Inside corporate communications at wienerberger UK & Ireland with Kerry Stevenson.

In an industry facing rapid change, increasing regulation and rising expectations around sustainability, how a business communicates has never mattered more. 

Kerry Stevenson, Corporate Communications Manager at wienerberger UK & Ireland, shares insight into her role, and how consistent, human storytelling brings the wienerberger brand to life.

“A lot of what I do is about telling stories. Not just about our products, but about everything that sits behind them, such as sustainability, safety, skills, social impact, and the service our customers experience every day. Corporate communications brings these stories to the surface, shining a light on what goes on behind the scenes, the people who it happen, and the projects and partnerships that bring our purpose to life.  

By making complex topics easier to understand, and being open about what we care about, we help customers feel confident that wienerberger is a responsible and reliable partner today and every day, as we continue to build for what’s next.”

Having joined wienerberger’s marketing team eight years ago, Kerry has grown within the business, taking her from a PR specialist role into management, and into her current role as Corporate Communications Manager. Kerry reflects on her journey so far:-

“A lot has changed since I joined wienerberger. I’ve had two children, we’ve all lived through a pandemic, and the business itself has evolved. The team I joined was much smaller, and it’s grown alongside the organisation, which I’m genuinely proud to have been part of. In my role I’m privileged to get a bird’s‑eye view across the business, seeing the challenges teams are working through, the progress they are making, and the pride people take in what they do."

At the start of the year, wienerberger launched the ‘building for what’s next storytelling roadshow’, an initiative Kerry explains was designed to showcase these behind-the-scenes stories. 

“’Building for what’s next’ is about more than buildings or materials, it’s really about people, and the future we’re all working towards together.  

To bring that idea to life, members of our marketing team travelled to wienerberger sites around the country, meeting the people who make the business what it is. They spoke to colleagues in all sorts of roles, heard their stories, and photographed them in their workplace. By sharing those stories, we’re showing that our ambition for the future is grounded in real people, real pride, and real expertise, and it helps customers see not just what we do, but the care and commitment that sits behind it.”

With a history spanning more than two centuries, the wienerberger name carries deep heritage and meaning, which Kerry explains:

“We are aware that our brand name isn’t the easiest to say or spell, and we’re making a conscious effort to help people feel more familiar with it. The name wienerberger originates from the Wienerberg area in the south of Vienna, Austria, where the company’s first brickworks was established back in 1819. Although it’s spelt with a ‘w,’ wienerberger is pronounced with a ‘v’ - ‘vee‑ner‑ber‑ger’. This identity is important to us, as it reflects our heritage long before wienerberger became the global brand it is today.”

Speaking on brand identity, after a number of acquisitions during Kerry’s time with the business, Kerry explains the role corporate communications plays in creating clarity and alignment while still respecting local voices. 

“From a corporate communications point of view, our role is to help bring together our different categories of businesses across wall, roof, water and heating, closer together in a way that feels joined‑up, without losing what makes each one valuable. By coming together, we’re able to offer customers so much more; broader capability, deeper knowledge, and more complete solutions than any one business could provide on its own. Our job is to help tell that story clearly so customers can recognise us easily and also feel the specialist insight and expertise behind each category.”

When it comes to communicating wienerberger’s sustainability ambitions and activities, consistency and credibility matters. Kerry explains how her role in corporate communications helps to cut through the noise, ensuring sustainability messaging is clear, honest and rooted in real progress.

“Our customers care deeply about sustainability, but they’re also rightly sceptical. They want to know that what they’re being told stands up to scrutiny. Our role is to keep things grounded, transparent, and genuinely useful, not full of buzzwords.  

For me, keeping sustainability credible really starts with being honest. Sometimes that means saying, quite openly, where we are on the journey and where we’re still figuring things out. It’s not about pretending we’ve already got all the answers. We stay focused on real progress and real outcomes, rather than big, sweeping claims. If something’s complicated, we explain it in plain terms. And if something’s still evolving, we say that too. 

This year we’ll be sharing an update on our sustainability strategy, as well as sharing more about exciting world-firsts happening across our manufacturing sites - our Denton hydrogen brick kiln and Broomfleet electric roof tile kiln. With the evolution of the business over recent years, it genuinely feels like an exciting moment to be part of wienerberger. There are so many stories to tell, and I feel lucky to play a part in helping share them in a way that is honest and true to who we are.” — Kerry Stevenson, Corporate Communications Manager at wienerberger UK & Ireland.