Conner Partners
Conner Partners is a private, Atlanta-based management consulting firm founded in 1974 that helps large enterprises execute strategic change using its proprietary Strategy Execution Framework (SEF), serving more than one-third of Fortune 100 companies through advisory engagements and open-enrollment training.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersAtlanta, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Conner Partners does
Conner Partners is a private management consulting firm founded in 1974 (originally as ODR, rebranded in 2004) and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm specializes exclusively in strategic change execution, helping organizations realize intended business benefits from transformational initiatives such as M&A integration, digital transformation, and culture change. It serves large enterprises across pharmaceuticals, healthcare, financial services, retail, technology, and U.S. and international government bodies, and claims a client base that includes more than one-third of Fortune 100 companies.
The firm's core intellectual property is the Strategy Execution Framework (SEF), a proprietary methodology developed over approximately fifty years of research and client engagement. The SEF combines underlying change-execution principles, a standardized vocabulary, and a seven-dimension risk assessment architecture (Intent, Sponsorship, Synergy, Resolve, Culture, Capacity, Change Infrastructure). The service portfolio is structured around three core consulting offerings — Risk Assessment and Advising, Partnering in Execution, and Embedding Change Capability — complemented by open-enrollment training products (Realizing Major Change Bootcamp at $3,000, SEF Certification at $4,900, and a $7,000 bundle) and ancillary services such as Conner Office Hours and Deep-Dive Application sessions.
The business model is a hybrid professional services and training operation. Revenue is generated primarily from senior-led enterprise consulting engagements delivered on a custom basis, with an incremental productized stream from open-enrollment virtual training programs. Distribution is direct via a website contact form ('Work With Us'), thought leadership content, LinkedIn presence, and scheduled enrollment cohorts. The firm is led by CEO Maria Darby and Chairman Daryl Conner, with 11-50 employees, no external funding, and a partner business (Conner Advisory) extending its research into the nonprofit sector.
Conner Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Conner Partners
- Legal name
- Conner Partners
- Website
- https://connerpartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Conner Partners is a private, Atlanta-based management consulting firm founded in 1974 that helps large enterprises execute strategic change using its proprietary Strategy Execution Framework (SEF), serving more than one-third of Fortune 100 companies through advisory engagements and open-enrollment training.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Conner Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Management Consulting (Strategic Change Execution)
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Change Management & Transformation Consulting (BPAHAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)
Keywords
Where Conner Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Conner Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Strategic Consulting and Advisory Services: Engagements with senior leaders and implementation teams to advise on change execution risks, facilitate strategy execution, and jointly execute strategic initiatives. Services include risk assessment, executive advising, partnering in execution, and intervening in stuck initiatives.
- Training and Certification Programs: Open enrollment virtual training programs including the Realizing Major Change two-day bootcamp ($3,000 USD) and SEF Certification program ($4,900 USD), as well as bundled offerings ($7,000 USD). Programs include workshop instruction, coaching, and digital toolkit access.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Realizing Major Change Virtual Two-Day Bootcamp - Introductory training on change execution principles |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Strategy Execution Framework (SEF) Certification - Deeper learning journey with coaching and application assignments |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Bundle: Bootcamp and Certification - Combined learning journey at discounted rate |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Conner Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Conner Partners is a management consulting firm that advises senior leaders and implementation teams on strategic change execution, providing risk assessment across seven dimensions, joint execution support, and long-term capability building anchored by its proprietary Strategy Execution Framework (SEF). It complements these consulting engagements with open-enrollment training programs (a two-day Realizing Major Change Bootcamp and a multi-month SEF Certification) and bundled learning journeys for change practitioners.
Product overview
Conner Partners offers a unified consulting and training portfolio centered on strategic change execution. The core offerings include Risk Assessment and Advising, Partnering in Execution, and Embedding Change Capability, all built around the proprietary Strategy Execution Framework (SEF). Supporting the consulting services are educational products including the Realizing Major Change Bootcamp (two-day introductory program), SEF Certification (three-month deeper learning journey), and a Bundle offering combining both. Additional services include Conner Office Hours for participant support and Deep-Dive Application sessions for specific skill development. The company was founded in 1974 (as ODR) and rebranded as Conner Partners in 2004.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Risk Assessment and Advising
- Partnering in Execution Joint execution support with client teams using the SEF, including facilitation of strategy execution patterns, intervention in stuck initiatives, and planning and realization of expected business outcomes.
- Embedding Change Capability Long-term capability building programs including executive sessions, workshops, bootcamps, and certification programs designed to transfer change execution expertise and create sustainable competitive advantage inside client organizations.
- Realizing Major Change Bootcamp Two-day introductory virtual training program providing an understanding of critical issues separating successful and unsuccessful organizational change, risk identification and management, and patterns for successful change execution; prerequisite for SEF Certification.
- Strategy Execution Framework (SEF) Certification Application-level certification program that builds deeper SEF expertise through coaching, hands-on application assignments, SEF digital toolkit access, a sponsor-agent contracting module, peer reviews, office hours, and a final competency presentation.
- Bootcamp and Certification Bundle Discounted bundled learning journey that pairs the Realizing Major Change Bootcamp with SEF Certification, providing the full introductory-to-application learning arc at a combined price.
- Deep-Dive Application Targeted skill development sessions including intent workshops, enrollment plan design, capacity/absorption exercises, and culture evolution facilitation, addressing specific change execution challenges inside client organizations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully worked with over one-third of Fortune 100 companies and numerous U.S. and international governing bodies
Companies that use Conner Partners
Customer profileSegments7 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Conner Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Conner Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Conner AdvisorycoreConner Advisory is a partner business of Conner Partners. Their research combines insights from Conner Partners' work with global industry and commercial organizations and Conner Advisory's work with international non-governmental organizations and nonprofits. This partnership expands the firm's reach into the nonprofit sector while maintaining shared thought leadership and research.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Conner Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- McKinsey & Company (Organizational Practice): McKinsey's Organizational Practice serves large enterprises on transformation, culture and change at global scale. As a full-service strategy incumbent, it competes with Conner Partners for large strategic change mandates bundled with broader business transformation work.
- Boston Consulting Group (BCG) - People & Organization Practice: BCG's People & Organization practice supports transformation and change agendas at scale. It competes with Conner Partners on Fortune 500 change initiatives, particularly when bundled with strategy, digital or restructuring mandates.
- Bain & Company (Organization Practice): Bain's Organization practice advises global clients on operating model, culture, and change. It competes with Conner Partners on large enterprise change agendas but also bundles these into broader strategy and performance engagements.
- Deloitte (Human Capital / Transformation): Deloitte's Human Capital and Transformation businesses deliver large-scale change management services to Fortune 100 clients, often as part of multi-workstream transformation programs that compete with Conner Partners' offerings.
- Korn Ferry (Organizational Consulting): Korn Ferry's Organizational Consulting practice addresses leadership, culture, and change for global enterprises. It competes with Conner Partners on transformation advisory, though it sits within a larger talent and executive-search platform.
- Accenture (Strategy & Consulting / Change): Accenture provides enterprise change management and transformation services integrated with technology and operations. As a global systems integrator, it competes with Conner Partners wherever change execution is bundled with ERP, cloud or AI rollouts.
Emerging players
- RHR International: RHR International is a boutique leadership and organizational effectiveness consultancy advising senior teams on leadership behavior and change. It is comparable to Conner Partners in scale, boutique positioning, and senior-team engagement model.
- Heidrick & Struggles (Organization & Culture Practice): Heidrick & Struggles' Organization & Culture practice advises large enterprises on leadership, culture and change. It overlaps with Conner Partners on Fortune 500 transformation mandates with a stronger executive-search parent.
Direct peers
- Prosci: Prosci is a change management research and training firm built around the ADKAR model. Like Conner Partners, it sells both practitioner certification programs and advisory engagements to large enterprises undergoing transformation.
- Kotter International: Kotter International offers change strategy advisory and training built around John Kotter's 8-step process. It is a boutique, methodology-led change consulting firm directly comparable to Conner Partners' SEF-based practice.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Conner Partners social profiles
Digital presenceConner Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Conner Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Conner Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Conner Partners 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 Conner Partners
What does Conner Partners do?
Conner Partners is a management consulting firm that advises senior leaders and implementation teams on strategic change execution, providing risk assessment across seven dimensions, joint execution support, and long-term capability building anchored by its proprietary Strategy Execution Framework (SEF). It complements these consulting engagements with open-enrollment training programs (a two-day Realizing Major Change Bootcamp and a multi-month SEF Certification) and bundled learning journeys for change practitioners.
Is Conner Partners a public or private company?
Conner Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Conner Partners founded?
Conner Partners was founded in 1974. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Conner Partners based?
Conner Partners is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, in the North America region.
How does Conner Partners make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Strategic Consulting and Advisory Services are the primary driver. The others are training and Certification Programs.
Who are Conner Partners's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are McKinsey & Company (Organizational Practice), Boston Consulting Group (BCG) - People & Organization Practice, Bain & Company (Organization Practice), Deloitte (Human Capital / Transformation), Korn Ferry (Organizational Consulting) and Accenture (Strategy & Consulting / Change). Emerging players are RHR International and Heidrick & Struggles (Organization & Culture Practice). Direct peers are Prosci and Kotter International.
Does Conner Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Conner Partners.
What industry is Conner Partners in?
Conner Partners's product category is Management Consulting (Strategic Change Execution). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAGAC, Change Management & Transformation Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHACAA, Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.