Lautenbach

What Lautenbach does

Lautenbach, now operating as complement: through its legal entity Complement Advisors GmbH, is a Frankfurt am Main-based management consulting firm specializing in the strategic positioning and organizational development of corporate communications functions. Founded by Christoph Lautenbach in 2004 as Lautenbach Sass and re-established under the current brand in April 2026 alongside co-Managing Partner Georg Lahme, the firm serves Chief Communication Officers and Chief Marketing Officers of DAX40 corporations, international enterprises, and leading German Mittelstand companies, with a cumulative track record of more than 400 strategy and organizational projects across 100+ organizations. The offering is structured around three consulting service lines — Strategy (stakeholder mapping, purpose and positioning development, narrative and topic architecture, KPI systems), Organisation (structure and process analysis, communications audits, corporate newsroom design, agile collaboration models), and Transformation (implementation support, coaching, training, competency assessments) — supplemented by two proprietary methodology frameworks: the Communication Business Model, a four-block framework that adapts the business model concept to corporate communications, and the Communication Benchmarking methodology, developed through a 2017-2022 industry initiative involving more than 50 companies.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees on project and retainer bases typical of management consulting boutiques, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The go-to-market is direct enterprise engagement rather than intermediated sales: engagements begin with structured conversations about communications challenges and evolve into project mandates or multi-year advisory partnerships, evidenced by one DAX 40 technology relationship exceeding 15 years. Distribution relies on thought-leadership content, LinkedIn presence, and referral-driven relationships rather than channel partners, and the firm operates only within Europe. There is no disclosed external investor; ownership is held by the founding partners, consistent with a partner-led boutique model. Notable intellectual property includes the academic adoption of the CBM framework at the University of Leipzig, RSM Rotterdam School of Management, and BI Norwegian Business School, and a benchmarking dataset that is difficult for competitors to replicate without comparable multi-year industry participation.

Name

Lautenbach

Legal name

Complement Advisors GmbH

Website

https://lautenbachsass.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lautenbach, operating as complement: (Complement Advisors GmbH), is a Frankfurt-based management consultancy advising CCOs and CMOs at DAX40 corporates, international enterprises, and leading Mittelstand on corporate communications strategy, organizational design, and transformation, anchored by proprietary Communication Business Model and Benchmarking frameworks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Turnaround, Restructuring & Crisis Management Consulting (BPAHACAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

HR Technology (HRIS/HCM) Advisory & Implementation (BPAHAGAG)

Keywords

• Management consulting services
• Communications strategy consulting
• Organizational development advisory
• Corporate communications consulting
• Change management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfort

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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. Management Consulting Services: Strategy consulting and organizational development for corporate communications departments. Engagements include strategy development, organization design, and transformation support. Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a project and retainer basis, typical for management consulting engagements with enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lautenbach is a management consulting firm providing strategy, organizational, and transformation advisory services for corporate communications departments of DAX40 companies, international corporations, and leading mid-sized companies. The firm delivers three core service lines — Strategy Consulting, Organisation Consulting, and Transformation Consulting — supplemented by two proprietary methodology frameworks: the Communication Business Model (CBM) and Communication Benchmarking. Engagements include stakeholder mappings, communications audits, organizational redesign, change management, and implementation support for communication teams.

Product overview

Lautenbach (now operating as complement:) is a management consultancy specializing in corporate communications strategy and organizational development. Rather than a unified software product, the offering consists of three core consulting service lines — Strategy, Organisation, and Transformation — supplemented by two proprietary methodology frameworks: the Communication Business Model (CBM) and Communication Benchmarking. The consulting services include stakeholder analysis, communications audits, organizational redesign, change management, and implementation support. The CBM framework provides a structured approach to modeling and optimizing communications departments, while Communication Benchmarking offers comparative analysis of communications organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Consulting Strategic communications consulting including stakeholder mappings, pulse checks, brand and reputation studies, purpose and values development, corporate positioning, narrative development, communications strategies, thematic architectures, KPI systems, and management reporting. Targeted at CCOs and CMOs of DAX40 companies and international corporations.
• Organisation Consulting Organizational development for marketing and communications departments including structure and process analysis, communications audits, benchmarking, organizational redesign, corporate newsroom implementation, agile collaboration models, and guidelines development. Targeted at communications leaders in enterprises and leading mid-sized companies.
• Transformation Consulting Change management and implementation support for communications teams including coaching, leadership enablement, peer-to-peer exchange, team workshops, toolbox development, prototyping, training programs, and competency assessments. Targeted at communications leaders implementing change initiatives.
• Communication Business Model (CBM) Framework A proprietary framework adapting the business model concept to corporate communications, describing how a communications unit operates, what services it offers, how it creates value, and how it distributes resources. Used for identifying optimization opportunities and demonstrating value to management. Delivered as part of consulting engagements.
• Communication Benchmarking A data-driven methodology for comparing communications organizations on resources, structures, and processes to enable realistic assessment, identify development potential, and build resource arguments for management. The Communication Benchmarking Initiative (2017-2022) involved more than 50 companies and shaped industry standards for Communication Benchmarking.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ strategy and organizational projects completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Communication Benchmarking InitiativecoreOthers · 1 January 2017An industry-wide benchmarking initiative co-initiated by Lautenbach Sass where between 2017 and 2022 more than 50 companies from various industries participated. The initiative shaped and co-developed the methodology and discourse around standards for Communication Benchmarking.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Brunswick Group: Global strategic communications and advisory firm serving large corporations on stakeholder communications, M&A, and reputation. Comparable to Lautenbach on corporate communications strategy services for major listed enterprises.
• Hill+Knowlton Strategies: Global communications consultancy offering corporate communications strategy, change management, and CCO advisory. Overlaps with Lautenbach on enterprise communications strategy work, though at significantly larger scale.
• MSL Germany (Publicis Groupe): Global communications network with strong German presence serving major corporates on communications strategy and CCO advisory. Comparable in DAX 40 communications strategy work, but embedded within a global holding group.
• FleishmanHillard: Global PR and communications agency offering strategic communications, change management, and reputation advisory. Overlaps with Lautenbach on communications strategy work for enterprise clients, though within a much broader integrated marketing offering.
• FGS Global (formerly Hering Schuppener): Large international strategic communications advisory serving DAX-listed corporations and global enterprises. Overlaps directly in corporate communications strategy and CCO advisory, but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.
• FTI Consulting (Strategic Communications): Global advisory firm with a large strategic communications practice serving corporations on reputation, change, and stakeholder communication. Comparable at the strategic communications advisory layer though bundled into a broader consulting platform.

Direct peers

• Klenk & Hoursch: Frankfurt-based communications consultancy and prior employer of co-founder Georg Lahme. Directly comparable in size, geography, and DAX 40 client focus, operating in the same corporate communications strategy and transformation niche.
• Kekst CNC: International strategic communications consultancy advising corporates on positioning, change communication, and stakeholder engagement. Direct competitor in the communications strategy advisory space serving large enterprises.

Regional players

• Dr. Böckmann & Partner: DACH-focused communications consultancy serving German enterprises. Comparable as a regional boutique serving the same Mittelstand and DAX client segments, though smaller and more agency-rooted than Lautenbach.

Emerging players

• Schwartz Communication: German strategic communications advisory focused on corporate positioning and stakeholder communication. Comparable niche focus and DACH client base, but smaller scale and earlier stage than Lautenbach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lautenbachsass
• Xx.com/lautenbachsass

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 Lautenbach