Farner International drives expansion with market entry in Germany. Kirchhoff Consult and komm.passion join "Team Farner".
Team Farner
This is not a network. We're building the European management consultancy for integrated communication.
Emerging European management consulting group with clear ambition to build national champion in Germany.
Zurich, 9 February 2023 - In November 2022, Farner announced that Kobza Media Group and VIM Group | Team Farner would join "Team Farner". Now follows the strategic market entry in Germany through the merger with Kirchhoff Consult AG and komm.passion | Team Farner . With this, the growing agency alliance reaches another important milestone in the implementation of its strategy to bring together integrated national champions to form a European market leader for communications consulting. "Team Farner" brings together leading consultancies and the best strategic and creative minds who see communication as a key factor for the success of an organisation.
The approximately 90 employees of komm.passion combine consulting expertise, process reliability and agility at three locations in Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Berlin. As a synthesis of management consultancy and creative agency, especially in complex consultancy projects in the areas of change, health, corporate, brand and digital, komm.passion has established a leading position in Germany.
Kirchhoff Consult in Hamburg has around 50 employees and is active in the growing market for sustainability issues. For over 25 years, it has been a leading provider of annual and sustainability reports, support for IPOs and in the areas of investor relations, ESG and sustainability consulting.
Growth driven by client needs
"We have a clear ambition to build national champions. I am very pleased that we are joining forces with komm.passion and Kirchhoff Consult, two consultancies that are leaders in their fields, to enter the German market. They have the same mindset and the same view of current client needs, which drives our joint journey: complete, fully integrated communication solutions with a clear focus on creativity, technology and digital. All of this with a large portion of entrepreneurial DNA. In this way, we offer our clients in European core markets a completely new quality of consulting services. But this is only the first step in the German market. Further acquisitions to build a top 3 agency in Germany will follow," says Roman Geiser, Executive Chairman Farner International.
With this merger, the previous partners of komm.passion Alex Güttler, Frederik Bollhorst and Jelena Mirkovic as well as Kirchhoff Consult Co-CEOs Jens Hecht and Vincent Furnari and agency founder Klaus Rainer Kirchhoff join the Farner International partnership. Klaus Rainer Kirchhof will also become chairman of the supervisory board of Kirchhoff Consult AG. "With this shareholding structure, we are strengthening the entrepreneurial DNA of our agency group and creating a platform for intensive international cooperation," says Geiser.
Pipeline remains well filled
The ongoing expansion programme is supported by Waterland, an independent investment company. Waterland knows the European communications market very well, has broad digital know-how and has already led an impressive European growth course to success with the digital agency DEPT.
Team Farner's plans are attracting a lot of interest in many European countries. "We have obviously started a movement and are having good discussions in several markets. We will soon be allowed to communicate further steps - also in Switzerland," says Geiser. "We have greatly accelerated our historic growth trajectory in recent months and have practically tripled our turnover since our announcement in February 2022. We will continue at this pace in the current financial year".
Contact
Roman Geiser, Executive Chairman Farner International, +41 79 421 43 62
About Farner International AG / Team Farner
Farner International is an alliance of leading consultancies that see communication as a key factor in the success of an organisation. The international agency alliance carries the "Team Farner" brand. The group is led by successful communications entrepreneurs and partners who are themselves active in the consulting business. As an international team of the best minds, Farner combines all disciplines of communication such as strategy, reputation management, sustainability communication, branding, brand management, corporate communication, public affairs, marketing communication, behavioural science, advertising, digital and CommTech. Farner is present in the most important markets and cities. Farner International has its roots in Switzerland, where Farner is the market leader in integrated communications. Founded in 1951, Farner is one of the most established and oldest communication brands in Europe.
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About komm.passion GmbH
With around 90 employees and offices in Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Berlin, komm.passion is a fusion of management consultancy and creative agency, and specialises in complex projects in the fields of change, health, brand, corporate and digital. With its agile system, the agency has set standards for the organisation of internal and external communication projects.
About Kirchhoff Consult AG
With around 50 employees, Kirchhoff is a specialist in the areas of capital markets, corporate communications and sustainability. For over 25 years, the agency has been advising clients on all aspects of financial and corporate communications, annual and sustainability reports, IPOs, investor relations, and ESG and sustainability communications.
About Waterland
Waterland is an independent private equity investment firm that helps entrepreneurs achieve their growth objectives. With substantial financial support and industry expertise, Waterland enables its portfolio companies to achieve accelerated growth, both organically and through acquisitions. Waterland has offices in the Netherlands (Bussum), Belgium (Antwerp), France (Paris), Germany (Hamburg, Munich), Poland (Warsaw), the United Kingdom (London, Manchester), Ireland (Dublin), Denmark (Copenhagen), Spain (Barcelona) and Switzerland (Zurich). Currently, approximately fourteen billion euros in equity funds are under management.
Waterland has extensive experience in professional services, communications and technology through related investments in several European countries, including iO, Dept and Sideshow (digital agencies), Horn & Company (top management consulting), mrge (advertising technology), Moore Belgium (accounting and consulting services provider) and Valcon (data analytics & process consulting).
Waterland has consistently achieved above-average performance with its investments since its founding in 1999. The firm is ranked fifth globally in the HEC/Dow Jones Private Equity Performance Ranking 2020 and eighth among global private equity firms in the Preqin Consistent Performers in Global Private Equity & Venture Capital Report 2020. In addition, Real Deals awarded Waterland the title "Pan-European House of the Year 2020" at the PE Awards.