KATHARINA SKARABELA
SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS &
DIGITAL WORKPLACE EXPERT
Where business, technology and people come together.
Internal & Corporate Communications · Digital Workplace ·
Employee Experience · Change & Adoption
15+ years · Leadership responsibility · International &
frontline organisations
15+
years Leadership & Ownership ·
Digital, Communications & Change Projects
+200 %
increase in app registration rate ·
within approximately six weeks after campaign start
100+
sites worldwide ·
experience in international
and decentralized organizations
3×
employee platforms · from requirements and roadmap
to rollout and adoption
Communications in complex organizations is my foundation.
I am at my best where Communications, HR, IT and Leadership meet – and where different audiences, locations, interests and requirements need to be brought together in a way that works in everyday practice.
I combine Internal & Corporate Communications with Digital Workplace, Employee Experience, Change Management and project work. My experience spans from internal and digital employee communications and leadership communications to requirements, stakeholder management, governance, rollout and adoption of digital solutions.
I like bringing different perspectives together, structuring complex topics and driving projects forward at the Business–IT interface – from initial idea through to implementation.
Expertise
Impact is rarely about adding another channel. It starts with understanding who you need to reach, what people actually need and what will work in practice. My experience spans four areas that, in complex organizations, rarely operate in isolation.
Internal & Corporate Communications
Strategic communications for complex organizations and diverse employee groups – from office-based teams to frontline colleagues. Internal Communications, Leadership & Executive Communications, Corporate Communications, Media Relations and integrated multi-channel communication. Experience across global corporations, mid-sized businesses, consulting and agency environments.
Change & Adoption
Making change understandable, providing direction and equipping leaders to communicate with confidence. Experience ranging from global mergers and organizational transformation to periods of economic pressure and uncertainty. Stakeholder Management, Change Communications, workshops, rollout, adoption and structured feedback loops.
Digital Workplace & Employee Experience
Employee apps, intranets and digital services – from requirements and roadmaps to governance, UX, audience architecture, rollout and adoption. Staffbase, Employee Experience and HR/IT integration, with a focus on digital workplaces that reflect different roles, locations and ways of working – and evolve into useful services employees can rely on in their daily work.
Business × Technology × People
Translating business needs across functional boundaries and bringing different perspectives into a workable solution. Project management, requirements, functional Product Ownership, governance and stakeholder alignment – working at the intersection of Communications, HR, IT, Leadership and Operations.
Selected Work
Four projects, four very different organizations – connected by the same challenge: how do strategy, technology and communications become solutions that people actually engage with, use and embed in their day-to-day work?
Case Studies
/01
TEAM POST
Austrian Post
Digital Workplace · Internal Communications · Leadership & Adoption
At Austrian Post, I led the strategic realignment of Internal Communications for around 20,000 employees in Austria, many of them without a traditional desk-based workplace, while managing and developing a team of up to seven. My remit included CEO and Leadership Communications, strategic business partnering with Management, HR and IT, as well as communication around change and transformation.
For the Team Post app, I developed and managed a company-wide activation campaign across digital and analogue touchpoints: CEO video, employee letter, app and intranet, screens, print, registration support, gamification and accompanying leadership communications.
In parallel, I was responsible for the functional development of the employee app and led the project for a new intranet – from requirements and audience architecture to governance and alignment with HR, IT, Data Privacy and Information Security.
Impact: registrations and active use of the Team Post app doubled within eight months.
Internal Communications · Staffbase · Frontline · C-Level · Campaign Strategy · Adoption
/02
SANDI
Saubermacher Dienstleistungs AG
Employee Experience · Frontline · Rollout & Adoption
Shortly before launch, I joined as Interim Internal Communications Consultant and took over key conceptual and operational responsibilities for SANDI, Saubermacher’s Staffbase-based mobile intranet and employee app.
My remit covered navigation and UX, information and audience architecture, content and editorial processes, governance, roles and permissions, as well as building a network of multipliers and local editors. Working closely with Communications, HR and IT, I also helped develop the platform as a digital employee service – with personalized content, forms, surveys and HR-related use cases for different employee groups. Leadership onboarding, training and enablement supported the rollout.
Impact: 71% registration in the first month · 96% of registered users active · all leaders onboarded.
Project Recognition: Top 3 – Best Launch Strategy, Staffbase VOICES Award 2025.
Employee Experience · Staffbase · UX · Governance · HR/IT Collaboration · Rollout & Adoption
/03
MyRHIMagnesita
RHI Magnesita
Digital & Corporate Communications · Functional Product Ownership · Digital Workplace · Global Transformation
During the merger of RHI and Magnesita, I was responsible for key parts of the company’s global digital and corporate communications landscape. My remit included the corporate website, the Investor Relations website, merger-related digital platforms, social media content and planning, as well as digital Employer Branding in close collaboration with HR, particularly on LinkedIn and recruiting platforms.
On the internal side, I was responsible for the global intranet, newsletter systems and the Staffbase-based MyRHIMagnesita employee app for around 14,000 employees across more than 100 locations worldwide.
For MyRHIMagnesita, I held functional Product Ownership responsibilities spanning vision, roadmap, requirements, information architecture, governance, audience and permission structures, HR/IT integration and rollout. A pilot with 250 opinion leaders, testing and structured feedback loops informed the global launch and continued adoption. Together with HR, IT, Legal, Data Privacy and employee representatives, I coordinated data requirements, interfaces, access and the organizational framework behind the platform.
In the final months leading up to the merger and immediately afterwards, I also led Internal Communications, connecting global digital channels with leadership and employee communications during a period of significant organizational change.
Impact: around 14,000 employees · 100+ locations worldwide · 40% registration within the first three months.
Project Recognition: Best Collaborative Tool – Intra.Net Award 2018 · Finalist Internal PR & Employer Branding – PRVA 2018.
Digital & Corporate Communications · Digital Workplace · Staffbase · Functional Product Ownership · Global Rollout · Employer Branding
/04
IMMOcontract
SORAVIA Group
Transformation · Corporate Communications · Brand
The repositioning of IMMOcontract went far beyond a new visual identity. It required a shared direction for the brand, the organization, employees and external communications – and the translation of a new positioning into day-to-day reality across around 70 locations.
As Head of Marketing & Communications, I was responsible for the strategic and operational communications of the real estate brands. My remit included Corporate and Internal Communications, Change and Culture Communications, Leadership & CEO Communications, Employer Branding, Media Relations and integrated marketing and communications campaigns. I also managed press relations, interviews, briefings and statements, as well as workshops on brand, values and collaboration.
The transformation included the nationwide rebranding of around 70 locations, digital and physical brand touchpoints and implementation across the Austrian Volksbanken network. I coordinated management, employees, sales teams, agencies, media and external partners, led a team of three and managed a budget of more than EUR 500,000. In parallel, I supported Austria Sotheby’s International Realty, translating global brand standards into local communications and marketing.
Impact: nationwide brand rollout · around 70 locations · team build-up and leadership · budget > EUR 500,000
Recognition: Great Place to Work Certification 2023
Corporate Communications · Change · CEO Positioning · Employer Branding · Media Relations · Brand Transformation
My Approach
I like to take a step back before moving forward.
Who needs what? What is the actual problem? And what is the right response – communication, a process, a digital service or a combination of all three?
I work strategically, but never from a distance. A concept only works for me if it can also be put into practice. That is why my work spans management sparring with HR, IT and Communications as naturally as copy, campaigns and briefings – but also requirements, platform logic, governance, rollout and adoption.
I am particularly comfortable working at interfaces: where different functions, audiences and interests meet, where structures still need to be built, or where complexity has to be translated into something practical.
What I bring is a combination of strategic perspective and hands-on delivery – from the initial question through alignment and project steering to a solution that works in day-to-day business.
What’s next?
For my next step, I am interested in senior and leadership roles with real functional responsibility – particularly where Communications, Digital Workplace, Employee Experience and Transformation come together.
Whether in a complex organization, a decentralized workforce or a transformation setting, I am interested in organizations and people who do not think in silos and value different perspectives working together.
Vienna · open to senior and leadership roles across the DACH region