What Fifth Frame does

Fifth Frame is an Australian specialist management consultancy headquartered in Darlinghurst, NSW, that advises CEOs, executive teams, and people leaders on organisational performance, with a deliberate emphasis on people, culture, and operating-model design. The firm was founded by Laura Applebee-Jones and Jon Williams, partners who had collaborated for more than 15 years prior; Angela Harris joined as the third partner in 2023. Services are organised around the proprietary Five Frames Model (Purpose/Vision/Values, Culture/Capability, Strategy, Operating Model, Align/Execute) and span executive facilitation, executive offsites, leadership forums for 20-200 leaders, culture change, employee experience design, culture diagnostics, people and organisational strategy, strategic workplace planning, and operating model and organisation design. The firm describes its technology stack as data-driven platforms used to model real-time organisational-design scenarios and an AI-augmented approach to productivity and job-architecture analysis, plus an AI-Human Integration Framework for advisory engagements.

The business operates as a pure professional services firm with no software product, no disclosed external funding, and revenue generated exclusively through bespoke consulting engagements with enterprise clients. Pricing is not published; engagements are scoped and priced per project. The go-to-market is direct enterprise engagement with CEOs and people leaders, supported by thought-leadership content (LinkedIn, Insights blog), media appearances (ABC Four Corners), and event partnerships (Peoplecorp HR Recruitment Specialists). Client base skews to large enterprises in Australia, including an ASX-listed enterprise (1,700 people, six-year partnership), an iconic Australian organisation with a 3,000-plus workforce, an international digital financial services platform, and a major Australian retailer. Fifth Frame is privately held by its three partners with no parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity disclosed.

Name

Fifth Frame

Legal name

Fifth Frame

Website

https://fifthframe.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fifth Frame is an Australian boutique management consultancy that advises CEOs, executive teams, and people leaders on organisational performance, operating-model design, culture change, and AI-human integration for large enterprises and government-aligned bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Capital & Workforce Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting (BPAHAGAH)

Keywords

• Management consulting
• Organisational design
• Culture transformation
• Leadership development
• Operating model design

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting Services: Fifth Frame generates revenue through bespoke consulting engagements with executive teams and organisations. Their services span organisational strategy, culture change, operating model design, leadership development, and transformation programs. Revenue is derived from project-based consulting fees rather than standardised product pricing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fifth Frame is a specialist boutique management consulting firm that helps executive teams solve complex business challenges by focusing on people. The firm delivers bespoke consulting engagements spanning organisational strategy, culture change, operating model design, executive facilitation, executive offsites, leadership forums, employee experience, strategic workplace planning and multi-year transformation programs. All work is structured through its proprietary Five Frames Model — Purpose/Vision/Values, Culture/Capability, Strategy, Operating Model, and Align/Execute — and supported by data-driven technology platforms for organisational design scenarios and an AI-Human Integration Framework for productivity analysis.

Product overview

Fifth Frame is a specialist management consulting firm offering advisory services through its proprietary Five Frames Model, a diagnostic framework comprising Purpose/Vision/Values, Culture/Capability, Strategy, Operating Model, and Align/Execute. The firm provides tailored consulting engagements including executive facilitation, leadership development, culture change programs, employee experience design, and organisational design services. Fifth Frame does not offer a software product; all offerings are professional services delivered by consultants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Five Frames Model A proprietary diagnostic framework comprising five interconnected elements (Purpose/Vision/Values, Culture/Capability, Strategy, Operating Model, Align/Execute) that helps organisations understand their performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Executive & High Performing Teams Facilitation Consulting service helping executive teams define organisational purpose, articulate clear identity, and establish behaviours that drive success through skilled facilitation.
• Executive Offsites Designed offsites for executive teams with carefully crafted agendas, skilled facilitation, and a focus on alignment, clarity and outcomes.
• Leadership Forums & Development Forums for 20 to 200 leaders designed to build understanding, foster connection, lift capability and translate strategy into practical execution plans.
• Culture Change Identifies systems, symbols and behaviours that reinforce current culture and works with clients to shift what needs to change to enable performance.
• Employee Experience Helps organisations identify critical moments that matter in the employee journey and take practical steps to improve attraction and retention of top talent.
• Culture Diagnostic & Measurement Assessment services to evaluate cultural implications of transactions and organisational changes, reducing risk and increasing cohesion.
• People & Organisational Strategy Shapes HR strategies that support business success, bringing clarity, structure and insight to align the people function with organisational purpose and goals.
• Strategic Workplace Planning Translates survey results into meaningful actions, identifying priorities, clarifying ownership and turning insights into improved performance.
• Operating Model & Organisation Design Combines strategy, culture and organisational insight to create fit-for-purpose designs that support goals and enable people.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant reduction in operational costs and ability to reinvest into product delivery and customer-led growth
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Peoplecorp HR Recruitment SpecialistsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFifth Frame partnered with Peoplecorp HR Recruitment Specialists to host a panel discussion on 'Reimagining Productivity in a Changing Workforce.' This marketing-oriented partnership brought together industry panellists to discuss people, policy, and performance topics, positioning Fifth Frame as a thought leader in the HR and organisational performance space.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bain & Company - Organization Practice: Bain's Organisation practice focuses on operating model design, change management, and talent, closely mirroring Fifth Frame's Five Frames approach. As a global incumbent, Bain competes for the same enterprise transformation mandates from large Australian employers.
• McKinsey & Company - Organization Practice: McKinsey's Organisation Practice advises global CEOs on operating model design, culture change, and organisational restructuring - covering the same strategic territory as Fifth Frame's C-suite engagements. As a broad incumbent, McKinsey both competes for the same mandates and serves as a career pedigree pipeline for Fifth Frame-style talent.
• Deloitte Australia - Human Capital: Deloitte's Human Capital practice delivers organisational transformation, leadership development, and culture change across Australia's largest enterprises - the same buyer and projects Fifth Frame pursues. Its scale and cross-service bundling make it the default incumbent against which boutiques compete.
• BCG - People & Organization Practice: BCG's People & Organization Practice delivers operating model redesign, organisational culture, and transformation advisory work - directly comparable to Fifth Frame's portfolio. As a broad incumbent, BCG is a frequent competitor in the same enterprise buyer conversations.
• PwC Australia - People & Organisation: PwC's People & Organisation practice is the same consulting arm where partner Angela Harris spent 12 years as a Director - it offers organisational design, change, and workforce transformation at much larger scale. Fifth Frame's positioning as 'big-firm experience with boutique care' puts it in direct competitive overlap for enterprise CHRO budgets.

Direct peers

• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organisational consulting firm whose Talent Management and Consulting segments directly overlap with Fifth Frame's operating model, organisational design, culture change, and leadership development offerings. Both firms compete for the same enterprise CHRO and CEO buyer around people strategy and workforce transformation.
• Egon Zehnder: Egon Zehnder is a leadership advisory firm combining executive search, board advisory, and leadership development/coaching, directly comparable to Fifth Frame's leadership forums and executive facilitation services. Both sell premium, partner-led engagements to CEOs and boards.
• Mercer (Marsh McLennan): Mercer's Career and Workforce consulting practices advise enterprise clients on organisational design, workforce strategy, talent, and culture - a portfolio that competes head-on with Fifth Frame's people-and-organisational strategy offering for the same CHRO buyer.
• Gallup: Gallup is the global leader in engagement, culture, and strengths-based management consulting, founded on behavioural science - the same academic roots Fifth Frame's founders draw on (Jon Williams was Gallup's Managing Principal for Australia). Both compete for enterprise culture diagnostic and leadership engagements.
• Kincentric (Aon): Kincentric, the people and performance advisory arm within Aon, specialises in culture, engagement, leadership, and organisational effectiveness consulting - a near-exact functional overlap with Fifth Frame's services. Both serve large enterprises on culture diagnostics, leadership forums, and organisational transformation mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fifth-frame

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Fifth Frame