Matthias Wesselmann

Matthias Wesselmann is the CEO of Ketchum Germany and President of the GPRA, the association of leading communications consultancies in Germany, bringing over two decades of experience at the intersection of brand strategy and digital transformation. He has driven sustainable growth for market leaders across the technology, mobility, and FMCG sectors, seamlessly combining an entrepreneurial mindset with creative excellence, a commitment reflected in his membership in the Art Directors Club (ADC) and his extensive experience as a juror for prestigious international awards. Matthias began his career as a shareholder and production manager at Interfaith Communications in 2001, before completing a PR traineeship at Mummert Consulting and serving as a PR consultant at Mummert Communications GmbH. He then joined the fischerAppelt agency group, where he rose from assistant to the founder to head of the Stuttgart office and managing director of fischerAppelt play GmbH, later serving on the board of fischerAppelt AG while also founding and managing ENGN GmbH. Alongside his executive roles, Matthias held leadership positions at Vitra Online GmbH and Vitra International AG, blending marketing, communications, and digital strategy. Since becoming CEO of Ketchum Germany in 2024 and President of GPRA in 2025, he has focused on transforming communication into a measurable driver of business success through data-driven insights and innovations such as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). He actively contributes to the industry as a juror for the German PR Award, Eurobest, GWA Effie Germany, PR Report Award, PR Week Awards, and ADC Awards, while also lecturing on marketing, communication, and agile project management at institutions including Quadriga University Berlin, the Foundation of German Business, the Catholic Media Academy, and the Hanseatic Academy of Business and Administration. Matthias holds a diploma in Applied Media Sciences from the Technical University of Ilmenau, where he completed his thesis on “Journalistic Research on the Internet,” and was a study scholarship holder of the Foundation of German Business.