We have been an established player in the German strategic communications market for 30 years now. Over the course of our company’s history, several of our colleagues have moved on to other companies, associations, institutions, start-ups or other consultancies. We have maintained collegial, friendly contact with many of them since. From now on, every six weeks we will ask one former colleague: What are you up to right now?
This time, our former colleague Michael Zarth answers our questions. From 2000 to 2004, he worked as a Senior Consultant at Deekeling Identity & Change, the predecessor of H/Advisors Deekeling Arndt. After roles at T-Mobile and degewo AG and running his own agency, kommunikazion, he has been Head of Communications at DEGES Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau GmbH since 2016.
1. DEGES plans and builds motorways, federal highways and bridges on behalf of the federal government, Autobahn GmbH and the federal states. In the public eye, though, it’s usually the projects that take centre stage rather than the company behind them. What appeals to you about this role, and how do you sharpen the profile of an organisation that is visible mainly through what it builds?
What appeals to me is the combination of very tangible projects and their wider significance for society: transport infrastructure is there to connect people and economic regions. Many different stakeholder groups have an interest in it, and building it has a direct impact on people’s everyday lives. A finished bridge is there for everyone to see, but the project management behind it is largely invisible: planning, approvals, procurement and construction all have to be brought together over many years. That is exactly the work I want to make understandable. Not by putting DEGES in front of its projects, but by using the projects to show what the company contributes and how it works. If people experience DEGES, across a range of projects, as a competent and approachable partner and a driving force in digitalisation, the result is a corporate profile built on real achievements.
2. Infrastructure projects are under pressure from two sides. Expectations of quick results are high, not least because of the special infrastructure fund. At the same time, construction often means years of disruption from closures and diversions for local residents and commuters. How do you build acceptance for major projects and communicate realistic expectations about timelines and costs?
Acceptance for major projects can’t simply be manufactured, and certainly not through communication alone. Some people have been waiting for years for a missing motorway link to be closed or a motorway to be widened. Others see protected species, forests and wetlands under threat, or, as residents, face years of construction noise and detours. We have a clear mandate grounded in law, covering both the specific motorway or federal highway and the protection of people and the consideration of environmental concerns. That’s why we have to explain early on why a project is needed, which alternatives are being considered, what criteria are used to weigh them up, and where there is room to shape the outcome. In our experience, transparency and honesty, including about what can’t be changed, are a solid foundation for public participation and acceptance.
3. What have you taken from your years in strategic communications consulting that helps you today, in an environment where you have to keep track of very different stakeholders at once: ministries, federal states, municipalities, citizens’ groups and the construction industry?
Above all, consulting taught me to see things from other people’s point of view, to always keep in mind the interests and communication needs of our different stakeholders. In our political environment, that means we think first about content and how messages cascade, and only then about specific formats. I’ve also kept the big-picture perspective from strategic consulting: I support my team of communicators, who work across different locations, in reflecting the overarching positions of DEGES and its clients in their local and regional communication.
My time at Deekeling is also very present in internal communications. The channels have changed a lot since then, but my understanding of change communication helps me enormously in driving our company’s transformation and orchestrating internal communications.