The Clarion

What The Clarion does

The Clarion Group, Ltd. is a privately-held, boutique management consulting firm headquartered in West Hartford, CT, that advises C-suite executives and senior leadership teams on complex organizational issues. The firm was founded by Bill McKendree in 1993–1994 and has operated for 27+ years, completing more than 200 projects across 40+ countries for clients including Yale, University of Michigan, American Express, Lincoln Financial, Visa, Cleveland Clinic, Pfizer, Aetna, Liberty Mutual, BASF, Pratt & Whitney, PwC, Coca-Cola, Lowe's, Cisco, IBM, MoMA, and the CDC. Its service portfolio covers six core practice areas — strategy, culture, leadership development, talent development, organizing structures, and mergers & acquisitions advisory — supplemented by a socio-tech transformation offering delivered in partnership with a network of Digital Associates.

The firm's underlying technology consists of proprietary, trademarked frameworks rather than software products. Visible Horizon™ is a suite of assessment tools that provide data-driven insight to senior leaders and leadership teams. The Secret 7™ Culture Framework identifies seven dimensions of organizational culture (Power, Perspective, Time, Creativity, Interdependence, Communications, and Inclusion) and 28 sub-dimensions, developed through work in over 40 countries. Rapid Cycle Strategy is a fluid strategic planning methodology designed for fast-changing environments. There is no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, software-as-a-service delivery, APIs, or technology products — the firm is fundamentally a human-facilitated professional services practice that productizes its methodology through branded frameworks.

The Clarion Group makes money exclusively through professional advisory fees billed on an engagement basis; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-driven given the customized nature of each engagement. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based, with no resellers, no self-serve channels, and no recurring subscription revenue. Demand generation relies on thought leadership — publications, whitepapers, blog series, and case studies — with a free Secret 7 Culture Survey serving as a top-of-funnel entry point. Capacity is flexed through a network of named strategic partners and Digital Associates, allowing the firm to maintain a small core staff (11–50 employees) while serving global enterprise and government clients.

Name

The Clarion

Legal name

The Clarion Group, Ltd.

Website

https://theclariongroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Clarion Group is a privately-held boutique management consulting firm that helps C-suite executives and senior leadership teams address strategy, culture, leadership, organizational design, and digital transformation, serving enterprise and government clients across more than 40 countries via proprietary frameworks including Visible Horizon™ and The Secret 7.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG), Restructuring & Turnaround Advisory (BPAHADAD)

Keywords

• Management consulting
• Executive advisory
• Organizational transformation
• Culture assessment
• Leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

West Hartford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Professional Advisory Services: Consulting engagements with senior level executives to solve complex organizational issues. Services include strategy development, culture transformation, leadership development, organizing structures, socio-tech transformation, and mergers & acquisitions advisory. Revenue generated through professional service fees for advisory and facilitation work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Clarion Group is an advisory firm of senior-level trusted advisors who help senior executives solve their most complex organizational issues. Services span strategy formulation, culture transformation, leadership development, talent development, organizing structures, socio-tech transformation, and mergers & acquisitions advisory. The firm leverages proprietary frameworks including Visible Horizon™ assessment tools and The Secret 7 Culture Framework to deliver customized, co-created solutions.

Product overview

The Clarion Group is a management consulting firm offering advisory services through a portfolio of proprietary frameworks, assessment tools, and consulting service lines. The core offerings include Visible Horizon™ (a data-driven leadership assessment suite), The Secret 7™ Culture Framework (a seven-dimension culture assessment methodology), and Rapid Cycle Strategy (a strategic planning approach for rapidly changing environments). These are supplemented by six consulting service areas: Strategy, Culture, Leadership, Talent Development, Organizing Structures, Socio-Tech Transformation, and Mergers & Acquisitions. The firm positions itself as working at the intersection of business and humanity, providing expert process advisors and facilitators who bring a point-of-view based on experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Visible Horizon™: A proprietary suite of assessment tools developed by The Clarion Group to help senior leaders and leadership teams enhance organizational vitality and drive tangible results through data-driven insights.
• The Secret 7

Products and services

• Visible Horizon™ A proprietary suite of assessment tools providing data-driven insight to senior leaders and senior leadership teams. Designed to help leaders develop a deeper shared view of the leadership agenda and gain understanding of their own leadership strengths and weaknesses to enhance organizational vitality and drive business results.
• The Secret 7™ Culture Framework A culture assessment and transformation framework identifying seven uber dimensions of organizational culture (Power, Perspective, Time, Creativity, Interdependence, Communications, and Inclusion) with 28 sub-dimensions. Offered as a survey tool for organizations to assess and improve workplace culture.
• Rapid Cycle Strategy A fluid, flexible, and fast approach to strategic planning designed for environments where the operating environment changes at lightning speed, based on five core principles.
• Strategic Planning Services Advisory services helping organizations become strategically effective by setting the right goals and consistently achieving them, transforming thinking into action.
• Culture Assessment & Transformation Services helping top leaders align organizational culture with vision, mission, purpose, and strategy through interviews, surveys, focus groups, and behavior-based approaches.
• Leadership Development Services improving individual and team capabilities, competencies and capacities through accelerated development coaching, executive work sessions, and retreats.
• Talent Development

Quantifiable outcome

• Case study resulted in aligned Board and leadership team with clear sense of purpose and vision, increased collaboration and effectiveness
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Jacob Jesson (HealthRede)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Associate partner specializing in health technology, part of The Clarion Group's network of technology specialists.
• Daniel Song (HealthRede)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Associate partner specializing in health technology, part of The Clarion Group's network of technology specialists.
• Bob Bausmith (Accelerate Innovation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Associate partner specializing in innovation consulting, part of The Clarion Group's expanded capabilities.
• Dean Sperry (Accelerate Innovation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Associate partner specializing in innovation consulting, part of The Clarion Group's expanded capabilities.
• Bill Moschella (Masheen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Associate partner, part of The Clarion Group's network of technology and digital specialists.
• Andréa Hawkins (Leading Culture Solutions)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner specializing in culture solutions, expanding The Clarion Group's cultural transformation capabilities.
• Michael BarriereminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner with McKinsey background, bringing additional consulting expertise to the network.
• Michael Leckie (Silverback Partners)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner with GE background (former Chief Learning Officer for Digital Industrial Transformation), contributing expertise in organizational change.
• Rod Trent (Arista Strategy Group)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner bringing strategy consulting expertise to The Clarion Group's partner network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Culture Partners: Boutique culture transformation consultancy offering proprietary culture assessment and change methodology. Direct competitor on Clarion's Culture and Secret 7 practice, with similar mid-sized firm profile and diagnostic-led GTM.
• RHR International: Boutique leadership consulting firm specializing in executive coaching, leadership team effectiveness, and culture. Closest direct competitor on Clarion's core Leadership and Culture service lines, with comparable senior-advisor engagement model.
• ghSMART: Boutique leadership advisory firm focused on CEO and C-suite talent assessment, leadership development, and team effectiveness. Comparable in size, founder-led culture, and exclusive focus on top-of-house executive advisory.
• Egon Zehnder: Privately-held global leadership advisory firm offering executive search, board advisory, and culture/team effectiveness services. Mirrors Clarion's boutique, partner-led model and C-suite focus, with a proprietary culture and team diagnostic methodology.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global leadership advisory and executive search firm with a dedicated Culture, Engagement & DE&I practice. Closely comparable to Clarion in serving senior executives on leadership and organizational effectiveness, with similar custom-advisory economics but at much greater scale.

Broad incumbents

• Bain & Company: Global strategy consulting firm with a dedicated Organization practice addressing culture, operating model, and change management. Competes with Clarion for C-suite strategy and transformation mandates at the high end of the market.
• Spencer Stuart: Privately-held executive search and board advisory firm with a leadership advisory practice serving CEOs and boards. Comparable C-suite relationship model and custom-engagement economics, with broader scale and global reach.
• Boston Consulting Group: Global strategy consulting firm with deep People & Organization Practice capabilities and Platinum Rule/Human-Centred frameworks. Competes with Clarion for enterprise transformation and culture mandates among Fortune 500 leadership teams.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm spanning executive search, leadership development, and culture transformation (including the acquired Senn Delaney culture practice). Overlaps with Clarion across talent, leadership, and culture, but at much larger scale and with a broader service portfolio.

Others

• McKinsey & Company:

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theclariongroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-clarion-group-ltd.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Clarion