What Chapter 4 does

Chapter 4 is a Vienna-headquartered public relations and communications consultancy network founded in 2010 by Severin Heinisch and Boris Beker. The firm operates 10 wholly-owned regional offices across Austria and Central/Southeastern Europe (Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Croatia, Slovakia), supplemented by affiliate and partner-agency relationships in Slovenia, Germany, Switzerland and several additional CEE/SEE markets. As the exclusive affiliate of Burson-Marsteller for the CEE/SEE region, Chapter 4 combines local market execution with access to a global communications network operating in roughly 90 countries. With more than 80 consultants, the firm generates professional services revenue through direct enterprise sales to multinational corporations, government and intergovernmental organizations (e.g., OSCE, Austrian Chamber of Notaries, Sarajevo Canton Ministry of Health), and NGOs (e.g., WWF, Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation). Reported network revenue was EUR 4.7 million in 2023.

The service portfolio spans strategic public relations, business and management consulting, marketing communications, public affairs, digital and social media communications, crisis PR, employer branding, and sustainability communications, augmented by an in-house video and photography production studio and AI-supported content creation tools (including AI-driven microcontent and AI avatars for multilingual video). Pricing is custom and engagement-based, with central agency management, contracting and reporting offered to clients running coordinated campaigns across multiple CEE/SEE countries. Notable client logos include Microsoft, Ericsson, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honor, McDonald's, Lavazza, MediaMarkt, Zalando, Uber, Borealis, AbbVie, Galenika, Upfield, TUI and Gedeon Richter. The firm is privately held by its two co-founders; majority ownership was transferred from Severin Heinisch to Boris Beker effective July 1, 2024, with Beker assuming the CEO role as part of a long-planned succession, and the network is pursuing further geographic expansion, including into Slovenia in 2024.

Name

Chapter 4

Legal name

Chapter Four Communications Consulting GmbH

Website

https://chapter4.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Chapter 4 is a Vienna-headquartered PR and communications consultancy network with 10 regional offices across Central and Southeastern Europe, serving multinational corporations, governments, and NGOs with integrated communications, public affairs, and AI-supported content services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations and Communications Consulting

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Public Relations Agencies (541820), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

PR, Corporate Communications & Crisis Management (BPAFAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Financial Communications PR (MPAAADAA), Public Affairs & Government Relations (MPAAADAE), Social Media & Community Management (PR-led) (BPAFADAM), Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

Keywords

• Public relations consulting
• Corporate communications
• Marketing communications
• Public affairs
• Crisis communications

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Communications Consulting: Revenue generated from strategic PR consulting, corporate communications, public affairs, marketing communications, and crisis management services for enterprise clients across Austria and CEE/SEE regions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Chapter 4 is a PR and communications consulting agency network that delivers strategic public relations, business consulting, marketing communications, public affairs, digital communication, crisis PR, employer branding, and sustainability communications services to enterprise, government, and NGO clients across Austria and the CEE/SEE region. The firm operates from 10 wholly owned regional offices supported by affiliate offices and partner agencies, providing multi-country campaign coordination with centralized agency management, contracting, and reporting, and supplements consulting with an in-house video production studio and AI-enabled content production.

Product overview

Chapter 4 is a PR and Communications Agency Network offering strategic consulting services, not a software product company. The agency provides integrated communications services across Public Relations, Business Consulting, Marketing Communications, Public Affairs, Digital Communication, Crisis PR, Employer Branding, and Sustainability Communications. The core offering is service-based consulting with supporting capabilities including an in-house video production studio for visual content creation. All services are delivered through a network of 10 regional offices across Austria and CEE/SEE countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Relations (PR) Services Strategic and tactical PR consulting including media relations, image building, reputation management, and stakeholder engagement for clients across Austria and CEE/SEE regions.
• Business Consulting Management consulting, project management, B2B and B2C consulting, financial PR, investor relations, IPO consulting, and product lifecycle management offered to enterprise clients.
• Marketing Communications Market entry strategies, branding and positioning, customer relationship marketing, multicultural marketing, grassroots campaigns, and standards setting for clients launching or expanding across CEE/SEE.
• Public Affairs Government relations, qualitative market analysis, stakeholder engagement with institutions, corporate social responsibility project development, and EU affairs for clients engaging public-sector and policy stakeholders.
• Digital Communication Digital communication strategy and consulting, digital research and analytics, digital marketing, social media management, community engagement, and content platform development for clients across multiple channels.
• Crisis PR External crisis communication including media relations, reputation management, investor relations, and financial PR; internal communications including employee communications and training programs.
• Employer Branding Strategic employer branding initiatives to attract and retain talent while strengthening corporate culture and employee identification.
• Sustainability Communications ESG-focused communications strategies, sustainability campaign development, and environmental messaging for corporate responsibility initiatives.
• Social Media Services Social media strategy, community management, content creation, and social PR services delivered for clients across multiple platforms.
• Video Production In-house video and photography studio producing state-of-the-art visual content tailored to client needs and market demands, including AI avatars for training videos and multilingual productions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Uber launch: 1,500+ articles generated in 3 months across Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers33 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Burson-MarstellercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChapter 4 is the exclusive representative of Burson-Marsteller, the leading global PR and communications network founded in 1953, in Austria and CEE/SEE markets. Burson-Marsteller operates in 90 countries worldwide and specializes in evidence-based communications, analytics, and research. Chapter 4 BA page explicitly states 'PR Agencija Chapter 4 je dio Chapter 4 grupacije koja posluje širom Centralne i Jugoistočne Europe i koja je eksluzivni predstavnik vodeće svjetske PR i komunikacijske mreže Burson-Marsteller.'
• Connect Sprachenservice GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEN-15038 certified translation services provider offering legal and technical translations in approximately 100 languages at fixed prices. Chapter 4 uses Connect for translations to ensure competent language services for international communications.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hill & Knowlton: International strategic communications and public affairs firm competing in corporate PR, crisis and government relations similar to Chapter 4's offering.
• Ogilvy PR: Integrated PR, social and brand communications arm of a global agency group, overlapping with Chapter 4's digital, PR and marketing communications offerings.
• MSL (Publicis Groupe): Global PR and influence network with European operations providing integrated communications comparable to Chapter 4's PR and marketing communications services.
• Ketchum: Global PR network with local CEE affiliates providing corporate, health and consumer communications—overlapping directly with Chapter 4's service lines at larger scale.
• FleishmanHillard: Global PR and public affairs network overlapping in corporate reputation, government relations and health communications across European markets.
• Edelman: World's largest independent PR firm offering the same corporate, health and crisis communications services to enterprise clients that Chapter 4 serves regionally.
• Weber Shandwick: Major global communications agency competing for the multinational corporate, public affairs and crisis mandates Chapter 4 targets in the region.

Regional players

• Ewing Public Relations: Independent CEE-focused PR agency offering corporate communications and consumer PR, comparable in model but centered on the Czech/Slovak market.

Direct peers

• Grayling: Pan-European PR, public affairs and communications network with strong CEE presence, directly competing for the same multinational and government clients across Central and Southeastern Europe.

Others

• Burson: The global PR network Chapter 4 exclusively represents in CEE/SEE; an ecosystem partner whose affiliate model overlaps in capabilities but supplies rather than competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/chapter4pr
• Facebookfacebook.com/chapter4pr
• Instagraminstagram.com/chapter4pr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chapter 4