Andreas Cieslar is a distinguished brand strategist and marketing expert who has shaped numerous well-known brands in Austria. He currently serves as Head of Marketing and Branding at DONAU Versicherung, where he oversees the entire brand presence – from strategic positioning to execution across all channels – and has played a key role in evolving and repositioning the brand.

Previously, he held leading marketing roles at Casinos Austria, Wiener Städtische Versicherung, and served as Marketing Director at McDonald’s Austria. He began his career at the Austrian Lotteries, where he successfully developed and expanded a wide range of products, including formats that remain integral to Austria’s brand landscape today.

What sets him apart is his unique combination of strategic thinking and hands-on execution – from defining brand vision to delivering impactful campaigns. He is also known for his ability to lead teams, inspire people, and make complex ideas easy to understand.

His work has earned him multiple awards, including being named Marketer of the Year in 2025 – a clear testament to his effectiveness and success in marketing.

About the FRICTION RELOADED podcast and your host:

I’m Florian Schleicher, a marketing strategist. This podcast focusses on my FRICTION RELOADED marketing trend report and its four subchapters.

If you want more, check out my FutureStrategies newsletter – monthly inspiration on marketing, strategy and sustainability.

And if you are looking for some inspiration on your brands marketing strategy, let me know. That’s what I do with my marketing studio FUTURESTRATEGIES.

Magdalena Horejs is a Creative Strategist at Scholz & Friends Vienna, acting as the link between the client and the creative team. She moved to Germany in 2021 to study and stayed for four years – three of which she spent at Hamburg (main client: McDonald’s). She also was part of the GWA young board, the leading association for advertising and communications agencies in Germany. Since 2026 she is back in Vienna, and heads up the strategy department alongside Lara Hohenwarter for Scholz & Friends.

About the FRICTION RELOADED podcast and your host:

I’m Florian Schleicher, a marketing strategist. This podcast focusses on my FRICTION RELOADED marketing trend report and its four subchapters.

If you want more, check out my FutureStrategies newsletter – monthly inspiration on marketing, strategy and sustainability.

And if you are looking for some inspiration on your brands marketing strategy, let me know. That’s what I do with my marketing studio FUTURESTRATEGIES.

Stefan Sagmeister has designed for clients as diverse as the Rolling Stones, HBO, and the Guggenheim Museum. He’s a two time Grammies winner and also earned practically every important international design award.

Stefan talks about the large subjects of our lives like happiness or beauty, how they connect to design and what that actually means to our everyday lives. He spoke 5 times at the official TED, making him one of the three most frequently invited TED speakers.

His books sell in the hundreds of thousands and his exhibitions have been mounted in museums around the world. His exhibit ’The Happy Show' attracted way over half a million visitors worldwide and became the most visited graphic design show in history.

A native of Austria, he received his MFA from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and, as a Fulbright Scholar, a master’s degree from Pratt Institute in New York.

About the FRICTION RELOADED podcast and your host:

I’m Florian Schleicher, a marketing strategist. This podcast focusses on my FRICTION RELOADED marketing trend report and its four subchapters.

If you want more, check out my FutureStrategies newsletter – monthly inspiration on marketing, strategy and sustainability.

And if you are looking for some inspiration on your brands marketing strategy, let me know. That’s what I do with my marketing studio FUTURESTRATEGIES.