CHRISTMAS 2025
I’ve often thought about writing a heartfelt Christmas letter—one that’s simply honest and straight from the heart. Christmas cards never seem to offer enough space, and sometimes, certain thoughts don’t quite fit into a formal business communication, do they? This year, I’m following my instincts and sharing my Christmas letter for 2025 with you, just as it comes to me.
DEAR CLIENTS, FRIENDS, AND BUSINESS PARTNERS
First and foremost, I wish you a wonderful holiday season, a peaceful transition into the new year, and—above all—health, happiness, and success in 2026. I also want to extend my heartfelt thanks to you personally, if we had the pleasure of working together on projects or Total Rewards communications over the past twelve months. Your trust is the foundation of our success—and, hopefully, we have contributed to yours as well. We look forward to continuing our collaboration in the coming year.
If you’d like to know how we experienced the past twelve months at Unequity—and discover a little surprise at the end—please read on.
GET BETTER, BEFORE YOU GET BIGGER
In our fifteenth year as a company, we were once again privileged to enjoy the ongoing trust of our long-standing clients. We launched four new case studies, including Lufthansa Group, Merck, and Schaeffler Group—with more projects to follow as time allows. Our focus on large corporations and the internal communication of complex Total Rewards topics proved to be the right path in 2025.
While we continued to develop communication strategies, implement new channels, create content, and deliver measurable results, our team’s strategic motto was clear: Get better, before you get bigger. Stability and optimization, rather than rapid expansion, guided our actions.
We set out to:
- Embrace and leverage new opportunities brought by AI,
- Encourage even more independent, forward-thinking work within the team,
- Align our marketing and sales activities more closely with our resource management,
- Stabilize recurring revenue streams,
- And empower our core team to handle additional project business even more effectively.
In short: We wanted to get better—together.
A YEAR OF CHANGE AND PROGRESS
2025 began with change: We said goodbye to Alex in Munich and welcomed Tanja to our team in Königstein, as well as Mailin for a brief internship. Both supported us in preparing for the Total Rewards Reloaded conference in Berlin, which Stephania and I attended as Unequity representatives. This event will remain a highlight for us in March 2026 as well.
The first quarter was, as always, a bit slow—our HR contacts were busy with salary reviews, bonus payments, and LTI vestings. Some projects were delayed due to internal reorganizations or works council negotiations. But there was never a dull moment!
OUTCOME 2025
On my weekly train rides between Königstein and Munich, I found time for learning and reflection. I also brought the team together for more in-person workshops, making our collaboration even more rewarding.
We achieved a lot:
- New content on our website, including an updated “About Us” page and our founding story,
- A detailed explanation of our uneQUBE framework, which continues to evolve,
- Over 60 new infographics for trainings and Total Rewards topics,
- Three new photo shoots for current team and individual portraits,
- And a new showreel highlighting some of our favorite projects.
We were present at key events:
- Total Rewards Reloaded DACH in Berlin as a partner,
- Summer Lounge Employee Participation 2025, hosted by Markus Rieger and his team of GoingPublic Media AG, where I spoke on financial education,
- Being Public Conference in Frankfurt, together with Stephania. Video Impressions.
- J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions Conference, where we had the opportunity to present the new Merck LTI communication project together with our valued customer Kerstin Birnbaum of Merck. Please also refer to our Blog article.
- The International Employee Benefits Association (IEBA) annual conference in Brussels, where I now support the Education Committee. New members and followers are always welcome to join us at LinkedIn IEBA.
- Leigh Bornstein and her team of uflexreward, invited me to participate at Total Rewards Reloaded Europe Conference in Berlin in November 2025.
HIGHLIGHTS 2025
A few experiences from this year will certainly find their way into my entrepreneur’s diary. And our 2025 photo review of the year keeps memories alive in an entertaining way. Selected highlights:
- One of the highlights was an outstanding project success with our client Schaeffler, being nominated three times for the HR Excellence Award, and sharing the excitement with our team on site in Berlin. Although we didn’t take home the trophy, we still count ourselves as winners.
- Discovering the International Employee Benefits Association (IEBA), attending the annual event in Brussels, and expanding my network with many passionate Total Rewards professionals were also among my personal highlights.
- A client workshop at Lake Chiemsee, held in the beautiful Matador Lodges with a highly motivated team and an experienced rewards consultant, was a wonderful change of pace—and a trip I won’t forget. Perhaps not least because, for the first time since my youth, I hitchhiked again: in Übersee, the sidewalks roll up after 9 p.m., and the taxi drivers are in the local pub. The conversation with a complete stranger on the way to my hotel gave me plenty of food for thought about life. Not to be underestimated.
- After 15 years as an entrepreneur, this year I seriously considered various exit options for the first time, and had the opportunity to spar with professionals. I am sure there is much more to learn in this area, and through interesting collaborations and new business relationships, I will be able to future-proof and anchor my company. The insights from these conversations are among my personal highlights of 2025, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you—those who know who you are—for your advice, your questions, and the connections you made possible.
- Our partnership with uflexreward, a Software-as-a-Service provider—and simply an incredibly friendly and experienced team we truly enjoy working with—is opening up new horizons for us. Next year, we will continue to write our story together, and we would love for you to be part of it. If you’re interested, please send us your consent and signature by email so you can receive our newsletter in the future.
AT THE END OF A YEAR
As the year ends, change continues: We’re building a new team in Frankfurt, while the Munich team becomes smaller. We bid farewell to Nadine and Stephania—thank you both for enriching our team! We’re now looking for new colleagues in project management and creative roles in Frankfurt. And yes, you’ll be working alongside our AI agents, who have become an integral part of our team.
And now, the promised surprise: In March, we’ll be at the Total Rewards Reloaded DACH with our own booth. We’re offering exciting formats for exchange among Total Rewards professionals—and we’re giving away 10 tickets for the event! If you’d like to join, just send me an email and look forward to hearing from us in the new year.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I truly appreciate it.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
See you in 2026.
Best regards,
Simone
- This article was published on
CONTACT US
If you’d like to chat about this, or any other topic, get in touch with us.
We lead People-Projects to success through communication.
Your contact person
- simone[@]unequity.com
- +49 (0) 174 / 310 78 27
- Simone Schmitt-Schillig
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