Matin Sarfraz
9 July 2024
Samson So
9 July 2024Richard Schuster
Google communications executive sees need for storytellers in corporate world
Richard Schuster (MJ 2011) is the head of strategy and operations for Google’s communications team in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Based in London, he oversees media analysis and insights, storytelling on social media and Google’s own blogs.
“These specialist areas in communications continue to evolve rapidly, which make this an exciting time to be in communications,” he said. “I have the privilege of living in London and working for one of the most exciting and important companies that wants to do good in the world. I simply wouldn’t be here without that year at the JMSC.”
Prior to studying at the JMSC, Richard worked for seven years as a news reporter and morning anchor at Hungarian broadcaster TV2’s news programme, Tenyek. During his stint there, he was sent to do reporting overseas, including in Afghanistan and Kosovo. He also pursued his own project: producing an independent documentary, “Three Missing Pages,” which went on to win multiple awards.
Richard chose the JMSC because he considered it “one of the best schools in the world.” It also helped that he received a JMSC Overseas Talent Scholarship. “The scholarship offered me the chance to press the ‘refresh’ button on my professional life. I would simply not have been able to do this without it,” he said.
At the JMSC, he also had an opportunity to take part in the ABC News on Campus project. He reported and narrated a news package on travelling Internet celebrity Matt Harding – which was aired on the American TV network ABC.
After graduation, Richard briefly worked at the Economist Intelligence Unit in Hong Kong. “Working at the EIU has been a crash course on China, a plunge into regional and global issues,” he said.
He moved back to his home country, Hungary, in 2012 to become a communications manager at Google. The following year, he transferred to London to take up a regional role at the tech giant.
For Richard, there are some similarities between working in journalism and corporate communications. “Storytellers don’t just work in journalism,” he said. “Storytellers need to work at companies like Google as well.”
