With effect from 1 April 2015, Silke Bernhardt (44) will be assuming the position of global director for corporate communications at Leica Camera AG in Wetzlar. In this function, she will hold responsibility for global corporate communications, media relations and in-house communications and will report to Oliver Kaltner, chairman of the executive board of Leica Camera AG.
Silke Bernhardt can look back on a long career in the media and public relations segment and gathered her professional experience in both agency and industry contexts. Most recently, as head of PR, she held responsibility for corporate and product PR for the consumer electronics division of Sony Electronics in Berlin. Prior to this, the graduate in political sciences and German philology spent six years in corporate and programme PR at the TV channel ProSieben in Munich and was employed for several years by the international PR agency Burson Marsteller in Hamburg.
Oliver Kaltner: ‘Silke Bernhardt and I share not only a common career in the imaging segment, but also, and above all, our enthusiasm for communications, brand management and holistic partner management. Our success in winning her for Leica Camera AG represents a big step forward for our company’s communications planning. Her professional capabilities and agility and her commitment and spirit for team playing are appreciated on all sides. I am very much looking forward to working with her both here in our headquarters in Wetzlar and in our global network of regional subsidiaries.’
‘There are only very few companies in the world that possess such a fascinating history and such a unique brand as Leica. The unmistakable cameras in exceptional quality not only revolutionised the world of photography, but also originated and were instrumental in shaping the face of socially critical reportage photography. It is a great pleasure for me to have the opportunity to assist in the creation of future milestones and the numerous facets of communications for this historical and legendary brand,’ explains Silke Bernhardt, global director for corporate communications at Leica Camera AG.
Leica Camera – A Partner for Photography
Leica Camera AG is an international, premium manufacturer of cameras and sports optics. The legendary reputation of the Leica brand is based on a long tradition of excellent quality, German craftsmanship and German industrial design, combined with innovative technologies. An integral part of the brand's culture is the diversity of activities the company undertakes for the advancement of photography. In addition to the Leica Galleries and Leica Akademies spread around the world, there are the Leica Hall of Fame Award and, in particular, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA), which is considered one of the most innovative sponsorship awards existing today. Furthermore, Leica Camera AG, with its headquarters in Wetzlar, Hesse, and a second production site in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal, has a worldwide network of its own national organisations and Leica Retail Stores.