LEP Consultants AG

What LEP Consultants AG does

LEP Consultants AG is a privately held Swiss planning consultancy headquartered in Glattpark (Zurich) with a wholly-owned subsidiary in Kunming, China (Kunming LEP Consultants Co., Ltd., established February 2016). Founded in November 2007 as a spin-off of ETH Zurich, the firm delivers spatial and environmental planning, smart city planning, environmental planning, urban and landscape planning, real estate development consultancy, urban regeneration, capacity building, partner facilitation, and process support services to public authorities, international development organizations, and private developers across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

The firm's underlying technology stack is built around Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for multi-criteria spatial analysis, Systems Engineering (SE) methodology for interdisciplinary iterative planning, and 3D urban and landscape visualization. These are supplemented by a suite of analytical tools including Scenario Technique, Negative and Positive Planning, Top-down and Bottom-up Planning, PPP Models, PESTLE Analysis, and Porter's Five Forces. The methodology portfolio was developed through ETH Zurich research and refined across more than 18 years of project delivery.

LEP operates a project-based fee-for-service model, securing engagements through international tenders (ADB, SECO, World Bank), bilateral government cooperation frameworks (SDC, SECO), and direct outreach to cantonal, municipal, and Chinese provincial authorities. Its primary customer base is public-sector institutional buyers, with anchor relationships spanning the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Asian Development Bank (ADB), UN-Habitat, multiple Swiss cantons and municipalities, and several Chinese city and county administrations. Private-sector exposure is narrower and concentrated in Yunnan-based real estate and beverage clients. The firm is led by CEO Diego Salmeron alongside a partner group that includes Suman Rana, Dr. Thomas Wagner (former Zurich Mayor), Markus Eggenberger, and Carole Eggenberger, following the January 2024 passing of co-founder and former Board President Prof. em. Willy A. Schmid.

Name

LEP Consultants AG

Legal name

LEP Consultants AG

Website

https://lepconsultants.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

LEP Consultants AG is a Swiss spatial and environmental planning consultancy, ETH Zurich spin-off (2007), serving public authorities and international development organizations across Europe, Asia, and Latin America via project-based GIS and Systems Engineering methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHACAA

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Management Consulting

SECONDARYBPAHACAK

Sustainability & ESG Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Management Consulting

SECONDARYBPAJANAC

Real Estate Development & Feasibility Advisory (Highest-and-Best-Use, Entitlements Support)

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Real Estate Advisory & Consulting (Investment, Strategy)

Keywords

• Spatial planning services
• Urban development consulting
• Environmental planning
• GIS-based planning
• Real estate consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: LEP generates revenue through fee-for-service consulting engagements with public authorities, government agencies, private companies, and international development organizations. Projects are typically scoped engagements (master plans, feasibility studies, process facilitation) billed on a per-project basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LEP Consultants AG is a Swiss planning consultancy that delivers spatial and environmental planning services to public authorities and private developers. The firm provides strategic policy advice, master planning, smart city planning, environmental studies, urban regeneration, real estate development consulting, capacity building, and process facilitation. Service delivery is supported by proprietary analytical methodologies including GIS-based multi-criteria decision support, Systems Engineering, 3D visualization, and scenario-based planning techniques.

Product overview

LEP Consultants AG is a Swiss planning and consulting firm that offers a comprehensive portfolio of integrated planning services. The core offering consists of strategic spatial planning, smart city planning, environmental planning, urban and landscape planning, real estate development consultancy, urban regeneration, capacity building, and partner facilitation services. These are supported by a suite of analytical tools and methodologies including Systems Engineering (SE), Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Scenario Technique, Negative and Positive Planning, Top-down and Bottom-up Planning, PPP Models, PESTLE Analysis, and PORTER Analysis. The firm operates internationally with offices in Zurich (Switzerland) and Kunming (China), serving government agencies, regional authorities, local governments, and private developers across multiple countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Spatial Planning Strategic policy advice and research to government agencies, regional departments and local authorities relating to town planning, land use, construction, housing, economic development, infrastructure provision, transportation systems and sustainability.
• Smart City Planning Urban planning services using up-to-date practices for generating improved living environments under targeted economic transformation, incorporating smart technologies related to building construction, transportation, and infrastructure.
• Environmental Planning Variable range of environmental studies supplying necessary ingredients for final decision-making on space-relevant activities, working on the principle of amplifying synergies between land modelling and land use allocations.
• Urban and Landscape Planning Urban and landscape designs supported by digital three-dimensional representation of spatial plans and design elements, employing participatory spatial planning and 3D visualization of geo-information coupled with GIS technology.
• Real Estate Development Consultancy Complete range of services from site identification to detailed developmental designs, including economic feasibility analysis, market analysis, development positioning, and business model formulation with defined program elements and implementation strategy.
• Urban Regeneration Consultancy for redeveloping, renovating or rehabilitating areas within a city that become obsolete and are gradually abandoned, including reorganization of urban spaces, spatial transformation, conservation, renewal, brownfield regeneration, economic revitalisation, and cultural preservation.
• Capacity Building Training via workshops and seminars for updated planning methods, tools and techniques; organisation of visits to Swiss and European cities and key Swiss agencies; and dissemination of pilot project results at seminars and conferences.
• Partner Facilitation Support in developing partnerships with Swiss companies and investors, including development of partnering strategy, identification of international business partners, and facilitation of agreements and contracting.
• Process Support Professional facilitation of processes including project development, identification and image processes, change management, stakeholder management, community participation, development of visions and strategies, workshops, and public-private partnerships.

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AllianzminorOthersAllianz provides insurance solutions to LEP Consultants AG as a service partner.
• SwisscomminorOthersSwisscom provides telecommunication services to LEP Consultants AG as a service partner.
• Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB)minorOthersZKB provides financial services to LEP Consultants AG as a service partner.
• Zurich InsuranceminorOthersZurich provides insurance services to LEP Consultants AG as a service partner.
• Prager DreifussminorOthersPrager Dreifuss provides attorney-at-law services to LEP Consultants AG as a service partner.
• Salzmann Consulting TreuhandminorOthersSalzmann Consulting Treuhand provides accounting services to LEP Consultants AG as a service partner.
• Steca TreuhandminorOthersSteca Treuhand provides HR administration services to LEP Consultants AG as a service partner.
• GoeldiminorOthersGoeldi provides webmaster services to LEP Consultants AG as a service partner.
• Holger Bazali (holgerbazali.com)minorOthersHolger Bazali provides corporate identity and communication services to LEP Consultants AG as a service partner.
• Landnetwork GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandnetwork GmbH is the lead partner in the Swiss Land Management Network consortium together with LEP for SECO-funded urban cadastre improvement projects in Peru and Colombia (SAM SECO). The consortium conducted joint technical advisory missions and study trips to Switzerland for delegations from Colombia and Peru.
• Acht Grad Ost AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcht Grad Ost AG is part of the Swiss Land Management Network consortium with LEP for SECO-funded SAM urban cadastre projects in Peru and Colombia.
• Swissphoto AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwissphoto AG is part of the Swiss Land Management Network consortium with LEP for SECO-funded SAM urban cadastre projects in Peru and Colombia.
• Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSECO selected the Swiss Land Management Network consortium (with LEP as partner) to support ongoing cadastre improvement projects of the World Bank in Peru and Colombia. SECO co-finances the Naryn Urban Resilience Programme (NURP) in Kyrgyzstan where Geotest invited LEP to participate.
• Geotest AGcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeotest AG invited LEP to participate in the Naryn Urban Resilience Programme (NURP) in Kyrgyzstan, co-financed by SECO. Geotest and LEP support SECO in quality control of the project. Geotest also partnered with LEP for a technical backstopping mission in Khorog, Tajikistan.
• Swiss Waters (瑞士水务公司)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEP and Swiss Waters jointly signed project contracts with Nanchang Airport Economic Zone and Honggutan New District in Nanchang, China, providing environmental planning, landscape planning, and infrastructure planning services.
• Sino-Foreign Construction Engineering Design and Consulting (中外建工程设计与顾问有限公司)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEP supports Sino-Foreign Construction Engineering Design and Consulting in developing the spatial master plan for Weixi Autonomous County in Yunnan Province.
• Tongyuan Planning (云南同元空间规划设计集团)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEP and Tongyuan Planning were commissioned by the Yunnan Provincial Department of Natural Resources to develop the new spatial master plan for Binchuan County (2021-2035) in Dali Prefecture.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerADB selected LEP to provide urban management consulting services for the Phuentsholing Town Development Project (PTDP) in Bhutan, supporting the local project implementation organization with planning and management.
• Hunan UniversityminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHunan University invited LEP to participate in the annual territorial spatial planning conference of the China Society of Natural Resources.
• Kunming University of Science and TechnologyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKunming University of Science and Technology invited LEP to participate in the 2nd Asian Architecture Students Colloquium (AASC), where Diego Salmeron presented on the Sino-Swiss Low Carbon Cities project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HOLINGER AG: Swiss engineering and planning consultancy with international development project work in water, environment, and spatial planning. Comparable to LEP in methodology, public-sector client base, and use of multidisciplinary teams.
• EBP (Ernst Basler + Partner): EBP is a Swiss planning and consulting firm offering spatial, environmental, and infrastructure consulting. Directly comparable to LEP in services offered (urban planning, environmental assessment, GIS) and target customers (Swiss public authorities, international development clients).
• Landnetwork GmbH: Swiss land management consultancy and LEP's consortium lead partner on SECO-funded SAM urban cadastre projects in Peru and Colombia. Directly comparable in spatial planning, land management, and development cooperation work.
• IC Infraconsult AG: Swiss infrastructure and development consultancy active in transport, water, and urban development projects in developing countries. Comparable to LEP due to similar SDC/SECO-funded international development project presence and methodology.
• Geotest AG: Swiss geotechnical and environmental consultancy that partners with LEP on SDC/SECO-funded projects in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Comparable on international development cooperation projects and integrated planning methodology.

Broad incumbents

• Basler & Hofmann AG: Established Swiss engineering and planning firm with broader service portfolio than LEP. Compares on spatial planning, environmental studies, and BIM/GIS-based methodology, though it serves larger-scale infrastructure projects.
• WSP Global: Global planning and engineering consultancy with extensive urban development and environmental planning practice. Comparable to LEP in service areas, though vastly larger in headcount and geographic footprint.
• Arup Group: Global engineering and planning consultancy active in smart city planning, master planning, and resilient urban design. Often competes with LEP in development-bank-funded urban projects, though at a much larger scale.
• Sweco Group: Europe's largest architecture and engineering consultancy with urban planning, environmental consulting, and GIS practice. Comparable to LEP in service offering, but operates at a much larger scale and with broader geographic reach.

Others

• Sino-Swiss Business Council (consulting arm): Thematic peer — bilateral organization facilitating Swiss-Chinese business and development cooperation. Compares to LEP's role in facilitating Sino-Swiss municipal partnerships and private-sector matchmaking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 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 LEP Consultants AG