KRW International

What KRW International does

KRW International is a privately held global consulting firm founded in 1991 and headquartered in the United States (Minneapolis), specializing in evidence-based executive coaching and leadership development grounded in behavioral science. The firm's flagship product is the Return on Character (ROC) Leadership Assessment, a multi-rater instrument that evaluates four character dimensions (Integrity, Responsibility, Forgiveness, Compassion) and identifies a single Keystone Habit for behavioral improvement via the proprietary Predictive Possibilities analytics tool. The product portfolio includes individual executive coaching programs (New Foundations, ROC Elevation Experience), team development programs built on the four-phase Senior Team Elevation Platform (STEP), organizational culture transformation (High Character Culture), board solutions, C-suite onboarding, the Team Dynamics Assessment, the Accelerator Leadership Series, and a two-level ROC Certification program for external practitioners.

KRW serves Fortune 500 corporations, corporate boards, foundations, and major nonprofits across North America and Western Europe through a custom, quote-based engagement model delivered by a network of approximately 40 senior executive development consultants across 10 office locations (Washington DC, Boston, New York, Minneapolis, Tulsa, Toronto, London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid). The firm monetizes through multi-year professional services contracts and has built a proprietary empirical foundation via its seven-year, 100+ organization Return on Character research program conducted in partnership with Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and continued through the KRW Research Institute.

The firm is founder-controlled, with Kelly Kiel Garramone (daughter of co-founder Fred Kiel, who passed in 2022) serving as CEO and Executive Director of the KRW Research Institute. The company has no disclosed external institutional investment, subsidiaries, or M&A activity. Distribution is primarily referral-driven, supplemented by published thought leadership (Harvard Business Review Press, HBR, Forbes, Washington Post), academic research partnerships (Duke, UVA Darden, Yale SOM), and affiliate partners extending reach into adjacent verticals such as K-12 education and sales performance.

Name

KRW International

Legal name

KRW International, Inc.

Website

https://krw-intl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KRW International is a US-based executive coaching and leadership development consultancy that delivers evidence-based, character-focused programs (ROC Assessment, team and culture development, board solutions) to Fortune 500 corporations, boards, and major nonprofits globally via senior consultants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Change Management & Transformation Leadership (EDABAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC)

Keywords

• Executive coaching services
• Leadership development consulting
• Team development programs
• Leadership assessment tools
• Character science research

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Coaching Services: Individual executive coaching programs including New Foundations flagship program, ROC Elevation Experience, and coaching for C-suite executives, high-potential talent, and newly promoted leaders. Programs typically span 3-12 months with four phases of growth.
2. Team Development Programs: Senior team development programs including ROC Senior Team Development, Team Dynamics assessments, and Accelerator Leadership Series. Includes data gathering, coaching, and ongoing support.
3. ROC Certification Programs: Certification programs teaching participants Character Science fundamentals, interpretation, and administration of ROC Assessment. Level 1 (Provider) and Level 2 (Practitioner) certifications available.
4. Board Solutions: Board assessment and advisory services including board functioning examination, executive director & chair alignment, and board development programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KRW International provides evidence-based executive coaching, senior team development, board assessment, and organizational culture transformation services built around its proprietary Return on Character (ROC) Leadership Assessment. The firm delivers individual coaching programs, cohort leadership development, team elevation engagements, and C-suite onboarding for Fortune 500 corporations, foundations, and major nonprofits across North America and Western Europe.

Product overview

KRW International is a global consulting firm offering evidence-based leadership development and executive coaching services centered on its proprietary Return on Character® (ROC) methodology. The product portfolio consists of the core ROC Leadership Assessment, which measures leadership character across four dimensions, combined with multiple coaching programs including High Character Leaders (individual/cohort development), High Character Teams (senior team development using the four-phase STEP methodology), and High Character Culture (organizational culture transformation). Supporting offerings include the ROC Certification program for training external coaches, Team Dynamics Assessment, C-Suite Onboarding, Board Solutions, and the Accelerator Leadership Series for Teams covering Confidence in Leadership, Innovation, Resilience, and Digital Readiness. The proprietary Predictive Possibilities® tool powers targeted recommendations by identifying the Keystone Habit most likely to drive cascading behavioral improvements. All programs are grounded in behavioral science and leverage extensive proprietary research databases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Return on Character (ROC) Leadership Assessment

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of clients report positive change in overall leadership effectiveness
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Duke University Fuqua School of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKRW partnered with Duke University's Fuqua School of Business for the CEO Beliefs Research Project (2007-2014), where Duke provided independent data analysis and predictive analytics. The partnership collected data from more than 80 CEOs and their employees, forming the basis for the Return on Character book published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2015.
• University of Virginia Darden School of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Virginia Darden School of Business is represented on the KRW Research Institute Advisory Board. Professor Shane Dikolli serves as Advisory Board Member and Bank of America Associate Professor at Darden.
• Yale School of ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYale School of Management is represented on the KRW Research Institute Advisory Board. Professor Thomas Steffen serves as Advisory Board Member and Assistant Professor of Accounting at Yale SOM.
• Strategic Account Management Association (SAMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAMA is a knowledge-sharing organization devoted to developing customer supplier collaboration through communities of practice. The KRW Research Institute partners with SAMA whose missions align with creating value through Character.
• The Summit GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Summit Group is a global sales performance improvement company that has been building sales people into authentic business professionals since 1993. Listed as an affiliate partner of KRW International.
• Strategic School LeadershipminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic School Leadership (SSL) offers customizable services to independent schools and is the only educational firm whose partners are certified practitioners of Return on Character (ROC). Listed as an affiliate partner.
• Global Solutions Strategies (GSS Acorns)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGSS Acorns is a group of business and executive coaches with decades of collective experience. They work with organizational leaders in designing and implementing people-focused strategies and partner with KRW for ROC certification. Listed as an affiliate partner.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a major leadership development and executive coaching practice that competes for the same Fortune 500 leadership engagements as KRW. A much larger incumbent that bundles coaching with assessment, succession, and search services.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Executive search and leadership consulting firm with a leadership advisory practice including executive coaching, team acceleration, and culture work for senior leaders, comparable to KRW's enterprise offering.
• FranklinCovey: Large leadership and organizational performance company with content-driven leadership development programs and assessments, competing with KRW on enterprise leadership development and team effectiveness engagements.

Direct peers

• Egon Zehnder: Executive search and leadership advisory firm that operates a dedicated leadership coaching and team effectiveness practice serving senior executives and boards, directly comparable to KRW's executive and board solutions offerings.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Research-driven leadership development provider offering open-enrollment and custom programs, assessments, and executive coaching. Closely comparable to KRW in emphasizing research-backed leadership development methodologies.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): Global leadership and talent development firm offering executive coaching, leadership assessments, and team development. Overlaps directly with KRW's ROC Assessment, High Character Teams, and senior leadership programs.
• RHR International: Boutique leadership advisory firm specializing in executive coaching, senior team effectiveness, and board services. Direct mid-size competitor to KRW in the senior executive and board leadership development niche.
• Spencer Stuart: Executive search and leadership advisory firm that operates a board and CEO advisory practice including CEO succession, board effectiveness, and executive coaching, directly comparable to KRW's Board Solutions and C-Suite onboarding.
• BTS (consulting firm): Strategy execution and leadership development firm providing executive alignment, leadership programs, and team-based simulations. Comparable in serving senior teams at large enterprises on leadership and business challenges.

Emerging players

• Wilson Learning: Global sales and leadership development provider with research-backed programs, assessments, and coaching offerings targeting enterprise leadership teams, comparable to KRW's enterprise delivery model at a smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 KRW International