What CIO does

CIO GmbH is a privately held German SAP consulting and specialist-staffing firm headquartered in Braunschweig, founded in 2005 by Carolin and Hardy Schäfer and operational under new managing director Michael Appel since January 2026. The company serves DACH-region Mittelstand companies and international industrial corporations with four core service lines: SAP-Experten-Staffing (placement of senior SAP specialists in critical project roles), SAP-Support (third-level support for complex issues in grown SAP landscapes), SAP-Projekte (end-to-end delivery of complex SAP initiatives with clear accountability for outcomes), and SAP-Beratung (strategic consulting, architecture reviews, and roadmaps).

The company's core technology is the SAP ecosystem, with delivery capability across S/4HANA, SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP Business AI, and traditional ECC landscapes. Service delivery is built on a curated network of approximately 1,600 senior-level SAP specialists assembled over 20+ years, supplemented by a small in-house team (11-50 employees) covering sales, controlling, integration architecture, and software/DevOps engineering. The 2026 addition of a SAP Business AI offering (Joule, AI Core, predictive analytics, generative AI) extends the portfolio into AI-driven process automation alongside the existing ERP transformation, supply chain, HCM/SuccessFactors, data & analytics, and BTP integration domains.

CIO's revenue model is professional services and specialist staffing, sold through direct consultative engagement rather than self-service channels. Pricing is custom and engagement-based, with multi-year contract cadences typical for support and large transformation mandates, and no publicly disclosed standard rate cards. The company reaches buyers via direct contact forms, email, and phone, supported by content marketing through case studies and a careers page. As an official SAP partner, CIO is positioned as a senior-expertise boutique for critical SAP project phases and support situations rather than a volume system integrator, with 2,500+ mandates completed since inception as the primary scale credential.

Name

CIO

Legal name

CIO GmbH

Website

https://cio4you.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CIO GmbH is a German SAP consulting and senior-specialist staffing firm serving DACH Mittelstand and international industrial corporations, delivering S/4HANA, BTP, and SAP Business AI projects, support, and strategic advisory through a curated network of roughly 1,600 senior SAP experts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Braunschweig

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. SAP Consulting: Strategic consulting services including architecture reviews, roadmaps, and IT strategy development for SAP landscapes
2. SAP Expert Staffing: Placement of senior-level SAP specialists in critical project roles, providing flexible expertise on demand
3. SAP Project Implementation: End-to-end project delivery with clear responsibility for results in complex SAP transformations and implementations
4. Third-Level Support: Specialized temporary or permanent third-level support for complex SAP issues requiring deep technical expertise

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CIO is a German SAP consulting and staffing firm that supplies senior SAP specialists and consulting services to mid-market and industrial clients. The company delivers four core service lines—SAP-Experten-Staffing (specialist placement), SAP-Support (third-level support), SAP-Projekte (project delivery), and SAP-Beratung (strategic consulting)—through a curated network of approximately 1,600 senior SAP experts. Services span SAP S/4HANA transformation, supply chain, HCM/SuccessFactors, data & analytics, SAP BTP, and SAP Business AI.

Product overview

CIO is a consulting and staffing firm, not a software product company. The company's offering consists of four core service lines (SAP-Experten-Staffing, SAP-Support, SAP-Projekte, SAP-Beratung) delivered through a curated network of approximately 1,600 senior SAP specialists. These services span six SAP application domains: ERP Transformation (S/4HANA), Supply Chain & Logistics, Human Experience (HCM/SuccessFactors), Data & Analytics, SAP BTP, and SAP Business AI. Services can be engaged individually or in combination, providing flexible expertise from strategic consulting through project delivery to ongoing support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAP-Experten-Staffing Precision placement of senior SAP specialists in key project roles, with curated matching based on project-specific requirements for enterprise and mid-market clients.
• SAP-Support Specialized temporary or permanent third-level support with senior SAP experts for complex issues, production stability assurance, and critical incident resolution in grown SAP landscapes.
• SAP-Projekte Full or partial SAP project delivery with clear accountability, senior teams, and pragmatic implementation of complex SAP initiatives including transformations and rollouts.
• SAP-Beratung Strategic SAP consulting, architecture reviews, roadmap development, and independent evaluation of SAP transformation initiatives for enterprise and mid-market clients.
• ERP Transformation (S/4HANA) Migration and transformation services from SAP ECC to S/4HANA, including Greenfield and Brownfield approaches, covering FI/CO, SD, MM, and PP modules for mid-market and industrial clients.
• Supply Chain & Logistics SAP logistics optimization covering MM, WM, EWM, TM, and PP modules for inventory management, warehousing, transportation, and international rollouts.
• Human Experience (HCM/SuccessFactors) HR digitalization services including SAP SuccessFactors implementation and SAP HCM consulting for payroll, time management, employee administration, and international HR processes.
• Data & Analytics SAP Analytics Cloud, Datasphere, and BW/4HANA implementation for reporting, planning, forecasting, and business intelligence.
• SAP BTP (Business Technology Platform) SAP BTP integration, CPI development, API management, CAP-based development, and side-by-side extensions for S/4HANA environments with Clean Core strategies.
• SAP Business AI AI integration services including SAP Joule implementation, SAP AI Core architecture, predictive analytics, and generative AI capabilities for SAP processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 successful mandates and projects completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Allianz für die Region GmbHminorOthers · 1 January 2026Regional alliance that initiated the selection process for the company succession at CIO. The succession process was facilitated through the network connections of this regional business alliance based in Braunschweig region.
• SAPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOfficial SAP partner status enabling access to SAP roadmap, best practices, and certified expertise. Partners provide consulting and staffing services across SAP ecosystems including S/4HANA, BTP, and Business AI implementations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MHP: Porsche-owned SAP and management/IT consultancy and CIO's new CEO's former employer. Operates at significantly larger scale globally and serves industrial enterprises with SAP-centric transformations, directly comparable in service portfolio but with greater resources.
• NTT Data Business Solutions: Global SAP-focused consultancy (formerly SAP Deutschland / itelligence) with strong DACH Mittelstand presence. Directly competes for S/4HANA, BTP, and SAP managed-service engagements and offers similar modular and industry-specific SAP expertise.
• Accenture SAP Practice: Global systems integrator and SAP's largest global SI partner. Competes with CIO for large DACH enterprise SAP deals and increasingly for mid-market transformations, representing the upper-bound competitive pressure on CIO's enterprise expansion path.
• Deloitte SAP Practice: Big 4 firm with a top-tier global SAP practice. Competes with CIO on industrial S/4HANA transformations, supply chain, and finance transformations across DACH.
• Avanade: Joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft focused on Microsoft and SAP enterprise solutions. Comparable overlap on cloud-enabled SAP transformations and data/analytics adjacent to CIO's BTP and Business AI services.

Direct peers

• All for One Group: German-listed SAP consultancy and managed-services provider serving Mittelstand and mid-market clients across the DACH region. Closely comparable to CIO in customer segment and SAP focus, though larger and publicly listed.
• cbs Corporate Business Solutions: Heidelberg-based SAP consultancy specializing in global template design, S/4HANA transformations, and industrial-sector rollouts. Directly comparable on target customer (industrial Mittelstand) and SAP transformation depth.
• IBsolution: German SAP consultancy focused on industry-specific SAP solutions (automotive, discrete manufacturing, chemicals) plus SAP Business AI and analytics. Comparable niche positioning serving DACH mid-market and industrial clients.
• SVA System Vertrieb Alexander: German IT system integrator and SAP consultancy with strong DACH Mittelstand footprint. Comparable combination of SAP consulting, staffing, and managed services targeting mid-sized enterprises.
• realcore: Specialized German SAP consultancy focusing on S/4HANA Finance, BTP, and process automation with strong AI emphasis. Comparable size band and SAP-centric Mittelstand/industrial go-to-market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cio.group.de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cio-braunschweig

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 CIO