Wise Growth

What Wise Growth does

Wise Growth is an Italian management consulting firm founded in 2008 and headquartered in Milan that delivers strategic advisory, training, coaching, and research services focused on human sustainability and 'management plurale' (plurality management) for large enterprises and multinationals. The firm organizes its work around distinct practice areas covering gender equality, generational diversity, disability inclusion, parenthood and work-life integration, human sustainability and mental health, multicultural teams, inclusive language, organizational and HR advisory, and caregiving, with deep specialization in Italian and international certification standards including UNI PdR 125:2022, ISO 30415:2021, ISO 53800:2024, and UNI/PdR 159.

The company has no proprietary technology platform; its offering is entirely human-delivered professional services. It has built two proprietary community ecosystems — The Wise Place (a DEI company network founded in 2013) and Disability Lab (a disability-in-the-workplace network founded 2018 with Istud Sanità e Salute) — that operate as recurring client engagement and referral channels, plus a monthly online GenUp event series launched in 2026. The firm also publishes books, an online magazine (diversity-management.it), and research output, and is UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 certified.

Revenue is generated through project-based and retainer consulting engagements, workshops, training programs, coaching, events, and book sales, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market relies on enterprise field sales into HR, DEI, and senior leadership functions of large Italian and international organizations, supplemented by conference participation and network-driven referrals. The client base spans more than 100 enterprises across banking, insurance, energy, pharma, automotive, consulting, technology, retail, and public sectors, including Enel, Generali, Intesa Sanpaolo, IBM, Microsoft, Pirelli, Barilla, Novartis, and Deloitte. The firm is independently owned with no external funding, led by founder and president Maria Cristina Bombelli, a stated pioneer in Italian diversity management.

Name

Wise Growth

Legal name

Wise Growth

Website

https://wise-growth.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wise Growth is a Milan-based Italian consulting firm founded in 2008 that helps large enterprises and multinationals build inclusive workplaces through strategic advisory, training, and coaching in gender equality, disability inclusion, generational diversity, mental health, and human sustainability.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) & Belonging Consulting (BPAHAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Change Management & Transformation Consulting (BPAHAGAC), DEI, Equity & Inclusion Advisory (BPACAJAJ)

Keywords

• DEI consulting
• Diversity management
• Human sustainability consulting
• Inclusive leadership training
• Organizational culture consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting: Tailored consulting engagements for organizations on human sustainability, DEI strategy, and plurality management. Engagements include organizational process redesign, HR process review, leadership development, and culture transformation. Delivered as project-based or retainer engagements.
2. Training and Development: In-person and online training programmes on DEI topics (gender, generations, disability, inclusive language, etc.), unconscious bias, leadership, and psychological safety. Offered as standalone workshops or as part of broader consulting engagements.
3. Coaching and Mentoring: Individual and group coaching programmes, including parenting coaching, caregiver support, career mentoring (e.g., gender mentoring sessions at Elle Active!), and executive coaching for leadership development.
4. Events and Network Platforms: Organization and hosting of proprietary events (The Wise Place, Disability Lab, GenUp) and participation in third-party conferences. The Wise Place was originally a free member network; some events may be restricted to members.
5. Research and Publications: Research projects, surveys, and publications on DEI topics. Wise Growth has authored multiple books on diversity management, plural leadership, and organizational culture, sold through publishers (FrancoAngeli, Guerini Next, Amazon).

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Wise Growth is a strategic consulting firm that helps organizations develop respectful, inclusive, and effective workplaces through human sustainability and plurality management advisory. The company delivers tailored consulting, training, coaching, mentoring, research, events, and communications services across practice areas including gender equality, generational diversity, disability inclusion, parenthood, mental health, multicultural teams, and inclusive leadership. Engagements support clients in obtaining DEI certifications (UNI PdR 125:2022, ISO 30415, ISO 53800) and transforming organizational culture.

Product overview

Wise Growth is a consulting firm (since 2008) offering strategic consulting in human sustainability and plurality management. The core offering is a suite of consulting and training services that help organizations develop respectful, inclusive, and effective workplaces. The main practice areas include Gender, Certification, Inclusive Leadership, Generations, Disability, Parenthood, Human Sustainability & Mental Health, Cultures, Inclusive Language, Organizational & HR Advisory, and Caregiving. The company also operates two network programs: The Wise Place (DEI network founded 2013) and Disability Lab (disability workplace network). Additional offerings include GenUp (monthly generational event series), coaching and mentoring programs, research projects, and publications. The company is headquartered in Milan, Italy, and operates in both Italian and English.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Consulting on Human Sustainability and Plurale Management
• DEI Training Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• For an international client with limited female presence and significant gender gap, Wise Growth's project reduced both female representation gaps in senior roles and pay gaps between women and men through updated performance management, unconscious bias training, and HR subsystem analysis.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers56 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Sòno APSminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Sòno APS (association focused on wellbeing and happiness research) partnered with Wise Growth to host an online event on gender differences in the perception of happiness, featuring research findings from Sòno APS and dialogue between Enrico Finzi and Cristina Bombelli.
• PlayMore!minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022PlayMore! is a non-profit organization founded in Milan in 2010 that promotes sport, health, and integration. Wise Growth partnered with PlayMore! to offer companies the 'SuperLeague' — a multi-sport corporate tournament that mixes company employees, people with disabilities, and refugees. Wise Growth provides facilitation and training to participating employees, helping them reflect on inclusive volunteering experiences.
• NTT DataminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022NTT Data collaborated with Wise Growth, Parole Ostili, and Tangity on the 'United4Humanity' event (March 2022) focused on language and respect against racism, held during the week for the elimination of racial discrimination.
• Parole OstiliminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Co-organizer with Wise Growth of United4Humanity event alongside NTT Data and Tangity, focused on respectful language as a tool against racism.
• TangityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Co-organizer with Wise Growth of United4Humanity event alongside NTT Data and Parole Ostili, focused on respectful language as a tool against racism.
• Nest ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Nest Consulting partnered with Wise Growth for the 'Agile ways of working: acceleratore di inclusione' event (November 2022) under The Wise Place umbrella. Nest Consulting specializes in lean and agile organizational consulting, aligning with Wise Growth's DEI and human sustainability themes.
• CFMT (Centro per la Formazione dei Manager del Terziario)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022CFMT partnered with Wise Growth to commission the research 'COSTRUIRE UNA CULTURA DEL RISPETTO: un viaggio tra innovazione e sostenibilità umana' and co-hosted an event on human sustainability and innovation in March 2022.
• MD CloserminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022MD Closer partnered with Wise Growth for The Wise Place's first 2022 event on concrete DEI actions. MD Closer is a management consulting firm.
• Adelante DolmenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Founding partner of Disability Lab, a network for disability inclusion in the workplace co-promoted by Wise Growth and Istud Sanità e Salute.
• Disability LabcoreOthers · 1 January 2018Disability Lab is a network of companies for understanding and addressing disability in the workplace, promoted by Wise Growth in collaboration with Istud Sanità e Salute (and originally with Valore D). It has operated since 2018, organizing three online meetings per year. Founding partners include Adelante Dolmen, Enel, Generali, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Novartis, Edison, Sanofi, and Sapio Life. The network also includes RJ45, Gruppo Iren, and Randstad.
• The Wise PlacecoreOthers · 1 January 2013The Wise Place is a proprietary network of companies founded by Wise Growth in 2013 to share DEI approaches and best practices. It originally served Wise Growth client companies and was later opened to all companies interested in DEI topics. It hosts two major events per year with speaker panels and company testimonials. This network is a key client retention and referral mechanism for Wise Growth.
• Istud Sanità e SalutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIst (Fondazione) Istud — Business school and research institution specializing in healthcare and organizational development. Collaborates with Wise Growth on the Disability Lab network and on the 2018 research 'Disabilità e lavoro: una ricerca attraverso le narrazioni dei protagonisti' (Disability and Work: A Research Through the Narratives of Protagonists). This research has produced published reports and scientific articles.
• Valore DcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerValore D is an Italian association of companies promoting gender equality and inclusion. Wise Growth collaborates with Valore D on Disability Lab and on events such as 'Gender Equality nel mondo del lavoro' (Stati Generali del Mondo del Lavoro) and joint DEI initiatives.
• Iren GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWise Growth developed the 'Listening for including' project with Iren Group (2023–2024), involving survey research, anonymous narrative research, and focus groups with people with disabilities. The project won the CEOforLIFE Award 2024.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm with significant DEI, leadership development, and culture transformation capabilities. It targets the same enterprise CHRO and DEI buyer as Wise Growth but at much larger scale and across geographies.
• Mercer: Mercer is a global consulting leader in health, wealth, and career, with a sizeable DEI advisory practice. It competes for the same large enterprise DEI mandates as Wise Growth but operates globally and bundles DEI with broader HR and benefits consulting, making it a much larger incumbent in the same space.
• Aon: Aon is a global professional services firm offering human capital consulting including DEI advisory alongside risk and rewards services. It competes for enterprise-level people and culture mandates where Wise Growth also operates, albeit as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): WTW is a global advisory, broking, and solutions company with an established DEI and human sustainability practice. It serves many of the same multinational enterprises that Wise Growth counts as clients, providing a broader portfolio of HR, risk, and benefits consulting.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search and leadership consulting firm with a dedicated DEI practice advising on diversity strategy, inclusive leadership, and culture transformation. Comparable to Wise Growth in serving CHRO and DEI buyers but operating globally with executive search as its anchor service.

Others

• Valore D: Valore D is an Italian association of companies promoting gender equality and female empowerment. It is both a partner of Wise Growth (co-promoter of Disability Lab and joint events) and an adjacent ecosystem player serving similar corporate DEI buyers with programs, research, and networks.

Emerging players

• Syndio: Syndio is a workplace equity analytics SaaS company focused on pay equity, DEI measurement, and compliance. While Wise Growth delivers this via consulting, Syndio represents the tech-enabled approach to the same buyer pain points, especially around gender pay gap and certification requirements.
• Diversio: Diversio is a DEI data and analytics platform that combines AI-driven diversity measurement with advisory services. It competes with Wise Growth for enterprise DEI mandates but brings a software-led approach that complements or substitutes parts of traditional consulting engagements.

Regional players

• Fondazione Libellula: Fondazione Libellula is an Italian non-profit focused on gender equality and respect-based culture in companies and schools. It targets the same Italian corporate DEI audience as Wise Growth but operates primarily as a non-profit with education and awareness programs rather than fee-based consulting.

Direct peers

• Includily: Includily is an Italian DEI consulting and training firm offering diversity, inclusion and belonging advisory to enterprises across Italy. Like Wise Growth, it serves HR and DEI functions of large Italian corporates with consulting, training, and certification support, making it the closest direct competitor in the Italian DEI boutique segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WISEGROWTHsrl
• Facebookfacebook.com/wisegrowthsrl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wise-growth

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Wise Growth