Many communication departments are still discussing tools. Yet AI has long since changed the entire operating system of communication

Many communication departments are still discussing tools. Yet AI has long since changed the entire operating system of communication

Most communications departments now have AI initiatives, dashboards and tool managers. But at Covestro, this has become something more: a dedicated COMTech unit in the middle of the organizational structure. Why? Because Sven Stocker believes that communication will no longer be managed primarily via channels and content, but via data, learning systems and intelligent processes. In an interview with AG CommTech, the Global Head of COM Tech explains why traditional reorganizations often miss the point, why data dashboards alone do not provide any insights and why COM Tech is ideally just a catalyst in this transformation. .

AG CommTech: Sven, you have set up your own COMTech unit at Covestro. Why this step?

Sven Stocker: Because at some point we realized that communication is changing much faster than our organizational models. Many companies today have AI initiatives, individual CommTech roles or tool owners. But in my view, that’s no longer enough. We didn’t want to build a tool team, we wanted to create an organizational space that could really drive transformation. We understood this at some point: COM Tech is not “digital alongside communication”. It’s a lever for how communication will work, make decisions and create impact in the future. COM Tech has therefore become part of our communication structure. Not as a service function on the side, but as an integrated unit.

AG CommTech: That sounds much bigger than a traditional digital team.

Sven Stocker: Absolutely. It was never just about tools. It was about skills. It was about the question of how communication will work, learn and prepare decisions in the future. We are talking about data-driven communication, AI-enabled workflows, governance, learning systems and proof of impact. Many are discussing technology. We are now discussing the operating model of communication.

AG CommTech: You deliberately use the term “operating model”. Why?

Sven Stocker: Because traditional reorganizations often just move boxes. Then there are discussions about organizational charts, roles and responsibilities. But not about how communication actually works. An operating model changes skills, decision-making logic, processes, management and learning. In my view, this is where the real transformation lies.

AG CommTech: When did this development begin for you?

Sven Stocker: We actually started with data-driven communication and dashboards back in 2019, alongside the development of a newsroom approach and agile collaboration. Skill frameworks, upskilling programs and project learning were added later. Then AI task forces, hackathons and enablement. Looking back, these were individual initiatives that eventually resulted in a common logic.

AG CommTech: So no big master plan?

Sven Stocker: A master plan in the traditional sense: No. And I no longer believe in these linear master plans. Reality is much more dynamic. Many things only emerge along the way. It’s more important to have a clear vision or to be able to formulate the “intent”. And then you realize that a new architecture suddenly emerges from individual initiatives. That’s exactly what happened with us.

AG CommTech: What was the real turning point?

Sven Stocker: Interestingly, it came out of our corporate transformation. Like many industrial companies, Covestro is undergoing massive change processes. As part of EVOLVE, the Group-wide transformation program to implement the Business Plan 2028, all functions were expected to make their specific contribution to value creation and transformation visible. And it suddenly became clear that our communication initiatives were already having an impact: data-driven communication, upskilling, learning, AI and enablement. This was the first time we realized that these topics belonged together and needed to be bundled organizationally.

EVOLVE did not invent COM Tech. But it has created the institutional framework that has turned individual initiatives into a recognized organizational logic.

AG CommTech: What exactly does this COM-Tech unit look like today?

Sven Stocker: We started at the beginning of 2026. The team includes roles for AI & Change, Data & Communications Intelligence, Digital Platforms, Operations and the COM Academy. However, it is important to note that COM Tech should not and cannot do everything itself. Our task is enablement. We want to enable the communications organization to work in a data-driven and AI-enabled way.

AG CommTech: But that seems to be difficult. You described in the webinar that you were quickly perceived as a service unit.

Sven Stocker: Yes, the real challenge is cultural: as soon as there is a COM-Tech team, the expectation quickly arises: “They will now take care of AI, data and transformation. But that’s exactly what doesn’t work in the long term. The communication function itself must learn to work in a more data- and AI-supported way.

If only one person is responsible for data or there is only one AI manager, then it never scales.

AG CommTech: This became particularly clear when it came to data analysis.

Sven Stocker: Absolutely. We’ve had dashboards and huge amounts of data points for years. But we hardly derived any real insights from them. Then our newData Strategist arrived and suddenly everyone expected her to provide ready-made insights, recommendations for action and priorities. She was literally run over.

AG CommTech: What have you learned from this?

Sven Stocker: That data competence cannot be delegated. That’s why we have changed the way we work. Today, teams have to develop their own hypotheses before analytics impact sessions. The discussion no longer starts with columns of figures, but with the question: “What is our goal or intent and how does this contribute to the communication strategy?” Only then do we look at the data together. This massively changes the quality of the discussions.

AG CommTech: That sounds like a pretty fundamental cultural change.

Sven Stocker: It is. And to be honest, it’s much more difficult than introducing any tool. You can define processes. Governance can be built. But changing mindset and behavior takes time. That is precisely why we have integrated change management and change communication so strongly into COM Tech.

AG CommTech: What role do governance and processes play in this?

Sven Stocker: A huge one. And in some cases, we start at a surprisingly basic level. Who is responsible for which tool & platform? Who makes the decisions? What processes are in place? Many communications departments, including ours, have never documented this properly. That’s why we are currently visualizing processes, defining ownership and at the same time checking which processes can be automated or partially automated or supported by AI in the future.

AG CommTech: Many communications departments are currently struggling with precisely this question: How does AI change processes?

Sven Stocker: Yes, and I think most people still underestimate the implications. Today, we often talk about increasing efficiency. But the real change lies deeper: adaptive processes, learning systems, intelligent control. Communication will be much more data- and system-based in the future.

AG CommTech: Where are you on this journey today?

Sven Stocker: We have now established many initiatives in a structured manner and anchored them organizationally: from AI enablement and analytics to platforms, learning systems and operations.

At the same time, we can clearly see that the real next step is now beginning. Governance, operating model, process integration and impact-oriented management are much more in focus.

In retrospect, Pantarhei Advisors’ understanding of maturity helps us to better classify this development: Much is now structurally established, but true integration and continuous control will only emerge in the next stage of development.

In my view, the long-term goal is to improve communication not just through campaigns or individual tools. It’s about continuous data and impact-oriented management.

AG CommTech: What can other communications departments take away from this?

Sven Stocker: Many communication departments are understandably starting with tools or individual use cases at the moment. That makes sense. But it’s usually just the beginning. Our experience at Covestro is: Sustainable transformation does not come from technologies alone. The decisive factor is whether skills, governance, data, culture and management come together. This is also in line with CommTech’s understanding of maturity, which sees transformation more as organizational development.

That’s why my most important recommendation would be: don’t just introduce technologies. Instead, work systematically on the organizational requirements.

AG CommTech: And perhaps the most exciting question at the end: Will COM Tech stay permanently?

Sven Stocker: That is probably the most exciting question. Our thesis is rather: if COM Tech is successful, at some point it will no longer need a special function. Then skills, data, governance, AI and enablement will have become part of normal communications work. COM Tech would then no longer be “digital alongside communications”. It would simply be the way communication works.