Trialogue

What Trialogue does

Trialogue (Pty) Ltd is a South African corporate responsibility consultancy founded in 1999 and headquartered in Cape Town, with a second office in Johannesburg. The firm advises corporates, non-profits, government departments, and state-owned entities on corporate social investment (CSI), ESG strategy, monitoring and evaluation, and corporate reporting, and is 51% black-owned. Its revenue model combines professional-services retainers (Sustainability Advisory, Social Impact Advisory, Monitoring and Evaluation, Corporate Reporting) with a diversified knowledge-products and events portfolio: the annual Business in Society Handbook (now in its 28th edition, with ~5,000 copies printed and distributed annually), the Business in Society Conference (~450 delegates), the freely accessible Knowledge Hub, paid Trialogue Academy online courses, monthly webinars, the Strategic CSI Award, and paid NPO Directory listings.

The firm's intellectual property rests on three decades of longitudinal CSI research collected from 108+ reporting companies each year, an integrated sustainability advisory framework, and one of the longest-running CSI publication series in South Africa. Named clients span banking (Standard Bank, FirstRand, Absa), telecommunications (MTN Group, Vodacom Foundation), insurance (Santam), food and retail (RCL Foods), airports (Airports Company South Africa), and technology (Altron, which Trialogue has supported for five years on integrated reporting). Distribution is content-led: a top-of-funnel mix of the free Knowledge Hub, newsletter subscriptions, and media appearances on CNBC Africa, Radio 702, Business Day, and Mail & Guardian feeds mid-funnel engagement through webinars and the annual conference, which in turn converts into paid advisory engagements. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, with no disclosed external funding and founder-led management (Managing Director Nick Rockey) in place since 1999.

Name

Trialogue

Legal name

Trialogue (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://trialogue.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trialogue is a South African corporate responsibility consultancy founded in 1999 that advises corporates, NPOs, and government on CSI, ESG strategy, monitoring and evaluation, and corporate reporting, anchored by the annual Business in Society Handbook, Business in Society Conference, Knowledge Hub, and Trialogue Academy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Consulting Services: End-to-end consulting services covering sustainability advisory, social impact advisory, monitoring and evaluation, and corporate reporting. Revenue generated from professional consulting engagements with corporate clients.
2. Publications and Handbook Sales: The Business in Society Handbook (28th edition in 2025) is sold as an annual publication. A free online version is available with a full paid edition. The publication contains research findings on CSI trends in South Africa.
3. Corporate Reporting Services: Full reporting service including integrated reporting, sustainability reporting, and social impact reporting. Services range from concept design, writing, editing, design, photography to print management.
4. Conference Tickets: Revenue from the annual Business in Society Conference, with tiered sponsorship levels including Platinum, Gold sponsors and delegate tickets.
5. Online Academy Courses: Paid online courses in responsible business, sustainability and CSI offered through the Trialogue Academy platform.
6. NPO Directory Listings: Listings in the NPO Directory - single listing at R3,000 ex VAT, double listing at R6,000 ex VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Trialogue is a South African corporate responsibility consultancy providing end-to-end advisory services in sustainability, corporate social investment (CSI), monitoring and evaluation, and corporate reporting for corporates, NPOs and government entities. Alongside its consulting work, the firm sells thought-leadership products including the annual Business in Society Handbook (now in its 28th edition), the annual Business in Society Conference, the Trialogue Knowledge Hub, the Trialogue Academy, monthly webinars, the NPO Directory, and the Strategic CSI Award.

Product overview

Trialogue is a niche corporate responsibility consultancy offering a suite of thought leadership and advisory products and services focused on sustainability and corporate social investment (CSI). The core product portfolio includes the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook (annual publication now in its 28th edition), the Trialogue Business in Society Conference (annual premier industry event), the Trialogue Knowledge Hub (online knowledge repository), Trialogue Academy (online learning platform), and monthly Trialogue Webinars. These are complemented by the Trialogue Strategic CSI Award and NPO Directory. The company also provides four distinct advisory services: Sustainability Advisory, Social Impact Advisory, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Corporate Reporting. Two newsletters—Trialogue Sustainable Times and Material Matters—support ongoing knowledge dissemination. Together, these offerings provide an end-to-end ecosystem for companies seeking to enhance their sustainability and CSI practices through research, education, networking, and consulting support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trialogue Business in Society Handbook: Annual publication providing research on corporate social investment and responsible business practices in South Africa, now in its 28th edition.
• Trialogue Business in Society Conference
• Trialogue Knowledge Hub
• Trialogue Academy
• Trialogue Strategic CSI Award

Products and services

• Sustainability Advisory Consulting service supporting corporates in embedding material environmental, social and governance (ESG) elements of sustainable business based on Trialogue's Integrated Sustainability Model. For corporate clients seeking to operationalise ESG strategy.
• Social Impact Advisory Advisory services including board and executive presentations on CSI trends, developing company-specific CSI policies and strategies, and implementation support for corporates running CSI programmes.
• Monitoring and Evaluation Range of monitoring and evaluation services offered to private sector companies, non-profit organisations, government departments and state-owned entities, covering programme evaluation and impact measurement.
• Corporate Reporting Full corporate reporting service including integrated reporting, sustainability reporting, social impact reporting, gap analysis, benchmarking and materiality assessments, from concept design through writing, editing, design, photography and print management.
• Trialogue Business in Society Handbook Annual publication (28th edition in 2025, themed 'The power of measurement in driving social impact') providing research findings on CSI and responsible business practices in South Africa. Available as free online version and paid full edition.
• Trialogue Business in Society Conference Premier annual industry event showcasing new thinking on the 'S' in ESG, attracting around 450 delegates from corporates, NPOs, government, universities and media. Includes delegate tickets and Platinum/Gold sponsorship packages.
• Trialogue Academy Online learning platform offering courses in responsible business, sustainability and corporate social investment, designed for professionals at various experience levels.
• Trialogue Knowledge Hub Freely available online body of knowledge containing original research, reporting and analysis about corporate social investment, responsible business and sustainable development in Africa.
• NPO Directory Online directory of non-profit organisations featured in the Trialogue Knowledge Hub, enabling corporate funders to discover NPO partners. Paid single (R3,000 ex VAT) and double (R6,000 ex VAT) listings.

Quantifiable outcome

• The 28th edition of the Business in Society Handbook explores the critical role of monitoring, evaluation and impact measurement in enhancing corporate social investment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Primedia CaressupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Primedia Cares partnered with Absa and the Hein Wagner Academy to produce a handbook on inclusive employment for visually impaired individuals, announced at the 2026 conference.
• FirstRand FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFirstRand Foundation is a thought leadership partner and was Platinum sponsor of the 2026 Business in Society Conference. The partnership involves conference sponsorship and knowledge sharing on CSI trends in South Africa.
• TelkomcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTelkom is a thought leadership partner for the Trialogue Knowledge Hub, contributing to industry content on corporate social investment and sustainable development in Africa.
• AbsacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAbsa is a thought leadership partner and was Gold sponsor of the 2026 conference. Also partnered with Trialogue on sessions and research initiatives.
• Volkswagen South AfricasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerVolkswagen South Africa is listed as a thought leadership partner for the Trialogue Knowledge Hub.
• MTNsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMTN is listed as a thought leadership partner for the Trialogue Knowledge Hub, with MTN SA Foundation also engaging in conference sessions.
• Design Agency PartnerssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrialogue works with design agency partners who have excellent credentials and capabilities in reporting for corporate reporting services.
• Integrated Reporting Committee of South AfricasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrialogue is a member of the Integrated Reporting Committee of South Africa, engaging with peers on continuously improving the reporting framework.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Anthesis Group: Global sustainability advisory and services firm focused on ESG strategy, reporting, and climate transition. Comparable to Trialogue in offering corporate sustainability and impact advisory, but with international footprint and technology-enabled delivery.
• South Pole Group: Global climate and sustainability solutions provider advising corporates on net-zero strategy, climate disclosure and ESG. Overlaps with Trialogue's sustainability advisory and corporate reporting work, particularly for multinationals with African operations.
• Carbon Trust: International climate and sustainability advisory organisation helping corporates measure, report and reduce environmental impact. Comparable to Trialogue on the advisory and reporting side of ESG, with a strong standards-and-measurement positioning.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): Global sustainability and environmental consulting firm with a significant South African presence. Directly comparable to Trialogue as both advise corporates on ESG strategy, sustainability reporting, and impact management, though ERM operates at much larger scale and with global delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte South Africa (Sustainability practice): Big Four firm with a sustainability and climate services practice serving South African listed companies and multinationals on ESG strategy and reporting. Competes with Trialogue for enterprise integrated and sustainability reporting engagements.
• KPMG South Africa (Sustainability practice): Big Four advisory firm with a dedicated sustainability and ESG practice in South Africa offering integrated reporting assurance, climate advisory and CSI consulting. Competes with Trialogue on enterprise sustainability and integrated reporting mandates.
• PwC South Africa (Sustainability practice): Big Four advisory firm with a sustainability and climate change practice covering ESG reporting, assurance and strategy in South Africa. Comparable to Trialogue on the corporate reporting and ESG advisory side, with deeper global delivery.
• EY South Africa (Sustainability practice): Big Four advisory firm with sustainability and ESG services spanning reporting, assurance, climate and impact advisory. Overlaps with Trialogue's corporate reporting and sustainability advisory work for large South African corporates.
• WSP in Africa (Sustainability services): Global professional services firm with a sustainability, ESG and climate advisory practice operating in South Africa. Comparable to Trialogue on ESG strategy, reporting and impact advisory for infrastructure and corporate clients.

Regional players

• GreenCape: South African non-profit supporting the green and circular economy with sector intelligence, research and advisory, headquartered in the Western Cape. Comparable to Trialogue as a South Africa-based sustainability knowledge and advisory organisation, though GreenCape's primary beneficiaries are government and the green economy rather than corporate CSI clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TrialogueSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/TrialogueConsulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trialogue

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Trialogue