What RETURN ON MEANING does

RETURN ON MEANING GmbH is a Berlin-based management consultancy founded in 2012 by Dr. Svea von Hehn and Nils I. Cornelissen, both former McKinsey consultants. The firm specializes in four interconnected practice areas: cultural change, leadership development, mindfulness programs, and talent management. Its core methodology combines insights from neuroscience, positive psychology, and behavioral economics to help organizations build meaningful work environments, with proprietary frameworks such as a four-phase Culture Change Methodology (align, plan, implement, stabilize) and a four-quadrant leadership model (Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Lead Change, Lead Business). The firm serves enterprise clients — reporting penetration of 60%+ of DAX-listed companies and 150+ executive development programs delivered — alongside medium-sized enterprises, public institutions, and start-ups.

The product portfolio spans customized consulting engagements (3-36 months), structured training programs delivered through the Future Skills Leadership Academy, 1:1 and team executive coaching, and keynotes. Two productized assets extend the advisory core: MOMENTUM, a 6-week mindfulness training program with a companion app, and the People & Culture Profiler, an HR maturity assessment tool launched in 2025 in collaboration with Hochschule Fresenius and priced at EUR 295 for one-time use. The firm is self-financed, privately held, with no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors, and relies on a core team augmented by an affiliated network of consultants, trainers, and academics. Distribution is primarily direct enterprise field sales driven by thought leadership (Springer-published books, academic research with FOM and Fresenius University, sustained brand eins recognition since 2019, and 2026 Handelsblatt Best Employer award). Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the firm operates across Germany and Europe with services delivered via consulting projects, the Academy, coaching engagements, and keynote appearances.

Name

RETURN ON MEANING

Legal name

RETURN ON MEANING GmbH

Website

https://returnonmeaning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berlin-based management consultancy founded in 2012 by former McKinsey consultants, serving DAX-listed companies and large enterprises with cultural change, leadership development, mindfulness training, and talent management programs grounded in neuroscience and positive psychology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Management Consulting Services (54161), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

People Management & Supervisory Skills (EDABAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership Transition & Onboarding Coaching (New Role, New Manager, Promotion) (EDABANAB), Coaching, Feedback & Mentoring Skills (EDABAMAM), Customer Success (Adoption, Retention & Expansion) (EDABABAG)

Keywords

• Management consulting
• Cultural transformation consulting
• Leadership development programs
• Corporate mindfulness training
• Talent management advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

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. Management Consulting: Customized consulting projects tailored to client needs, focusing on cultural change, leadership development, and transformation programs. Duration ranges from 3 months to 36 months.
2. Training Programs: Leadership training programs through the Academy including Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Lead Change, and Lead Business. Delivered as workshops, digital formats, and open training courses.
3. Coaching Services: 1:1 executive coaching sessions and team coaching, typically delivered over 6-12 months with sessions every 2 weeks.
4. Keynotes and Inspirational Formats: Speaking engagements and inspirational presentations on mindfulness, neuro-leadership, and emotionally intelligent corporate culture.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RETURN ON MEANING is a Berlin-based management consultancy that delivers cultural change consulting, leadership development, corporate mindfulness training, and talent management services to enterprise clients including DAX-listed companies. The firm sells customized consulting engagements (3–36 month projects), Academy training programs (Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Lead Business, Lead Change), 1:1 executive coaching, keynote speaking, and two proprietary products — the MOMENTUM 6-week mindfulness program with companion app and the People & Culture Profiler HR maturity assessment tool.

Product overview

RETURN ON MEANING is a Berlin-based management consultancy offering a portfolio of consulting services, training programs, and assessment tools. The core offering spans four interconnected practice areas: Cultural Change, Leadership Development, Mindfulness Programs, and Talent Management. Key products include MOMENTUM, a 6-week mindfulness program with companion app for sustainable behavioral change; the People & Culture Profiler, an HR maturity assessment tool; and the Future Skills Leadership Academy offering training across Lead Yourself, Lead Others, and Lead Business dimensions. The company also offers specialized training modules (Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Lead Change), consulting engagements (Topteam Alignment, Transformation Programs, Viral Change), and advisory services (1:1 Coaching, Keynotes, Toolkits). The offering is positioned as a unified consultancy portfolio rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cultural Change Consulting Consulting services supporting organizational culture transformation through workshops for strategic leadership team alignment, organizational culture diagnosis, and comprehensive multi-month to multi-year transformation program support. Targeted at enterprises undertaking significant cultural shifts.
• Leadership Development Programs Training and development programs focused on self-leadership, leading others, leading change, and leading business, paired with 1:1 executive coaching and top team support including shadowing. Delivered via the Academy as workshops or digital formats.
• Corporate Mindfulness Programs Scientifically-grounded mindfulness training including leadership programs for emotional intelligence and focus, programs for appreciative culture, and resilience and health formats for executives and teams.
• Talent Management Consulting Strategic talent management consulting including HR strategy development, talent and performance management process improvement, and leadership culture design and implementation for enterprise clients.
• MOMENTUM Mindfulness Program A unique 6-week mindfulness training program combining live online training and a companion app that enables sustainable behavioral change on individual, team, and organizational levels.
• People & Culture Profiler A survey tool designed to assess the maturity level of a company's HR processes across six holistic elements, enabling derivation of targeted HR measures with benchmark comparisons against industry peers. Priced at 295 EUR one-time fee.
• Future Skills Leadership Academy Open enrollment training academy offering exclusive DAX-level content on three dimensions: Lead Yourself (inner clarity), Lead Others (effective relationship-building), and Lead Business (responsible business leadership). Accessible to all executives.
• Lead Yourself Training A mindfulness and resilience training module matching the book 'Mindfulness in Work and Everyday Life', designed for 8–12 participants over 1–2 days.
• Lead Others Training A training module for fresh and future leaders covering coaching-mindset leadership, constructive feedback exchange, and dealing with conflicts, delivered over 2 days.
• Lead Change Training A culture change training for dealing with resistance to organizational change, providing practical tools for sustainable change management, designed for 2–3 days.
• Topteam Alignment Customized consulting engagement to design and implement measures that change organizational culture toward a jointly developed target picture, typically spanning 3–12 months.
• Accompanying Transformation Program Long-term transformation support following four iterative phases — align, plan, implement, and stabilize — spanning 6–36 months, with variable roles from sparring partner to full workstream ownership.
• Viral Change Program A two-pronged approach to change that combines top-down leadership with bottom-up change community involvement across all organizational levels, spanning 12–24 months.
• 1:1 Executive Coaching Individual coaching sessions delivered every two weeks over 6–12 months, where experienced coaches work with executives on personal strengths development.
• Keynote Speaking Inspirational speaking presentations covering mindfulness in corporate context, neuro-leadership, and emotionally intelligent corporate culture, lasting 30–120 minutes at corporate events and conferences.
• Custom Toolkits Custom-developed method collections with 5–45 tools including best practices, group or self-reflection exercises, and workshop session instructions, developed jointly with clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72 NPS for training programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Leaders for Climate ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRETURN ON MEANING is a verified member of Leaders for Climate Action (LFCA), a network of companies committed to climate action. The partnership reflects the company's commitment to sustainability and ecological responsibility.
• Hochschule Fresenius (Fresenius University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the development of the People & Culture Profiler, a survey tool to assess HR process maturity. Previously collaborated on talent management studies in 2012/13 and 2017.
• FOM University of Applied SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with Prof. Dr. Hannah Möltner on empirical studies examining the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in corporate settings.
• Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Johanna Rauls from BAuA on research study examining effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in workplace settings.
• Springer NaturecoreOthersPublisher of the book 'Culture Change in Organizations' by Hehn, Cornelissen, and Braun, now in its revised and expanded 2nd edition.
• Haufe GroupcoreOthersPublisher of multiple books including 'Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence in Organizations' and 'Mindfulness at Work and Daily Life'.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercer: Global consulting arm of Marsh & McLennan with deep HR, talent, and culture practices; competes for large-scale culture and leadership transformation mandates at DAX clients.
• Roland Berger: Major European-origin strategy consultancy with strong organizational transformation practice; broader but overlapping in culture change and leadership work for German enterprise clients.

Direct peers

• Egon Zehnder: Global leadership advisory and executive search firm with strong DACH presence; directly competes for board and CEO-level leadership and culture mandates at DAX enterprises.
• Potential Project: Global consultancy offering mindfulness, leadership, and culture programs to enterprises; overlaps directly on the mindfulness-at-work and culture change positioning.
• Kienbaum: German-based management consultancy specialized in leadership, executive search, and HR transformation; the closest domestic German comparator for leadership and culture work.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): Global leadership development consultancy with assessment, training, and culture change offerings; competes for enterprise leadership academy mandates.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with dedicated leadership development, talent management, and culture practice; competes for the same enterprise HR leadership mandates.
• Search Inside Yourself: Mindfulness-based emotional intelligence leadership program originated at Google; competes for the same kind of mindfulness-led leadership training mandates at global enterprises.
• undconsorten: Berlin-based HR, organizational development, and change consultancy; comparable size, geography, and DACH client base with overlapping culture change and transformation offerings.

Others

• Bundesverband der Unternehmensberater (BDU): German industry association of management consultancies; relevant ecosystem/standards body rather than a direct competitor, but the firm is benchmarked under BDU-published rankings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 RETURN ON MEANING