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Company data
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| Legal name | Public Interest Consultants GmbH |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Managing directors | Gregor Schönstein, Bernhard Nagiller |
| Commercial register | FN 287133 f, Handelsgericht Wien |
| VAT identification number | ATU63036912 |
| Phone | +43 1 907 66 00 |
| office@publicinterest.cc | |
| Website | www.publicinterest.at |
| Languages | German, English |
These details are current as of: 2026-09-15
Locations
Vienna
Rotenturmstraße 17/17
1010 Vienna, Austria
+43 1 907 66 00
office@publicinterest.cc48.2101, 16.3745
Brussels
Avenue Louise 166
1050 Brussels, Belgium
+32 2 627 51 64
brussels@publicinterest.cc50.8259, 4.3616
Key figures
#1
Market leader for public affairs in Austria
700
Decision-makers across business, politics and media in the active network
>100
communications projects delivered successfully each year
>100
prominent executive and supervisory board members advised
12
clients from the Fortune Global 500
150
years of combined advisory experience in the senior team
#1
Market leader for alliance and association management
Top 5
in the Austrian agency revenue ranking
Services
Stakeholder & Network
Simply "knowing" people adds nothing. Robust relationships of trust with decision-makers do.
High-Level Strategy & Campaigning
A business strategy becomes a communications programme that reaches its goals faster.
Professional Analysis & Monitoring
Curated monitoring of initiatives, draft legislation and public debate - assessed against your business goals.
Sectors
Telecommunications
Network rollout, spectrum policy and data protection rules decide how much room to invest remains.
Energy & Infrastructure
Decarbonisation, grid expansion and the redesign of the electricity market are happening at once.
Financial Services & Insurance
Supervisors in Vienna, Brussels and Basel reach directly into day-to-day business.
Health & Life Sciences
A growth sector carrying heavy societal responsibility and a correspondingly dense rulebook.
Consumer Goods (FMCG)
Supply chains, packaging and labelling have become political questions.
Platform Economy & Technology
The DSA, DMA, AI Act and data law help define the business model itself.
People
Gregor Schönstein
Founder & Managing Partner
Founded Public Interest in 2007 and has advised CEOs of leading companies in Austria and abroad ever since.
Bernhard Nagiller
Managing Partner
Advises executive and supervisory boards at the intersection of business, the public sphere and politics.
Andreas Rudas
President of the Advisory Board
Combines leadership experience from Austrian public broadcasting, politics and international media groups.
Christian Domany
Vice President of the Advisory Board
Change management, positioning strategy and public affairs, drawn from banking, interest representation and aviation.
Marcus Grausam
Senior Advisor & Board Member
Former CEO of A1 Telekom Austria. Digitalisation, transformation and strategic positioning.
Gerhard Gamperl
Senior Advisor & Board Member
International energy expert with senior roles at Verbund, Berliner Stadtreinigung and Wiener Stadtwerke.
Franz Rudorfer
Senior Advisor & Board Member
Represented the interests of Austria’s banks and insurers for more than a decade.
Definitions
What does Public Interest Consultants do?
Public Interest Consultants is an Austrian public affairs, business lobbying and strategic communications consultancy based in Vienna with a presence in Brussels. Founded in 2007, it advises corporations, associations and investors at the intersection of regulation, strategy and communications.
How does public affairs differ from classic PR?
Classic PR addresses the media public. Public affairs addresses political and regulatory decision-making: it combines government relations, analysis of regulatory initiatives, stakeholder work and coalition building with strategic communications, and is tied to concrete business objectives.
Is lobbying regulated in Austria?
Yes. The Austrian Lobbying and Interest Representation Transparency Act (LobbyG) requires lobbying firms to register in the lobbying and interest representation register and, under section 7 of the Act, to adopt a code of conduct. Public Interest Consultants is bound by that code.
Which sectors does Public Interest advise?
The focus is on highly regulated sectors: telecommunications, energy and infrastructure, financial services and insurance, health and life sciences, consumer goods, and the platform economy and technology.
Does Public Interest also work at EU level?
Yes. Public Interest is represented at the European institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg and offers EU monitoring, European policy analysis, support in impact assessments, European alliance campaigning as well as help with grants and procurement.
Does Public Interest name its clients?
No. Discretion is part of the advisory approach: Public Interest discusses neither client names nor individual mandates. The disclosures required by law are filed in the lobbying and interest representation register.
Registers and records
Austrian lobbying and interest representation register
Public Interest Consultants GmbH
lobbyreg.justiz.gv.atEU transparency register
Public Interest Consultants GmbH
transparency-register.europa.euCommercial register
FN 287133 f, Handelsgericht Wien
justizonline.gv.at
Machine readable sources
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