Women at PCA: Stephanie Weiser

When Public Relations Manager Stephanie Weiser joined Porsche Cars Australia eight years ago, she was keen to work with a luxury sports car company after a 14-month stint in Europe working at a Formula One Team gave her a taste of life in the fast lane.

Weiser is behind some of Porsche Cars Australia’s most defining PR moments – from curating luxury media drive days to hosting automotive journalists overseas to test drive new Porsche models on breathtaking scenic roads, to more recently launching Porsche’s first all-electric car, the Taycan.

But it’s her commitment to elevating woman with drive that put the Porsche brand in a league of its own under her leadership. The original concept became a pitstop for luxury content; where fashion, retail and the art stories sat alongside automotive ones geared towards the growing number of women driving Porsches in Australia.

woman with drive launched in 2012, beginning as an online magazine and one that is now a fully integrated site within Porsche Newsroom thanks to Weiser.

“wwd readers weren’t interested in just the cars; they wanted lifestyle content and to feel connected beyond the driving. That’s been the main reason the woman with drive brand has been an essential part of our lifestyle storytelling,” says Stephanie Weiser. ?

?woman with drive has become synonymous with PCA; and that’s largely thanks to Weiser who made lifestyle content a focal point for the business. Some highlights include a rare video interview with the late Australian fashion designer Carla Zampatti who spoke to wwd from the NGV about her 50 Years in Fashion in 2015.

Weiser’s role as PR Manager has seen her recruit some of the biggest celebrities to create unique lifestyle content. She has worked closely with Porsche brand ambassadors including renowned athletes and Olympic champions, while also bringing together women of excellence in their fields to share their own woman with drive journeys during the now well-established ladies luncheon at the Porsche Pavilion during the Australian Grand Prix.

Weiser, who was born in Germany and moved to Australia in 2009, has worked in both private and public sectors prior to her start at PCA. She was in the thick of the action as Communications Manager for a Formula One Team, but began to miss the Aussie lifestyle she had come to know prior to her departure – it was inevitable she’d return.

“Porsche was the dream gig for me, and I never thought I would land here as soon as I did. But it was the right time, the right place and right people and it all came together nicely,” Weiser says. “I really missed Australia so it made sense to come back.”

?In her time at Porsche, she has launched more than 25 cars to market and is often travelling internationally up to six times a year.

?Leading the woman with drive brand has been a constant in her working career and a significant highlight so far.

?“I started leading the brand from the day I joined the company,” she says.

?“It was only two years old back in 2014, and I am proud to say I have taken it to be what it has become today. We integrated wwd in the Porsche brand in Australia and our customers know it. Other Porsche markets see it as a best practice example of how to connect with our female audiences and have developed their own approach,” Weiser says.

?These days she’s busy juggling traditional PR needs with the growing demands of new media – and helping expand the exposure for Porsche – hers is a world where digital content is the queen of the road.

Weiser says there’s many career highlights, but launching Porsche’s first super hybrid car, the 918 Spyder in the Northern Territory along the iconic Stuart Highway is up there. She also took a group of Australian media on a drive trip to the far north of Montreal, Canada – still star struck by its scenic and mystical winter light at the time and the fun that is drifting on ice.

Working on the launch of Porsche's first fully electric sportscar, the Taycan is a more recent high five moment.

“Working on the global launch concept with the international PR team and then launching the car in Australia was an absolute privilege, I never thought I would be part of such an important milestone in Porsche’s history,” Weiser says.

With the last two years consumed by the pandemic, a massive shift in the way PR was delivered took place. According to Weiser, it was about being able to pivot with a moment’s notice.

"We went from actual events to delivering them digitally and still managed to get a lot of information across to media and consumers,” Weiser says.

“But at the end of the day, we want media driving our cars. Sure, there’s digital round tables to maintain connection with media and our content production grew in this time, but being able to be on the road with a Porsche is simply the best way to experience the brand.”

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