Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung

What Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung does

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung (DGFP) is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1952 and headquartered in Berlin, self-described as Germany's largest HR professional network. It serves HR leaders and organizations across German-speaking enterprise markets, with a named enterprise membership roster that includes blue-chip corporates such as Deutsche Telekom, Siemens, Deutsche Bahn, E.ON, Commerzbank, Volkswagen, BMW, Bosch, and Rheinmetall. The association's core function is to convene, credential, and inform senior HR practitioners through peer networks, research, events, and publications.

DGFP's core products and programs include the DGFP Netzwerk community, the PERSONALFÜHRUNG magazine published ten times per year, ERFA experience-exchange groups (now in their seventh decade), the Future ManagerIn HR certification co-developed with Zukunftsinstitut, the Future Skills Radar research artifact, the DGFP Think Tank, the HR Future Community, and the St.Galler Leadership Award co-organized with IFPM at the University of St.Gallen. The underlying delivery model is content-led and community-led, supported by digital partnerships with Fork Unstable Media and Corpex Internet GmbH for web and hosting infrastructure.

DGFP's business model is a diversified association revenue stack: institutional corporate membership fees from enterprise HR departments, ticket and sponsorship revenue from events and conferences, subscription revenue from the PERSONALFÜHRUNG magazine, and sales of publications and research artifacts. Go-to-market is community-led, leveraging direct enterprise relationships, editorial authority, peer-group ERFA meetings, and digital channels (website, newsletter, LinkedIn, XING). Leadership is currently Julia Bangerth (Chair), Carmen-Maja Rex and Marion Rövekamp (Deputy Chairs), Dr. Thomas Ogilvie (Treasurer), and Christian Lorenz (Managing Director).

Name

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung

Legal name

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung e.V.

Website

https://dgfp.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung (DGFP) is a 73-year-old German non-profit association and self-described largest HR professional network, serving enterprise HR leaders via peer networks, the PERSONALFÜHRUNG magazine, certifications, research, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees for companies and individuals providing access to HR network, events, publications, and resources
2. Event Revenue: Paid events including conferences, workshops, and network meetings with member and non-member pricing
3. Magazine Subscriptions: PERSONALFÜHRUNG professional magazine published 10 times per year, offered as annual subscription or single issue purchase
4. Publication Sales: Sale of studies, white papers, and HR research publications

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung (DGFP) operates Germany's largest professional network for human resources, providing HR practitioners with structured peer exchange forums (ERFA groups), continuing-education events, conferences, the industry publication PERSONALFÜHRUNG, research initiatives such as the Future Skills Radar and the St.Galler Leadership Award, and corporate-membership programs. Founded in 1952, it is a registered nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein, e.V.) headquartered in Berlin with additional operations in Frankfurt am Main.

Product overview

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung (DGFP) operates as a professional association and network rather than a software product company. The organization offers a membership-based HR network (Germany's largest), the PERSONALFÜHRUNG professional magazine (10 issues annually), ERFA experience exchange groups, and the Future ManagerIn HR certification program developed with Zukunftsinstitut. Additional offerings include the Future Skills Radar research initiative, St.Galler Leadership Award (in partnership with University of St.Gallen), DGFP Think Tank, HR Future Community, events/conferences, and publications/studies. These services are structured as individual programs and publications rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DGFP Corporate and Individual Membership
• ERFA Experience-Exchange Groups
• PERSONALFÜHRUNG Magazine
• DGFP Events and Conferences
• DGFP Think Tank
• St.Galler Leadership Award
• Future Skills Radar
• Future ManagerIn HR Program
• HR Future Community

Named customers18 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institut für Führung und Personalmanagement (IFPM), Universität St.GallencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Co-organizer of the annual St.Galler Leadership Award with IFPM University of St.Gallen, awarding outstanding leadership initiatives in the German-speaking region
• ZukunftsinstitutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge partner for the HR Future ManagerIn certification program, providing future research and trend methodology expertise
• Bird & Bird LLPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational law firm partnering with DGFP for network events on HR topics including mobile work and workation legal challenges

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bitkom: Bitkom is Germany's largest digital industry association with a substantial HR/policy practice and enterprise member base (Siemens, Telekom, etc.). It competes for corporate mind-share on digital HR topics and overlaps with several DGFP member companies.

Direct peers

• AHRI (Australian HR Institute): AHRI is Australia's national HR professional association with ~20,000 members, offering the AHRI Certified HR Practitioner credential, research, and events. Comparable international peer with similar membership-plus-certification model.
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): SHRM is the largest HR professional association in the United States with ~300,000 members, offering certifications (SHRM-CP/SCP), publications, events, and learning. It is the most direct international analogue to DGFP, operating the same membership-and-certification model at larger scale.
• BPM (Bundesverband der Personalmanager): BPM is the German Federal Association of HR Managers, directly competing with DGFP for German HR decision-makers via networking, events, and publications. It is the closest domestic competitor for the same member persona.
• CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development): CIPD is the UK's professional body for HR and people development with ~160,000 members, offering chartered credentials, research, and events. It mirrors DGFP's structure as a chartered professional body with magazine publication (People Management) and certification programs.
• DGQ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Qualität): DGQ is a German professional association for quality management practitioners, operating the same membership/events/publication model as DGFP but serving the quality function. Strong structural analogue for cross-vertical professional association economics in Germany.
• Haufe Group (Haufe Personal / Personalmagazin): Haufe operates Personalmagazin, the main competing HR professional publication in Germany, alongside compliance and learning content. It competes most directly with PERSONALFÜHRUNG magazine for HR professional readership and advertising.

Emerging players

• Kienbaum: Kienbaum is a German HR and leadership consulting firm that publishes HR-related research, runs executive search, and hosts HR events. It competes with DGFP in the executive HR content and events space, though from a consulting-firm base rather than a member-association base.
• hkp /// group: hkp is a German HR advisory firm focused on compensation, governance, and HR effectiveness, with a research publication arm. It competes with DGFP in the HR executive research and benchmarking segment for DAX-level enterprises.

Regional players

• Zukunft Personal / CloserStill Media: Zukunft Personal is Europe's largest HR event trade fair (held in Cologne), organized by CloserStill Media. It competes with DGFP's events program for HR conference attendance and sponsorship budgets in the DACH market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/dgfp
• Xx.com/dgfp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung