Freedom and independence are our greatest assets. Operating in a sustainable and economically sound manner, always working independently and taking personal responsibility, tackling issues that matter to us and through which we can make a difference – that is the daily driving force for all of us at Kaltwasser Kommunikation.
As part of the management team, we see it as our task to create the space needed to foster innovation, ideas and fresh perspectives that continue to inspire our clients time and time again.
Andreas Schauerte, Managing Partner
As Managing Director, Andreas Schauerte heads the Nuremberg office (headquarters) of Kaltwasser Kommunikation and is responsible for the key area of crisis communication.
After studying law and passing two Bavarian state examinations in Würzburg and Schweinfurt, Andreas Schauerte initially practised as a solicitor in Erlangen before deciding to rebrand his consultancy work under the banner of Kaltwasser Kommunikation: constructive and communicative, creative and conceptual. He attaches great importance to assessing situations objectively and thinking them through critically.
From a failed career as a rock star, Andreas Schauerte retained his enthusiasm for creative design; from his legal career, he retained his interest in cross-sector consultancy.
A father of three, he is a passionate music lover who adores the German language, visionary science fiction literature and intelligent video games. As a native of Westphalia living in northern Bavaria, he knows from personal experience the value of clear communication tailored to the target audience.
Andreas Schauerte has been Co-Chair of the Bavarian regional group of the DPRG since 2026.
Nadja Ismail, Managing Director
Nadja Ismail has been a member of the management team at Kaltwasser Kommunikation since 1 July 2026 and is responsible for human resources as well as the area of internal and change communication. She draws on insights from communication studies, systems theory, organisational sociology and psychology in her internal and consultancy work, as well as in her roles as a speaker and author.
Nadja Ismail has been working in corporate communications for over 15 years: with a traditional background in PR, corporate publishing and online marketing, initially in-house and for the past twelve years or so in the agency sector.
The link between communication and organisational development has had a particularly formative influence on her work. Following her certification as a systemic organisational developer in 2022, her focus shifted to supporting change processes. Since then, she has consistently linked communication with issues of leadership, culture and collaboration, and supports organisations in shaping transformation holistically. Her systemic perspective makes her a staunch advocate of the ‘both-and’ approach; she can always do a wheel in both directions – quite literally, ever since she learnt what ‘ambidexterity’ means during children’s gymnastics.
Originally from North Hesse, she has been living in Nuremberg with her husband and two children since 2012.
Brigitte Kaltwasser, Managing Partner
As the agency’s founder and a mother of four, Brigitte Kaltwasser has been navigating a wide variety of war-room scenarios “for what feels like an eternity” – and not just from a PR perspective. She combines in-depth communication expertise, crisis management and mediation techniques with a results-oriented approach.
She has more than 35 years’ experience in the communications industry. As a former journalist and long-standing university lecturer, her focus is on developing communication strategies for complex and socially relevant issues.
In addition to her role as managing director, Brigitte Kaltwasser is a member of various crisis management teams at federal and state level. Excellent contacts within the media sector, with business associations and chambers of commerce, as well as with Bavarian and Berlin ministries, make Brigitte Kaltwasser a welcome regular guest at Deutsche Bahn and an enthusiastic test driver of various electric car autopilot systems. She is also passionate about energy self-sufficiency; since 2016, she has been testing minimalist and sustainable lifestyles around the world – not just in and with her tiny house Karl. Her passion projects are based internationally in various well-building and educational initiatives, connecting people across cultural boundaries, predominantly in southern Africa.
Since 2018, Brigitte Kaltwasser has also been a member of the Honorary Council of the DPRG professional association.
The ambitious saxophonist no longer aspires to a career in music, but is always open to a good mix of jam sessions ;-)
Bernd Hendl, Partner/Head Graphic Designer
For more than 25 years, Bernd Hendl was managing director of Fixpunkt, the advertising agency he founded, which merged with Kaltwasser in 2022.
Since 1997, Bernd Hendl has been operating at the intersection of logic, technical understanding and purposeful creativity. As a trained print pre-press technician and retoucher, he has witnessed and helped shape the creative industry’s shift from print to online and the convergence of advertising, marketing and communication at first hand. With Fixpunkt GmbH, he played a pioneering role in the Nuremberg metropolitan region in the fields of digital image processing and the digital production of print products. The portfolio was rounded off by the conception and design of advertising campaigns, catalogues, brochures and advertisements, the development of online shops, and internet services ranging from screen design and programming to web hosting. In recent years, the creation of visual materials for corporate communications has taken on an increasingly important role.
Alongside his entrepreneurial activities, Bernd Hendl worked for many years as a co-lecturer in colour management at the Georg Simon Ohm University of Applied Sciences in Nuremberg. He channels his sporting spirit into the ‘TiKiTi’ table football table, which he developed himself, whilst his artistic side finds expression in painting and an unbridled enthusiasm for experimentation.
In 2026, Bernd Hendl stepped down from the management board but remains with the company as a shareholder, chief graphic designer and Head of Operations.