Ruck's Cost Spiral

Chamber Chief Spent Millions on Consulting and PR

Had to step down at the end of July 2026 after twelve years: Former WKW President Walter Ruck(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martin Jöchl, Peter Tomschi)

During his twelve years at the helm of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, Walter Ruck relied heavily on marketing and advertising. PR costs also skyrocketed. The “Krone” has the details. 

In late July, Vienna Chamber of Commerce President Walter Ruck stumbled over allegations of patronage and sexist remarks he made in a lively all-male gathering. In a wine cellar in downtown Vienna. So it’s hardly surprising that, during the Ruck era, the Chamber even placed ads in the gourmet magazine *Falstaff*, run by PR consultant Wolfgang Rosam. In 2023 and 2024. For 85,000 euros each. Awarded through direct contracting. These are just minor details from new internal documents obtained by the “Krone.”

The millions spent on marketing and communications campaigns are particularly controversial. What stands out most is Rudolf Fußi’s agency, Mindworker, through which expenditures totaling a good 14.1 million euros were channeled between 2016 and 2025. The former in-house agency justified the high sum by stating that for years it had also handled media buying for the Chamber—much of it was a pass-through item, plus advertisements and TV spots; they made no profit on those.

4.1 Million for an Agency
The available documents now paint a clear picture for the first time: Between 2016 and 2025 alone, Mindworker billed 4.1 million euros in fees for consulting and communications services. The increases are striking: In 2018, 31,788 euros were billed monthly for social media consulting. By 2020, this had risen to 37,375 euros per month for “flat-rate communications services,” and then to 50,643.60 euros in 2023 and 2024. Of course, this was also intended to put Big Boss Ruck in the right light.

“On-call duty on weekends”
What services were included in these flat-rate fees? Taking 2023 as an example: 5,044 euros net per month for “social media management, including the president’s Facebook account.” Or: “Consulting for the President (20 hours per month)”: 3,880 euros. Or also: 2,716 euros per month for “on-call duty on weekends/holidays” by the agency’s managing director.

The Vienna Chamber explains that since 2015, the economy has been “severely shaken by several crises.” “This required increased communication efforts at all levels—from the Executive Board through the divisions to the professional groups—in order to effectively position our members’ concerns and interests to a broad audience.”

Rudolf Fußi emphasizes that they did, after all, win two Europe-wide bids. “We had up to ten employees working on the project, which grew over time.” And: “Our hourly rates were significantly below the industry average.” The framework agreements were set to expire in 2025.

318 Contracts Worth 102 Million Put Out to Bid
The fact is: Total spending on PR alone has multiplied under Chamber President Walter Ruck—most recently reaching just under one million euros per year.

Another figure is particularly striking: In total, the Vienna Chamber of Commerce put out to bid exactly 318 contracts worth 102 million euros between September 2019 and September 2026, with the largest portions going to marketing and printing. By comparison, the Vorarlberg Chamber of Commerce awarded 19 contracts totaling 5.7 million euros during the same period.

Effective immediately, transparency, cost-effectiveness, and oversight are once again the top priorities in all procurement processes.

Ein Sprecher der Wirtschaftskammer Wien

Gerald Zmuegg, chairman of the Vienna Freedom Party’s Economic Association and chairman of the Audit Committee, considers the scale of the marketing contracts particularly problematic: “The Chamber tends to constantly advertise services that entrepreneurs do not actually use. Take, for example, the reduction in non-wage labor costs of just one percent.”

The Vienna Chamber of Commerce points out that, going forward, it will rely on project-based tenders in the interest of transparency. The new president, Margarete Kriz-Zwittkovits, has already announced that services are once again to be “handled primarily in-house by WKW experts.” “Furthermore, transparency, cost-effectiveness, and oversight are once again the top priorities in all procurement processes, effective immediately.”

75,000 euros for district meetings
Most recently, the Chamber spent 75,000 on district meetings organized by Gabriel Karas’s agency. The Chamber states: “These discussions were initiated by the new president to visit entrepreneurs in all 23 districts and to reconnect with the concerns and daily challenges of Vienna’s businesses.”