Persona Global
Persona Global is a privately held management consultancy founded in 1980 that publishes and licenses culturally adapted training workshops, assessments, business simulations, and software platforms in 38+ languages, distributed through 1,700+ certified trainers across 71 countries to multinational enterprises and OD consultants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersSausalito, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Persona Global does
Persona Global, Inc. (legally Persona GLOBAL, Inc.) is a privately held management consulting and people-performance development firm founded on October 28, 1980 in Chicago, Illinois, currently headquartered in Sausalito, California. The company publishes and distributes an integrated portfolio of culturally adapted, customizable training workshops, assessment instruments, computerized business simulations, board games, and software platforms (40+ products total) designed to improve cooperation, communication, leadership, employee engagement, team performance, and sales effectiveness. Core proprietary assets include the Communicate and Win™ Expert Profiling System, NeuroView/NeuroTeamView neuroscience-based leadership assessments, the FreeRunner biofeedback simulation, the Professional Presentation 'Live' VR system, the Metro Mentoring Platform, SIMULAPP, and the Futures Platform trend-radar tool.
The firm monetizes primarily through licensing royalties on training workshops, recurring subscriptions to assessment suites and software platforms, one-time license fees for business simulations, and professional services revenue from certifying trainers/consultants. Distribution is asset-light: 1,700+ certified trainers, partners, and associates deliver Persona Global programs locally in 38+ languages across 71 countries, supported by 11 strategically located branded regional offices covering North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. GTM combines an enterprise field-sales motion targeting large multinational corporations (named clients include Chevron, Hewlett Packard, Alcatel-Lucent, Europcar, Garuda Airlines, Omaha Paper Company) with a channel partner model serving organizational development consultants and trainers.
Persona Global is independently operated with no external PE/VC investment, no disclosed parent company, and no public listing. CEO Jon Gornstein has been with the firm for 38 years. The company relocated to a new Sausalito waterfront headquarters in February 2022 and has continued to expand its software-platform footprint (SIMULAPP, Futures Platform, Metro Mentoring) and European partner network (Tactical Consulting Team, 2021) alongside its traditional workshop business. The firm holds EU-U.S., UK Extension, and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework certifications to support cross-border enterprise data flows.
Persona Global firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Persona Global
- Legal name
- Persona GLOBAL, Inc.
- Website
- https://personaglobal.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Persona Global is a privately held management consultancy founded in 1980 that publishes and licenses culturally adapted training workshops, assessments, business simulations, and software platforms in 38+ languages, distributed through 1,700+ certified trainers across 71 countries to multinational enterprises and OD consultants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Persona Global industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Management Consulting — Training & Organizational Development
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Global HR, Mobility & Cross-Cultural People Ops Training (EDABAIAL)
Keywords
Where Persona Global is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sausalito
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices15 records
Markets served
Persona Global business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Training Workshop Licensing: Licensing of culturally adapted training workshops to certified trainers and consultants globally.
- Assessment Tools and Surveys: Comprehensive survey instruments measuring organizational performance, leadership equity, and employee engagement.
- Business Simulations: Experiential learning simulations including computer business simulations, board games, and software platforms.
- Software Platforms: Web-based and mobile platforms including Metro Mentoring Platform, SIMULAPP, and Futures Platform.
- Certification Programs: Training and certification of trainers/consultants in performance improvement processes.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Persona Global product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Persona Global is a people performance development management consultancy that publishes and distributes culturally adapted, customizable training workshops, assessment survey instruments, computerized business simulations and board games, and software platforms. Its offerings target improved cooperation, communication, leadership, employee engagement, sales effectiveness and organizational agility for enterprises and the OD consultants who serve them. Content is delivered in up to 38 languages through more than 1,700 certified trainers and 11 branded offices across 71 countries.
Product overview
Persona Global is a people performance development management consultancy offering an integrated portfolio of culturally adapted training workshops, assessments, business simulations, and software platforms. The company provides over 40+ products including communication and influencing workshops (The Persuasive Communicator®, Successful Negotiator), leadership development programs (Leadership®, Storytelling for Leaders®, Performance Leadership Profile), sales training (The Persuasive Salesperson, Cracking the Sales Management Code, Sales Competency Assessment™), team building solutions (Team Building, PRIDE®), and assessments (Organizational Agility Survey™, Organizational Alignment Survey™, NeuroView, NeuroTeamView). The portfolio also includes computer business simulations (Hydro Laos, I-Merger, Strategic Feat, Clean Sweep), board games and experiential simulations, and software platforms (Metro Mentoring Platform, SIMULAPP, Futures Platform). All content is available in up to 38 languages with over 1,700 certified trainers worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PRIDE: Team-Driven Team Building training approach that measures five categories for team and individual development.
- The Persuasive Communicator
- Leadership
- Storytelling for Leaders
- Cooperation and Beyond
- Managing Performance
Quantifiable outcome
- Ten years of research shows best storytellers in complex sales perform nearly 200% better than peers
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Persona Global
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Persona Global technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Persona Global partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Tactical Consulting TeamcoreNewest partner integration into Persona Global Europe network, focusing on future skill development, Innovative Decision Making, and tool/product assessments. Welcome addition to the European partner ecosystem.
- Starmanship USAminorHosted a joint webinar on post-pandemic challenges discussing resilience and emotional capability programs and tools, featuring Persona Global's president Jon Gornstein.
- MMM Consulting (Romania)corePersona Global partner for Romania responsible for delivering training programs including The Persuasive Communicator and leadership development solutions to Romanian organizations.
- Global Partner NetworkcoreNetwork of 1700+ certified trainers, partners, and associates operating across 71 countries in regions including Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, and Oceania.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Persona Global competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Caliper: Behavioral assessment and talent analytics firm selling into enterprise HR/L&D — directly comparable to Persona Global's assessment and survey portfolio targeting leadership development and selection.
- Dale Carnegie & Associates: Iconic training franchise offering communication, leadership and sales workshops delivered through a global licensed trainer network across 100+ countries — comparable to Persona Global in product category, distribution model and cultural-localization strategy.
- DDI (Development Dimensions International): Global leadership and talent assessment company with deep enterprise footprint in behavioral simulations and 360° assessments — directly comparable to Persona Global's assessment portfolio (NeuroView, Management Action Profile) and simulation offerings.
- Ken Blanchard Companies: Leadership and management training firm built on Situational Leadership® content, delivered globally through certified consultants — closely comparable to Persona Global's Leadership® and management workshop franchise model.
- FranklinCovey: Global leader in leadership, execution and culture training with an enterprise sales motion and certified consultant network — directly comparable to Persona Global in target customer, workshop-licensing model, and leadership/communication curriculum.
- Wilson Learning Worldwide: Global provider of sales, leadership and interpersonal skills training with a worldwide network of consultants — comparable to Persona Global in sales/leadership curriculum, global delivery model and enterprise customer base.
- Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Research-driven leadership development provider offering assessments, workshops and simulations to multinational enterprises — directly comparable to Persona Global's leadership assessment, NeuroView and Leadership® workshop offerings.
- BTS Group: Specialist in business simulations and experiential learning for sales, strategy and leadership — directly comparable to Persona Global's SIMSales, Strategic Feat, I-Merger and other computer business simulation products targeting multinational enterprises.
Broad incumbents
- GP Strategies: Large-scale corporate training and performance improvement provider offering leadership, sales and technical training to global enterprises — a broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities to Persona Global's portfolio.
- Korn Ferry (Leadership Development): Global organizational consulting firm with a major leadership/talent development practice — comparable as a broader incumbent offering overlapping leadership development and assessment capabilities to multinational enterprise buyers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Persona Global social profiles
Digital presencePersona Global compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Persona Global financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Persona Global leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Persona Global subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries15 records
Persona Global funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Persona Global M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Persona Global
What does Persona Global do?
Persona Global is a people performance development management consultancy that publishes and distributes culturally adapted, customizable training workshops, assessment survey instruments, computerized business simulations and board games, and software platforms. Its offerings target improved cooperation, communication, leadership, employee engagement, sales effectiveness and organizational agility for enterprises and the OD consultants who serve them. Content is delivered in up to 38 languages through more than 1,700 certified trainers and 11 branded offices across 71 countries.
Is Persona Global a public or private company?
Persona Global is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Persona Global founded?
Persona Global was founded in 1980. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Persona Global based?
Persona Global is headquartered in Sausalito, United States, in the North America region.
How does Persona Global make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Training Workshop Licensing is the primary driver. The others are assessment Tools and Surveys, business Simulations, software Platforms and certification Programs.
Who are Persona Global's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Caliper, Dale Carnegie & Associates, DDI (Development Dimensions International), Ken Blanchard Companies, FranklinCovey, Wilson Learning Worldwide, Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) and BTS Group. Broad incumbents are GP Strategies and Korn Ferry (Leadership Development).
Does Persona Global have an API?
No public API is recorded for Persona Global.
What industry is Persona Global in?
Persona Global's product category is Management Consulting — Training & Organizational Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABAIAL, Global HR, Mobility & Cross-Cultural People Ops Training. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8742.