maintains her mental and physical fitness by trail running in the German and Swiss mountains. To ensure she finds the right places when traveling, she keeps the Guide Michelin in her glove compartment. And there’s always a good book in her bag.

Marzia has had a passion for fashion, beauty and communications for as long as she can remember. From the moment she started her BA in Fashion Management at the Polimoda fashion institute in Florence, she knew that she wanted a career in the communications, event management and PR sector. Having grown up with both German and Italian influences, it was a logical step for her to embark on an international degree course, and having completed her degree, she set out to gain professional experience around the world. In New York and Milan, she worked behind the scenes at fashion shows and took on responsibility for the press collection. And during her time working for PR agencies in Munich, she organised press events for the DACH region and served as the direct point of contact for media work. Thanks to her outgoing nature and zest for life, she has been able to grow steadily in her career. Marzia is a fantastic team player who values honesty above all else in the workplace. For her, the best and quickest way to get results is to communicate clearly and effectively with your colleagues. There’s nothing better than knowing that you’ve done a great job for a client and sharing that success as a team. That said, Marzia firmly believes in staying true to yourself and not trying to fit a mould. “Carpe diem” is Marzia’s motto, and she strives to enjoy each and every moment and go through life feeling happy and fulfilled. In her free time, Marzia enjoys doing lots of sport. She also has a bit of a sweet tooth, so is partial to a spot of baking. Her role as a PR consultant at Kontx sees her focussing on digital marketing campaigns and media work. 

Alex grew up in a German-Italian household – so it’s no wonder that her love of languages has been a recurring theme throughout her studies. She began in Berlin with a Bachelor’s degree in Italian Studies, where she studied linguistics and literature, and visited art history, economics and law courses, and even spent a year studying in Bologna. She then went on to complete a Master’s degree in Romance Literature, specializing in Italian, French and Portuguese literature. She also completed an Erasmus during her studies: In Toulouse, she was able to take musicology courses and thus found her topic for her Master’s thesis, which she wrote on the opera libretto of “La Cenerentola” (Cinderella) by Rossini. The joy of studying and the desire to be able to work with her languages in her career led her to Geneva in 2020, where she studied specialist translation from French and Italian into German at the FTI. During her studies, she worked as a translator at the Swiss Police Institute in Neuchâtel. In order to expand her knowledge of multilingual communication, she decided to take a detour into a communications department. As a university intern at the Federal Office for the Environment in Bern, she got to know different types of communication and media work – from social media and internal communication to events and media conferences. She also wrote her master’s thesis on the FOEN’s multilingual social media channels. Alex is now at Kontx to get to know other facets of communication and PR consulting. She brings her social media experience, her Gen-Z view, her curiosity and her energy with her. Because “doing nothing” is a foreign word for Alex – even in her free time. Whether from the orchestra, fencing, folding origami or long train rides to visit friends and family, she will always have something to talk about.