Five14

What Five14 does

Five14 is a Hamburg-based executive search boutique that places senior leadership for companies navigating digital transformation and the AI era. The firm is privately held (five14 GmbH, Hamburg HRB 153157), was founded in 2018, and operates with a team of approximately 11 consultants led by managing director Harald R. Fortmann. Five14 explicitly positions itself as industry-, position-, and location-agnostic, but its core specialisation is identifying candidates who combine technology competence, strategic vision, and cultural leadership — profiles the firm argues are unreachable through conventional 'Post & Pray' recruiting.

The firm's product set extends well beyond retained executive search and includes Digital Advisory and Supervisory Board placement, Personnel Diagnostics and Executive Coaching, Employer Branding (delivered with pilot Agenturgruppe), and a structured Pre- and Onboarding journey (delivered with Behija Karup). Content products — the Suits & Sneakers podcast (launched 2024) and multiple published books on leadership and the future of work — function as top-of-funnel brand assets. Technology is a sales, sourcing, and marketing stack rather than a proprietary platform: no AI/ML product, API, SDK, or patents are disclosed. The firm operates under BDU (Bundesverband Deutscher Unternehmensberatungen) standards and Fortmann sits on the BDU board.

Five14's go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales, with all engagements initiated via inbound contact, network referral, or outbound relationship outreach. Revenue is generated on a professional-services basis through placement fees on executive mandates, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The client base consists of enterprise customers across cosmetics, digital analytics, market research, pharmaceuticals, industrial tools, AdTech, publishing, and nonprofit, with several engagements running since 2014. Geographic focus is DACH, though mandates occasionally extend to global roles. The firm is independent, with no parent company, subsidiaries, institutional investors, or M&A activity disclosed.

Name

Five14

Legal name

five14 GmbH

Website

https://five14.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Five14 is a Hamburg-based executive search boutique that places C-suite and digital leadership talent for enterprises navigating transformation and the AI era, offering adjacent advisory, coaching, employer branding, and onboarding services primarily in the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & Product Leadership Search (CIO/CTO/CDO/CPO) (BPACAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB), Confidential/Replacement & Succession Search (BPACAAAK)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Leadership recruitment
• Digital transformation consulting
• Board advisory placement
• Executive coaching services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Five14 provides executive search services to connect companies with leadership personalities who drive transformation. Revenue is generated through successful placement fees, typically on a retained or contingency basis for executive-level positions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Five14 is a Hamburg-based executive search boutique consultancy that identifies, approaches, and places senior leadership personalities (C-suite, board, VP-level) for companies undergoing digital transformation and operating in the AI era. Their core offering centers on retained and contingency executive search using a discrete, network-based methodology, complemented by digital advisory and supervisory board placement, leadership development and coaching, employer branding, and pre-/onboarding services. The firm works industry-, position-, and location-agnostically with a strong specialization in digital economy leadership talent.

Product overview

Five14 is an Executive Search boutique consultancy offering a unified service portfolio centered on identifying and placing leadership personalities who drive organizational transformation. The core offering comprises five interconnected services: Executive Search (headhunting for senior leaders), Digital Advisory and Supervisory Boards (placement of board-level talent), Personnel Diagnostics/Development and Coaching, Employer Branding (in partnership with pilot), and Pre-/Onboarding (in partnership with Behija Karup). Supplementary content products include the Suits & Sneakers Podcast (Leadership and Digital editions) and published books on leadership and future of work topics. The company operates as a service firm rather than a software platform, with all services focused on human capital and leadership solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Suits & Sneakers Podcast: A podcast for decision-makers in two formats: Leadership Edition (with Deininger Group CEO Joy Edwin Thanarajah and Five14's Harald R. Fortmann) and Digital Edition (moderated by Harald R. Fortmann), covering leadership, AI, digital transformation, and new world of work topics.

Products and services

• Executive Search Discreet, network-based executive search service that identifies and places senior leadership personalities (C-suite, VP-level) who combine technology competence, strategic vision, and cultural fit. Targets companies undergoing digital transformation and operating in the AI era, working industry-, position-, and location-agnostically.
• Digital Advisory and Supervisory Boards (Digitale Bei- und Aufsichtsräte) Identification and placement of board-level personalities who enrich advisory and supervisory boards with strategic foresight, expertise, and attitude. Positions placed include supervisory board sparring partners and advisory board impulse generators for digital and AI transformation.
• Personnel Diagnostics, Development and Coaching (Personaldiagnostik, Personalentwicklung und Coaching) Leadership development and coaching service for individuals in key roles, supporting their growth through reflection, targeted competency building, and continuous development for leadership in transformation contexts.
• Employer Branding Employer branding service making employer brands visible, tangible, and relevant to candidates who want to make a difference, offered in cooperation with pilot Agenturgruppe.
• Pre- and Onboarding Onboarding journey service for new executive hires, strengthening orientation, relationship, and impact during the critical first 100 days, offered in cooperation with Behija Karup.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully placed executives across 12+ industries in the last 24 months
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• pilot AgenturgruppecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOngoing collaboration for employer branding services. Five14 and pilot have a mutual partnership where pilot provides employer branding services in cooperation with Five14, and Five14 participates in pilot-organized events like VOICES.
• Behija KarupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for pre- and onboarding services. Behija Karup works with Five14 to provide onboarding journey services that strengthen orientation, relationship, and impact for new leadership hires.
• nextReality.Hamburg e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFive14 supports the nextReality.Contest and nextReality.festival as a participant and sponsor, connecting with the XR/innovation community.
• Deininger GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partnership for the Suits & Sneakers podcast Leadership Edition, co-hosted with Deininger Group CEO Joy Edwin Thanarajah. Strategic collaboration connecting both executive search firms.
• WONGDOODYminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint AI in Action event series exploring AI in marketing, with co-presentation of the AI Voice Study and networking with marketing decision-makers.
• BDU (Bundesverband Deutscher Unternehmensberatungen)coreOthersFive14 operates under BDU standards for proper conduct in executive search. Harald R. Fortmann serves as BDU Vice President, indicating deep industry association and standards commitment.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Spencer Stuart: One of the largest global executive search and board advisory firms, with strong technology officer and digital CEO practice. Competes with Five14 in the same digital transformation and board mandate space.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search incumbent with dedicated digital, technology, and AI officer practices. Comparable to Five14 as a direct services competitor at the same C-suite/board level, though with vastly greater geographic reach and team scale.
• Egon Zehnder: Privately held global executive search firm known for CEO succession and board work. Overlaps directly with Five14 on digital advisory board placements and C-suite succession mandates, especially across DACH.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with technology, media, and digital leadership practices. Comparable to Five14 in targeting board-level digital transformation and C-suite succession mandates.
• Korn Ferry: Global executive search plus organizational consulting firm with an explicit technology officers and digital transformation practice. Comparable to Five14 on enterprise CEO/CTO/CIO mandates and broader talent advisory.

Direct peers

• Odgers Berndtson: International executive search firm with a strong DACH presence and active digital and technology leadership practice. Closest mid-sized direct peer to Five14 in terms of boutique-style service and German Mittelstand and European enterprise reach.
• Amrop: International executive search partnership with a long history of board and CEO placements in Europe, including Germany. Closely matches Five14's boutique, partner-led executive search model with a digital/leadership specialty.
• Stanton Chase: Global boutique executive search network serving C-suite and board mandates across industries. Comparable to Five14 as a partner-led boutique competing against the global search majors at the senior level.
• Signium International: Boutique international executive search network focused on senior leadership and board mandates across industries. Strongly comparable to Five14's boutique, network-driven, partner-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/five14
• Instagraminstagram.com/suits_and_sneakers_podcast
• Xx.com/five14gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Five14