hera

What hera does

hera is a Belgian international consultancy firm operating as a partner cooperative from its headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium. Founded in 1990, the firm delivers multidisciplinary advisory services in health, international development, and human rights, with particular depth in monitoring and evaluation (M&E), health systems strengthening, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and humanitarian response. Its service portfolio comprises three core pillars — Health, Development, and Human Rights Consultancy — supported by specialized offerings in M&E, SRHR advisory, humanitarian response, and health systems strengthening. Notable service components include multi-year evaluation frameworks, policy and strategy advice, technical assistance, and emerging digital knowledge products such as data dashboards for donor-funded assessments.

The firm operates on a project-based professional services model, delivering work through competitive tenders, direct contracting, and multi-year framework agreements. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific, with no standardized product pricing. Clients are almost exclusively institutional: UN agencies (UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, WFP, UN Women, UNOPS), multilateral banks (World Bank), bilateral development agencies (FCDO, GIZ, KfW, AFD, DANIDA, SIDA, Norad, Global Affairs Canada, Enabel), the European Commission, and global health partnerships (GAVI, Global Fund). hera also works with major NGOs including Médecins Sans Frontières and Plan International.

hera is ISO 9001:2015 certified (valid until February 2028) and became a Certified B Corporation in 2025. The firm has executed more than 700 projects across 100+ countries and is currently leading the HISP Consortium, a four-year framework contract for the European Commission. It runs a small partner-owned cooperative (11-50 employees) with no external equity backing and a global delivery footprint spanning Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, MENA, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Central/South Asia.

Name

hera

Legal name

hera – right to health and development

Website

https://hera.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

hera is a Belgian partner-owned consultancy founded in 1990 that provides monitoring and evaluation, health systems strengthening, SRHR, and humanitarian response advisory services to UN agencies, bilateral donors, the European Commission, and global health partnerships across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Consultancy

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Assistance (BPADABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multilateral Global Health Agencies (UN/IFIs) (HLAJAKAA)

Keywords

• International development consulting
• Health policy advisory
• Monitoring and evaluation services
• Human rights consultancy
• Humanitarian health assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Reet

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. International Development Consultancy Services: hera generates revenue by providing consultancy services to international development clients including governments, UN agencies, bilateral donors, NGOs, and foundations. Services include monitoring and evaluation, policy development, programme implementation support, and technical assistance in health and development sectors.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

hera is an international consultancy company that delivers health, development, and human rights advisory services to public and private sector clients at local, national, and international levels. Core service lines include health policy and systems consultancy, sustainable development advisory, human rights/rights-based programme design, monitoring and evaluation, humanitarian response assessment, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advisory. Services are provided through competitively tendered and framework contracts primarily to UN agencies, bilateral donor agencies, and NGOs.

Product overview

hera is an international consultancy company committed to the right to health and development for all. The company operates as a unified consultancy service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, providing multidisciplinary expertise through an international team of skilled professionals. hera's service portfolio encompasses three core pillars: Health Consultancy Services (covering policy, economics, research, and development), Development Consultancy Services (focusing on water, sanitation, education, climate change, and community partnerships), and Human Rights Consultancy Services (advocating for equality and social protections). These core services are supported by specialized offerings including Monitoring and Evaluation Services, Health Systems Strengthening Advisory, Humanitarian Response Consultancy, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Advisory. Since its founding over thirty years ago, hera has worked in more than 100 countries on over 700 projects, providing consultancy to public and private sector clients at local, national, and international levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HISP Consortium: Knowledge Hub on Health, Socio-Economic Inequalities, and Social Protection - a four-year contract led by hera

Products and services

• Health Consultancy Services Consultancy services covering health policy, economics, research and development, healthcare delivery, funding mechanisms, and health workforce development, delivered to public and private sector clients at local, national, and international levels.
• Development Consultancy Services Consultancy services focusing on sustainable development including access to clean water and sanitation, quality education, climate change effects, community building, and effective partnerships.
• Human Rights Consultancy Services Consultancy services promoting human rights by advocating for equality and social protections, particularly for vulnerable groups, emphasizing a rights-based approach to healthcare and development.
• Monitoring and Evaluation Services Specialized consultancy services for programme monitoring, evaluation, and assessment across health and development initiatives, including mid-term evaluations, impact analysis, and learning-focused evaluations; hera's special focus area.
• Health Systems Strengthening Advisory Technical advisory services for strengthening health systems, including pharmaceutical systems, community health systems, and primary healthcare implementation support.
• Humanitarian Response Consultancy Emergency response advisory services including evaluation of humanitarian health responses, crisis management, and support for populations in humanitarian settings.
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Advisory Specialized advisory services for SRHR programmes including policy development, programme evaluation, and integration of SRHR services in humanitarian responses, including vulnerability assessment tools for SRHR services in humanitarian settings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 700 projects completed in more than 100 countries over 35 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HISP (Health Inequalities and Social Protection) ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerhera leads the HISP (Knowledge Hub for Health, Inequalities and Social Protection) Consortium, a four-year contract following two successful Health Advisory Service contracts (2014-2022). The consortium provides strategic guidance on health, socio-economic inequalities, and social protection to the European Commission.
• management4health (m4h)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerhera led a consortium with management4health (m4h) to develop vulnerability assessment tools for SRHR services in humanitarian settings in East and Southern Africa under the 2gether 4 SRHR regional programme.
• GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGIZ enlisted hera to develop and pilot a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation framework and tools for the P4H Network (global network for social health protection and health financing). The assignment ran from June to November 2023.
• LuxDev (Luxembourg Development Cooperation)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partnerhera conducted a mid-term evaluation of a five-year Health and Nutrition Programme in Laos commissioned by LuxDev to support the government of Laos in improving access to essential health services.
• WHO Global Health ClustercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWHO Global Health Cluster commissioned hera to conduct a comprehensive impact analysis of COVID-19 on humanitarian health response between August 2022 and January 2024.
• UNICEFcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partnerhera has conducted multiple evaluations for UNICEF including responses to cholera and floods emergencies in Malawi and Mozambique, Ebola crisis in Uganda, and drought crisis in Southern Madagascar.
• IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partnerhera partnered with IPPF under the Safe Passage Programme to design strategic initiatives for improving access to SRH and SGBV services for migrants.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Management Sciences for Health (MSH): Global health consultancy delivering health systems strengthening, M&E, and capacity building for USAID, WHO, and UNICEF in low- and middle-income countries. Directly comparable to hera in mission, client base, and service offering, with a similar special focus on SRHR and pharmaceutical systems.
• Itad: UK-based consultancy specializing in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) for international development donors including FCDO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and UN agencies. Direct peer to hera given its specialty in M&E and comparable donor client base.
• Oxford Policy Management: Policy research and evaluation consultancy serving FCDO, World Bank, and bilateral donors across health, governance, and education sectors. Closely aligned with hera in FCDO-anchored M&E and policy work across low- and middle-income countries.
• Results for Development (R4D): Global health and development consultancy focused on health systems strengthening, SRHR, and health financing for USAID, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Direct peer to hera given overlap in health systems, SRHR, and donor clients.
• ThinkWell: Health systems and health financing consultancy working with USAID, WHO, and GAVI across low- and middle-income countries. Comparable to hera in health systems advisory, country presence in Africa and Asia, and donor client base.

Broad incumbents

• Palladium: Large international development consultancy delivering health, governance, and economic growth programmes for FCDO, USAID, and UN agencies. Comparable to hera across health and M&E work, but significantly larger and offers a broader portfolio beyond hera's specialization.
• Abt Associates: Large international development consultancy with major global health, M&E, and SRHR programmes for USAID, FCDO, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Overlaps with hera on health and evaluation work but operates at significantly larger scale.
• ICF International: Large consulting firm with a substantial international development and global health practice serving USAID, CDC, and multilateral clients. Comparable to hera in M&E and policy work but offers a much broader portfolio across multiple sectors.
• Crown Agents: International development company delivering health systems, procurement, and governance services for FCDO, EU, and UN agencies. Comparable to hera in health and development consultancy with strong bilateral donor relationships, but operates at broader scale.

Emerging players

• BroadReach: Health systems and programme management consultancy working with USAID, PEPFAR, and African governments on HIV, TB, and health systems strengthening. Comparable niche focus to hera in health systems strengthening across Africa, with growing scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hera-right-to-health-and-development
• Xx.com/heraBelgium

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about hera