Pentagon

What Pentagon does

Pentagon GmbH, doing business as PENTAGON AG, is a privately held German HR consulting firm founded in 2009 by Peter D. Schiwon and headquartered in Neuss/Düsseldorf under registration HRB 63567. The firm offers five integrated service pillars: executive search and selection (Suche & Auswahl), employee and leadership development (Entwicklung), professional coaching, outplacement (including inverse headhunting and inplacement variants), and corporate health management (Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement). It positions itself as a holistic, sustainable HR partner to corporate clients of varying sizes requiring support across the full employee lifecycle.

The firm's product surface combines professional services delivery with several in-house tooled components. Core assessment methodology (Pentagon Profiling) layers standardized psychometric frameworks such as DISC and BIP with custom-developed profile analyses tailored for client assessment centers. Proprietary tooled components include Pentagon JobSpot, an internally produced video-format job advertisement, and QR-code integration for print job postings that links candidates to mobile application flows, both introduced as first-mover innovations in 2013. A web-based project transparency portal allows clients and candidates secure logins for project status and document exchange across the engagement lifetime. There are no patents, API/SDK integrations, or AI/ML capabilities disclosed in the data.

Pentagon operates as a founder-managed, partner-led boutique without external investors or parent-company affiliation. Revenue is generated through individually quoted consulting mandates across the five service pillars, with billing typically structured as multi-year engagements and no publicly disclosed pricing. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and direct, combining enterprise outreach, executive candidate sourcing, and a partnership network that includes Human Resources International Polska Sp. z o.o. (Poland) and Support Partners Russia. The firm operates seven offices in Germany (Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, München), Switzerland (Zürich), and Poland (Warsaw), with reported headcount in the 11–50 range.

Name

Pentagon

Legal name

Pentagon GmbH

Website

https://pentagon-ag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pentagon GmbH is a privately held German HR consulting firm offering executive search, leadership development, coaching, outplacement, and corporate health management to corporate clients across Germany, Switzerland, and Poland through a seven-office partner-led delivery model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR Consulting

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

M&A HR Advisory (Due Diligence, Integration, Carve-outs) (BPACAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

National Generalist Staffing Firms (BPACACAI)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• HR consulting
• Outplacement services
• Leadership development
• Corporate health management

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search and Selection: Core recruitment service placing executives and specialists in client organizations, billed as professional services engagement with consulting fees based on scope and complexity
2. Coaching Services: Individual coaching for leadership development and career transition, provided by certified partners with industry experience
3. Outplacement Consulting: Career transition services for departing employees, including individual counseling, market positioning, and job search support. Offered as classic outplacement, inverse headhunting, or inplacement formats
4. Leadership Development: Executive development programs including training, succession planning, and knowledge management consulting
5. Corporate Health Management: Workplace health and wellness consulting including needs analysis, prevention programs, and internal capability building

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pentagon GmbH delivers sustainable, holistic HR consulting across five integrated service pillars: Search & Selection of executives and specialists, Employee/Leadership Development, Coaching, Outplacement (career transition, inverse headhunting, inplacement), and Corporate Health Management. Engagements are customized mandates delivered by a network of certified senior partners, supported by proprietary tools including Pentagon JobSpot video job ads, QR-code recruitment integration, and a web-based project transparency portal.

Product overview

Pentagon GmbH operates as a sustainable HR consulting firm offering five integrated service pillars: Search & Selection of specialists and executives, Employee Development, Coaching, Outplacement, and Corporate Health Management. The company is built on a holistic consulting approach where specialized partners collaborate across disciplines. Key proprietary innovations include the Pentagon JobSpot (visualized video job advertisements) and QR-code integration in job postings. The company maintains an online project portal for transparency and uses Pentagon Profiling tools for candidate assessment. Services are delivered through offices in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Zurich, and Warsaw.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Suche & Auswahl (Executive Search & Selection) Executive search and selection service placing specialists and executives into client organizations, combining precise target-group definition, multi-channel search (direct outreach, online job postings, social media), Pentagon Profiling assessments, and post-placement support. Targeted at HR departments and executive leadership of national and international companies.
• Entwicklung (Employee & Leadership Development) Employee and leadership development service focused on talent promotion, educational controlling, knowledge management, and succession planning for national and international companies.
• Coaching Professional coaching for executives and employees supporting reflection, leadership personality development, behavioral change, and performance improvement, delivered by certified partners with industry experience.
• Outplacement Comprehensive outplacement services including separation management, individual career transition consulting, inverse headhunting, and inplacement for companies and candidates affected by workforce reductions. Pentagon cites a near-100% success rate and clients market-ready within three weeks.
• Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement (Corporate Health Management) Corporate health management consulting including organizational health analysis, prevention concepts, qualification of internal responsibles through coaching and training, and consulting on public funding options.

Quantifiable outcome

• Near 100% success rate in outplacement consulting
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Human Resources International Polska Sp. z o.o.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational HR partnership network connecting with Barbara Modecka as support partner for Polish market operations and recruitment services
• Support Partners Russia (Borisov Konstantin)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network partner providing HR consulting support and connections in Russian markets through Konstantin Borisov
• Kinderhospiz RegenbogenlandminorOthersDüsseldorf children's hospice supported through monthly charitable contributions from Pentagon consultants, demonstrating corporate social responsibility

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Randstad Deutschland: Germany branch of the world's second-largest staffing group, offering permanent placement, outplacement (via Randstad RiseSmart), and HR consulting at a scale and brand awareness Pentagon cannot match.
• Robert Half International: Global staffing and consulting firm with established German operations delivering permanent and temporary placement, executive search, and HR consulting across the same mid-market to enterprise segment Pentagon serves.
• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting giant with deep DACH operations offering search, leadership development, coaching, and outplacement - covers the same five service pillars as Pentagon but at significantly greater scale, serving enterprise clients Pentagon cannot reach.

Direct peers

• Hays plc: Global British recruiting and HR services firm with deep DACH presence in Germany, Switzerland, and Poland offering permanent and temporary placement, executive search, and HR consulting - directly overlapping with Pentagon's core search & selection and outplacement offerings.
• Personalwerk GmbH: German HR services and employer-branding agency focused on recruitment marketing, candidate experience, and HR consulting - the most direct domestic peer for Pentagon's JobSpot and employer-brand positioning innovation in video-based recruitment.
• PageGroup: UK-listed specialist recruitment group operating multiple boutique brands (e.g., Michael Page, Page Executive) across Germany, Switzerland, and Poland with dedicated executive search, HR consulting, and outplacement practices - similar multi-specialist mid-market positioning.
• Amadeus FiRe AG: German-listed (Frankfurt) HR services group with dedicated segments for permanent placement, temporary staffing, and executive search ('Amadeus FiRe Personalberatung') - the closest publicly-traded domestic parallel to Pentagon's specialist HR consulting model.
• DIS AG: German staffing and HR services subsidiary of Adecco Group focused on professional placement, outplacement, and HR consulting across DACH - directly comparable in service mix and target customer base (German mid-market enterprises).
• Catenon Germany: European-headquartered executive search and HR consulting boutique operating in DACH with multi-country mandates - directly comparable boutique-scale competitor for executive search and HR advisory mandates in German-speaking markets.

Regional players

• Hays Life Sciences / Hetzner Personal (DE SMEs): Mid-sized German HR consultancies offering search, coaching, and outplacement to SME clients in selected regional markets - comparable regional boutique profile, useful as a sizing benchmark for Pentagon's addressable domestic market segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PentagonAG
• Facebookfacebook.com/PentagonNeuss
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pentagon-ag
• Xx.com/pentagonag

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 Pentagon