BrazilGermany's top marketplaces for independent consultants
Based on the views of more than 1,000 executives in Germany that work with consultants, meet the country’s top five marketplaces that match client organisations with independent consulting talent.
For the eighth consecutive year, German magazine Brand Eins teamed up with Statista to survey consultancy buyers (executives, managers and procurement leaders) and management consultants to gain insight into the country’s top providers of consulting services.
Alongside ranking the top consulting firms across 20+ industries and 20+ areas of expertise, Brand Eins also asked executives to rate their experiences with independent consultant networks. Networks were first included in the ranking two years ago – a token of appreciation for the growing importance of such agile-organised consulting groups within the broader German consulting market.
On the back of the rapid rise of the gig economy, and as clients open up to using independents, the tier-one independent consulting segment – the segment that competes with resources from consulting firms – has seen strong growth in recent years. According to one estimate, the segment now holds between 10% to 15% of the consulting industry in mature markets.
Germany is home to over a dozen of independent consultant networks, with the following five receiving the highest recognition from their clients:
Comatch
Founded: 2014
Score: 3 out of 3
Number of employees: 120
Launched by two former McKinsey & Company consultants, Comatch has grown to a near-global network, having facilitated over 3,800 projects in 30+ countries worldwide since inception. Germany’s is Comatch’s largest market.
Berater.de
Founded: 2016
Score: 3 out of 3
Number of employees: 10
Berater.de connects consultants and interim managers with clients across industries. The company is the sister firm of Freelance.de, which focuses on matching freelancers across the professional services landscape.
Haufe Consulting
Founded: 2010
Score: 3 out of 3
Number of employees: 17
Part of Haufe Group, a company with sales of €393 million generated by 2,000+ professionals, Haufe Consulting is a matchmaker that has around 600 consultants in its network serving the German and Austrian markets.
a-connect
Founded: 2002
Score: 2 out of 3
Number of employees: 15 (including Austria and Switzerland)
Zurich-headquartered has a track record of over 2,600 projects delivered in 50+ countries. The network specialises in placements in the life sciences, agribusiness, food & beverage and private equity.
Consultingheads
Founded: 2017
Score: 2 out of 3
Number of employees: 17
Cologne-based consultingheads is the youngest of the top five independent consultants, and matches both experience consultants and industry experts as well as young professionals with client organisations.
