François Mottaz

Senior Communications Entrepreneur and Executive, Crisis communications specialist

Sion, Valais, Switzerland

About

Corporate communications expert and manager with a strong strategic orientation at general management level. Team builder with strong persuasion skills, experience in multicultural environment. Large field experience in all aspects of corporate communications and proven record in advertising and PR projects. Specialised in crisis communications, interim management function, restructuring of communications departments, auditing projects, global strategy. Good knowledge and very strong personal interest in all technology related subjects.

Experience

  • Associate at Smacx*
    Oct 2004 - Present · 21 yrs 10 mos

    Smacx* is my professional company through which I carry out most of my external consultancy or management projects. Smacx works in both the public and private sectors with a focus on strategic or crisis communications projects. Key issues and clients over the last five years have been in higher education, town and country planning, transport and manufacturing. See website www.smacx.ch for details and reference list.

  • Vice-president, marketing at Quartesoft Sàrl
    Jan 1990 - Present · 36 yrs 7 mos

    Quartesoft is a small software editor entirely dedicated to the development of banking software for the Mac platform. Its main product, MacPay, is the leading offline e-banking client for the Mac platform in Switzerland. As a partner in the company, my responsibilities include the day-to-day operations, all marketing tasks, technical support and a strong input into product development.

  • Group Head of Marketing and Communication at Gondrand International Ltd
    2013 - Mar 2015 · 2 yrs 3 mos

    I took charge of the Gondrand Group's marketing and communications activities in 2013, following a number of external crisis communications assignments. At a time of rapid and important change, my first task was to rebuild a small team to operate and reallocate resources from print to online communications. Internally, everything was rebuilt from the ground up to develop a broad understanding across the business of the changes and challenges ahead. We successfully managed a number of small and large projects with limited resources and opened up a number of communication channels, while at the same time supporting a major group-wide sales effort with marcom activities and materials.

  • Interim Communications and Public Affairs Manager at TPG Public Transport of Geneva
    Nov 2006 - Jun 2007 · 8 mos

    Interim management and restructuring of the Communication Department (marketing, advertising, offline and online publishing, internal communications, PR and public affairs) with full budget and team responsibilities. Full redefinition of mission, restructuring plan of the team and allocation of resources. Major corporate identity change program definition and implementation.

  • CEO at Italiques Sàrl
    Oct 1988 - Sep 2004 · 16 yrs

    15 people, 2-2,5 M CHF EBIT I founded and managed Italiques as a classic global communications agency with both a PR and a creative advertising department. In an era dominated by print advertising and we handled a number of large scale regional (ads, billboards, cinema, POS) campaigns, mainly for services (retail and private banking, insurance), manufacturing (pet-food), media (daily newspapers, magazines, media publishers). We also held a strong position in marketing material production with in-house graphic, photo and copywriting specialists.