We introduce Heraeus as a new partner company
The Academic Society is delighted to announce the new partnership with Heraeus and welcomes Katrin Sulzmann to the Corporate Advisory Board!
Katrin Sulzmann is a senior communications executive with over 20 years of international experience in corporate communications. She currently serves as SVP Global Group Communications at Heraeus, leading corporate communications, branding, and public affairs. In this role, she has restructured the global communications organization and supported major transformation initiatives.
Previously, she held senior leadership roles at Fresenius Kabi, Voith Group, Henkel, and Metro Group, overseeing international teams across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Her expertise includes crisis and issues management, CEO positioning, strategic change communication, and building integrated, KPI-driven communications functions.
She holds a Master of Arts from Heidelberg University and has completed executive education programs at INSEAD, Harvard Business School, Thunderbird, and the F.A.Z. Institute.
Talking business & getting personal
What drives her passion for communication? And how have her studies in Art History and Archaeology shaped her professional journey? In a brief conversation, Katrin shared insights into both her personal story and her career path.
What’s something you enjoy about your job that you didn’t expect when you started?
What surprised me most is the degree of freedom to actively shape things and create tangible impact at an organizational level. That within an industrial company like Heraeus with a long history, there is remarkable dynamism and openness to change. This makes the role both highly strategic and deeply rewarding.
What’s a tool or method you couldn’t imagine working without and why?
Integrated communications planning. It provides clarity and focus, aligns stakeholders around shared priorities, and ensures that communications truly supports business objectives rather than operating in silos.
If you could change one assumption people often have about communication, what would it be?
That communication is merely about “talking about” something. In reality, it is about shaping perception and opinion holistically. It requires understanding audiences, contexts, and dynamics, and actively guiding how meaning is created across multiple stakeholder groups.
What was your field of study? Has it influenced your career?
I studied Art History and Archaeology. A humanities background trains you to think critically, question assumptions, and understand context. These skills have profoundly shaped how I approach communication, strategy, and leadership.
If you could be a character in any fictional universe, where would you live?
I would live on a farm in Africa, dedicated to protecting wildlife: close to nature, driven by purpose, and focused on preservation rather than pace.
What is a personal talent you discovered later in life that you are proud of?
Interior design. It allows me to combine creativity with structure and to create spaces that tell a story, very much like good communication.
A warm welcome to the Academic Society and many thanks to you, Katrin, for sharing your valuable insights. We’re excited about the collaboration and look forward to what else we will learn from you.
Heraeus is a family-owned global technology group headquartered in Hanau, Germany. The company’s roots go back to a family pharmacy started in 1660. With its expertise and resources, Heraeus has been making meaningful contributions over generations and is committed to do so in the future. Today, the group bundles diverse activities in four Business Areas: Metals & Recycling, Healthcare, Semiconductor & Electronics, as well as Industrials. Customers benefit from innovative technologies and solutions based on broad materials knowledge and technological leadership.
You can find all the partner companies on the Corporate Advisory Board here.