About Us

About us

Odgers Berndtson is an international consultancy with worldwide operations and has been among the leaders in Executive Search and Management Audit for over 40 years. The German company was founded in Frankfurt in 1971, is owner-led and currently employs a staff of 90 in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. 700 employees at 52 locations in 27 countries currently serve Odgers Berndtson.

Executive positions are increasingly being filled on a global scale. Therefore over the past years we have focussed on making our consultancy ever more international. A logical consequence is our continued attention to maintaining our international policy framework, harmonizing our quality standards around the world and improving our consulting to global clients. This ongoing internal development was reflected outwardly in April 2009 in the name change to Odgers Berndtson.

Philosophy

Executive Search is made to measure at Odgers Berndtson. Every position that needs to be filled is audited with regard not only to the personal qualities and the expertise of the potential candidates, but also to the Culture Fit^®, meaning how well the candidate's and the client's cultures complement each other. Our goal is to find the very best fit, not the second-best.

Odgers Berndtson takes Executive Search personally. Our consulting services are the result of the individual personality, the expertise and the high level of involvement of each and every one of our consultants. They are the ones who are responsible for Odgers Berndtson's success in filling positions at the very top.

Odgers Berndtson is a partner-owned corporation. Each partner's contribution to the company's returns is acknowledged and rewarded individually. This partner-based corporate concept guarantees each consultant's lasting personal commitment and dedication and guarantees that Odgers Berndtson's clients enjoy the highest possible degree of satisfaction.

Odgers Berndtson takes on social responsibility. We advocate and sponsor projects that are aimed at developing the personality of children and teenagers and promote an entrepreneurial mindset. For instance, we collaborate with the business journal Focus-Money in the annual project “Chef für 1 Tag”, where selected pupils are allowed to exchange their desk at school with one belonging to a German CEO.

Comprehensive and specific expertise

Odgers Berndtson has acquired experience and expertise in specialised lines of business over the course of many years of practice. Our consultants are interconnected in international Industry and Functional Practice Groups, networking to consolidate their activities to provide their clients with the specialised expertise they require in their specific line of business.

The staff members working in the nine Industry Practices, viz. Business & Professional Services, Consumer Products & Services, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Health Care, Industrial, Public Services & Not for Profit and Automotive, network closely with the leading managers in their industries. In many cases they themselves can look back on a successful career in that particular industry.

Our specialists in the Practices, viz. Board & CEO, Corporate Communications, Financial Management, Human Resources and Private Equity, know exactly what goes into successfully placing executives in specific functions and very discretely make contact to people in leadership positions.

Management Audits

Human Asset Review^® is a Management Audit instrument developed by Odgers Berndtson which gives clients a clear picture and assessment of their executives' current and management potential.

The new Business Culture Review^® by Odgers Berndtson is a system that reveals gaps between the management culture a company aims for and the culture it currently has, pointing out which action is needed.

Culture Fit^® has a very high priority at Odgers Berndtson. This instrument tests how well the candidate and the client match each other in terms of culture.

Applying these instruments on an individual basis is what makes Odgers Berndtson so successful worldwide. It is what makes consulting made to measure. This is the promise we honour each and every day.