The People & Communications team enables business performance and competitiveness through engaged and capable people, strong reputation management, impactful internal and external communications, and great employee experience. The team plays a critical role in bringing KONE’s strategy and narrative to life, strengthening the company story, positioning and supporting business growth.
We are now looking for a
Media Relations Lead
to drive KONE’s global media strategy, strengthen the company’s reputation and visibility, and position KONE as a trusted voice on the topics shaping our industry.
The role is responsible for building and executing a proactive, high-impact media agenda that amplifies strategic priorities, supports business growth and protects corporate reputation.
Within this, the Global Media Relations and Crisis Communications team is responsible for shaping and protecting KONE’s reputation through strategic media engagement, executive visibility and impactful external communications.
The team drives proactive media relations globally, strengthens KONE’s positioning on key business and industry topics, manages relationships with priority media stakeholders, and ensures consistent, compelling and newsworthy storytelling across markets and channels. The team plays a critical role in building trust and safeguarding reputation in high-stake situations, increasing visibility and supporting business objectives through earned media and executive communications in owned and earned channels.
The role reports to the Head of Media Relations and Crisis Communications and works in close partnership with the Executive Board, Investor Relations, Marketing, business leadership teams, and communications colleagues across the globe.
This position is flexible across major KONE office locations. Preference is for Espoo, but we welcome candidates in the same time zone who are able to travel regularly when needed.
What you will deliver
Global media strategy & external visibility (~70%)
- Own and drive KONE’s global media relations strategy, aligned with business priorities and reputation objectives.
- Lead proactive media engagement to strengthen KONE’s visibility, credibility and share of voice in key markets.
- Develop integrated media plans and compelling narratives around strategic priorities, innovation, sustainability, growth initiatives and business performance.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with top-tier international, business, financial and industry media.
- Identify and activate opportunities that support executive visibility, thought leadership and KONE’s market positioning.
- Monitor media trends, sentiment and emerging issues, translating insights into actionable recommendations.
- Collaborate across Global Communications and regional teams to maximize earned media impact.
- Leverage data, analytics and AI-enabled tools to optimize media effectiveness and performance.
Strategic advisory & leadership enablement (~30%)
- Serve as a trusted advisor to the Executive Board and senior leaders on media strategy, executive positioning and reputation management.
- Provide strategic counsel on messaging, stakeholder expectations, opportunities and risks.
- Prepare and coach senior spokespersons for media engagements, major announcements and high-profile events.
- Partner with Investor Relations and business leadership on financial communications, transformation initiatives and key corporate milestones.
- Advise leadership on emerging media dynamics, public discourse and stakeholder perceptions.
Global execution & capability building
- Lead the end-to-end execution of global media programs, campaigns and major announcements.
- Develop scalable messaging frameworks, media toolkits and communication assets for global and regional teams.
- Ensure consistent messaging and media engagement across markets.
- Strengthen media relations capabilities across the communications network and foster effective cross-functional collaboration.
What you'll bring
- 15+ years of experience in media relations, corporate communications, public affairs or reputation management in a multinational or listed company environment and/or similar
- Strong track record of securing high-impact international media coverage and executive visibility
- Extensive experience advising senior executives, including C-suite leaders
- Deep understanding of global media landscapes, stakeholder expectations and reputation dynamics
- Proven ability to identify opportunities and translate business strategy into compelling media narratives
- Excellent media coaching and spokesperson preparation skills
- Exceptional judgment in managing sensitive, complex and high-profile issues
- Advanced stakeholder management and influencing capabilities
- Well-developed writing, storytelling and message creating skills
- Ability to work in a corporate setting and combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment
The impact you'll make
- KONE is recognized as a relevant, visible and credible voice on the themes shaping its industry
- Increased share of voice and high-quality global media coverage in priority markets
- Strong, consistent reputation-enhancing narratives adopted across the organization
- Senior leaders are effective, visible and trusted public spokespersons
- Media engagement contributes to business objectives, thought leadership and stakeholder trust
- Communications is viewed as a strategic business partner creating measurable reputational value
How you will work
- Partner closely with the Executive Board, Investor Relations and business leadership teams
- Collaborate with Global Communications and Area communications teams, as well as Marketing and Business Units
- Lead KONE’s global earned-media strategy and execution
- Contribute to a topic-led, insight-driven communications model focused on reputation, visibility and business impact
For additional information please contact Gia Forsman-Härkönen, Head of Media Relations and Crisis Communications • People & Communications, by calling + +358503243078 the following EEST times:
- Thursday 19 November 15:00-16:00 OR
- Friday 20 November 10:00-11:00
Want to #joinourflow?
This is a unique opportunity to influence how KONE engages with media, stakeholders and society at large. If you have the expertise, ambition and mindset to succeed in this role, please submit your CV and cover letter through our Careers site by November 27th, 2026.
We look forward to learning more about you and the perspective you could bring to KONE. Make a meaningful impact by shaping the reputation, visibility and thought leadership of one of the world's leading technology and innovation companies.
#LI-GO
At KONE, we are focused on creating an innovative and collaborative working culture where we value the contribution of each individual. Employee engagement is a key focus area for us and we encourage participation and the sharing of information and ideas. Sustainability is an integral part of our culture and the daily practice. We follow ethical business practices and we seek to develop a culture of working together where co-workers trust and respect each other and good performance is recognized. In being a great place to work, we are proud to offer a range of experiences and opportunities that will help you to achieve your career and personal goals and enable you to live a healthy and balanced life.
Read more on https://kone.com/global/en/careers.html
Skills Required
- 15+ years of experience in media relations, corporate communications, public affairs, or reputation management in a multinational or listed company environment or similar
- Strong track record of securing high-impact international media coverage and executive visibility
- Extensive experience advising senior executives, including C-suite leaders
- Deep understanding of global media landscapes, stakeholder expectations, and reputation dynamics
- Proven ability to identify opportunities and translate business strategy into compelling media narratives
- Excellent media coaching and spokesperson preparation skills
- Exceptional judgment in managing sensitive, complex, and high-profile issues
- Advanced stakeholder management and influencing capabilities
- Well-developed writing, storytelling, and message-creation skills
- Ability to work in a corporate setting and combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment
Kone Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Kone and has not been reviewed or approved by Kone.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive across many roles and markets, with field positions sometimes benefiting from overtime and strong union scales. Feedback suggests base compensation is often a relative positive even when other factors vary.
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Retirement Support — Retirement programs, including 401(k) and in some regions pension or annuity structures, are consistently highlighted as strong. Feedback suggests these elements meaningfully enhance the overall package.
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Healthcare Strength — Core health coverage is viewed as comprehensive, commonly including medical, dental, and vision options. Feedback suggests a global well‑being framework and EAP resources further reinforce health-related support.
Kone Insights
What We Do
At KONE, our mission is to improve the flow of urban life. This means understanding urbanization and, together with our partners and customers, helping cities to become better and more sustainable places to live. As a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, KONE provides elevators, escalators and automatic building doors, as well as solutions for maintenance and modernization to add value to buildings throughout their life cycle. Through more effective People Flow®, we make people's journeys safe, convenient and reliable, in taller, smarter buildings. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, we operate in more than 60 countries around the world, employ over 60,000 people and serve 550,000 customers. In 2022, KONE had annual sales of EUR 10.9 billion. KONE class B shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.
