The restless one
Karin Müller does crisis communication for gods in white instead of Edelweiss. Her PR office in Zurich is flourishing.
Karin Müller does crisis communication for gods in white instead of Edelweiss. Her PR office in Zurich is flourishing.
She has always been very determined and passionate. "I have to keep things moving. I hate standing still," says Karin Müller. The former editor at Annabelle, chief reporter at Blick, editorial manager at Tele 24, editor-in-chief at Edelweiss and current owner of Karin Müller Kommunikation in Zurich already knew after business school that she didn't want an ordinary job. That's why she started her first job at Bank Sarasin in Basel, not at the counter but as an assistant in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the stock market. At the interview, the twenty-year-old made it a condition that she would be allowed to move abroad for the bank a year later. When the impatient girl was put off twelve months later, the subject of a career in banking was closed. "That wasn't the deal." Instead, Karin Müller applied to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern and after a year was allowed to move from the FDFA's Protocol Service to the Swiss embassy in Moscow. "Unlike all the other secretaries there, that was my absolute dream job," she recalls of this historic time. In 1986, Gorbachev took up his new job at almost the same time as Müller.
After a year and a half, she returned to Switzerland. There she worked for Beat Curti's Russian-Swiss joint venture "Sadko". She wrote for specialist magazines on the side, attended a course at the MAZ and finally ended up as a police and court reporter at Blick. "The department was a coincidence at the time. But I really enjoyed working as a sleuth," explains the media woman, who later co-designed the investigative magazine "Wanted ..." for Roger Schawinski and produced it as editorial director.
The sniffer jumped ship from Tele 24 a good six months before the station was discontinued. In spring 2001, Karin Müller set up her own business as a media trainer and TV coach.
Today, it is mainly doctors who seek her coaching. "During my time as an editor at Annabelle and freelancer for health topics at SonntagsBlick, I noticed that doctors have a rather tense relationship with the media." Health issues have become increasingly important and are currently very topical. "Doctors are being dragged in front of the media more and more and are under fire," says Müller. The sector is finding it difficult to deal with the criticism. This is why she is now offering special media training for doctors at the MAZ.
Karin Müller's specialist book "Ärzte und Medien" (Doctors and the media) on crisis PR and dealing professionally with journalists was also published a month ago. Two years ago, she published a more general book on professional media relations in crisis situations under the title "Hotline Presse".
In January 2003, Karin Müller was unexpectedly offered a position as editor-in-chief of the bilingual women's magazine Edelweiss at Ringier. Müller still regrets today that the publishing house began takeover negotiations with its competitor Bolero just three months later. Most of her employees at the time are still unemployed. "I was much luckier," explains Müller.
She skillfully used her experience as editor-in-chief of the women's magazine for her communications office. In the meantime, she has also been able to assert herself in the lifestyle sector and win attractive clients. "More are coming soon," she smiles meaningfully.
For the perfume chain Marionnaud, she is responsible for the customer magazine in three languages as well as corporate communications. Another exciting challenge is the mail order company Ackermann, which wants to modernize its image. The fashion company has recently become involved in the designer trade fair Gwand and sponsored the Prix Prêt à porter. The mail order company is now launching an exclusive collection by the winner in the fall. This sponsorship is to be continued. Müller recently organized the press conference in Zurich. It was a success: all of Ackermann's key editorial representatives were present and immediately wanted to order items from the collection.
Karin Müller Kommunikation's office is located in the Technopark. She had to apply with a presentation in this center for a spirit of optimism. Her company is currently the only one in the park from the communications sector. She already has new plans: her "start-up" should be expanded to two or three employees in the future.
coaching doctors, communication for a perfumery chain and
She has always been very determined and passionate. "I have to keep things moving. I hate standing still," says Karin Müller. The former editor at Annabelle, chief reporter at Blick, editorial manager at Tele 24, editor-in-chief at Edelweiss and current owner of Karin Müller Kommunikation in Zurich already knew after business school that she didn't want an ordinary job. That's why she started her first job at Bank Sarasin in Basel, not at the counter but as an assistant in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the stock market. At the interview, the twenty-year-old made it a condition that she would be allowed to move abroad for the bank a year later. When the impatient girl was put off twelve months later, the subject of a career in banking was closed. "That wasn't the deal." Instead, Karin Müller applied to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern and after a year was allowed to move from the FDFA's Protocol Service to the Swiss embassy in Moscow. "Unlike all the other secretaries there, that was my absolute dream job," she recalls of this historic time. In 1986, Gorbachev took up his new job at almost the same time as Müller.
After a year and a half, she returned to Switzerland. There she worked for Beat Curti's Russian-Swiss joint venture "Sadko". She wrote for specialist magazines on the side, attended a course at the MAZ and finally ended up as a police and court reporter at Blick. "The department was a coincidence at the time. But I really enjoyed working as a sleuth," explains the media woman, who later co-designed the investigative magazine "Wanted ..." for Roger Schawinski and produced it as editorial director.
The sniffer jumped ship from Tele 24 a good six months before the station was discontinued. In spring 2001, Karin Müller set up her own business as a media trainer and TV coach.
Today, it is mainly doctors who seek her coaching. "During my time as an editor at Annabelle and freelancer for health topics at SonntagsBlick, I noticed that doctors have a rather tense relationship with the media." Health issues have become increasingly important and are currently very topical. "Doctors are being dragged in front of the media more and more and are under fire," says Müller. The sector is finding it difficult to deal with the criticism. This is why she is now offering special media training for doctors at the MAZ.
Karin Müller's specialist book "Ärzte und Medien" (Doctors and the media) on crisis PR and dealing professionally with journalists was also published a month ago. Two years ago, she published a more general book on professional media relations in crisis situations under the title "Hotline Presse".
In January 2003, Karin Müller was unexpectedly offered a position as editor-in-chief of the bilingual women's magazine Edelweiss at Ringier. Müller still regrets today that the publishing house began takeover negotiations with its competitor Bolero just three months later. Most of her employees at the time are still unemployed. "I was much luckier," explains Müller.
She skillfully used her experience as editor-in-chief of the women's magazine for her communications office. In the meantime, she has also been able to assert herself in the lifestyle sector and win attractive clients. "More are coming soon," she smiles meaningfully.
For the perfume chain Marionnaud, she is responsible for the customer magazine in three languages as well as corporate communications. Another exciting challenge is the mail order company Ackermann, which wants to modernize its image. The fashion company has recently become involved in the designer trade fair Gwand and sponsored the Prix Prêt à porter. The mail order company is now launching an exclusive collection by the winner in the fall. This sponsorship is to be continued. Müller recently organized the press conference in Zurich. It was a success: all of Ackermann's key editorial representatives were present and immediately wanted to order items from the collection.
Karin Müller Kommunikation's office is located in the Technopark. She had to apply with a presentation in this center for a spirit of optimism. Her company is currently the only one in the park from the communications sector. She already has new plans: her "start-up" should be expanded to two or three employees in the future.
coaching doctors, communication for a perfumery chain and
a fashion mail order company: Karin Müller dances at many weddings.
Andreas Panzeri
