The Skills Group
The Skills Group is a Vienna-based, full-service PR and communications consulting agency founded in 1984, serving enterprise, institutional, government, and NGO clients across finance, health, technology, ESG, and public affairs. Operating within the Team Farner network, it ranks among Austria's leading communications firms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersVienna, Austria
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Skills Group does
The Skills Group GmbH is a Vienna-based, full-service public relations and communications consulting agency founded in 1984 and operating as a privately held Austrian limited liability company. The firm serves enterprise, institutional, government, and NGO clients across verticals including finance and consulting, health and pharma, industry and logistics, institutions and associations, technology and IT, brands and trade, tourism and culture, construction, and education. Its service portfolio spans Strategy & Consulting, Crisis Communication, Internal Communications and Employer Branding, PR and Media, Digital and Video, ESG and Sustainability Communication, Coaching and Training, AI Guidelines advisory, and Innovation and Start-ups support, delivered through a consultative enterprise sales motion and custom project-based pricing.
The agency's business model is professional services revenue: custom-quoted retainers and project fees from named long-term clients such as Mars Austria (30-year relationship), Google, American Express, SAP Austria, Wienerberger, the Austrian National Bank, the Austrian Parliament, and the Austrian Power Grid, supplemented by pro-bono work for NGOs. It holds the Austrian PR-Gütezeichen, the PRVA Code of Honor, and the Österreichisches Staatswappen (the first PR agency in Austria to receive the State Coat of Arms in 2015), and was the first certified family-friendly PR agency in Austria (2019). The agency operates as part of the TEAM FARNER Austria network, under which it ranked #1 in the Horizont-PR-Ranking 2024.
The firm's competitive position rests on accumulated brand equity (40+ years), a dense award record (Staatspreis PR, ICCO, SABRE, IPRA), and curated sector expertise in sensitive topics (crisis, health, ESG, public affairs). Its two commercial managing directors, Jürgen H. Gangoly and Jörg Wollmann, lead a team of 11-50 employees. There is no disclosed external funding, parent company, M&A activity, or product/technology build-out beyond consulting services; the agency is a mature, profitable professional services firm with moderate incremental expansion into ESG and AI advisory.
The Skills Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Skills Group
- Legal name
- The Skills Group GmbH
- Website
- https://skills.at
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Skills Group is a Vienna-based, full-service PR and communications consulting agency founded in 1984, serving enterprise, institutional, government, and NGO clients across finance, health, technology, ESG, and public affairs. Operating within the Team Farner network, it ranks among Austria's leading communications firms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Skills Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Relations and Communications Consulting
- NAICS
- Public Relations Agencies (54182)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)
Keywords
Where The Skills Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vienna
- HQ country
- Austria
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Skills Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- PR and Communications Consulting Services: Full-service public relations and communications consulting agency providing strategic communication, crisis communication, internal communications, employer branding, digital and video services, ESG communications, coaching, training, and AI guidelines to corporate and institutional clients.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
The Skills Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Skills Group is a full-service public relations and communications consulting agency that develops and executes strategic communications programs for enterprise and institutional clients. Core services include strategy and consulting, crisis communication, internal communications and employer branding, PR and media relations, digital and video production, ESG and sustainability communications, coaching and training, and AI guidelines advisory. The agency serves clients across industries including finance, healthcare, technology, energy, government institutions, NGOs, and consumer brands, with engagements custom-scoped per client.
Product overview
The Skills Group is a full-service PR and communications consulting agency operating since 1984. The company offers a unified service portfolio organized around strategic communications expertise, including Strategy & Consulting, Crisis Communication, Internal Communications & Employer Branding, Innovation & Start-ups, PR & Media, Digital & Video, ESG and Sustainability Communication, Coaching & Training, AI Guidelines, and exclusive proprietary offerings. Services are delivered across industry-specific verticals including Construction & Architecture, Education & Research, Finance & Consulting, Health & Pharma, Industry & Logistics, Institutions & Associations, Brands & Trade, NGO & Pro Bono, Technology & IT, and Tourism & Culture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Full Service Public Relations
Companies that use The Skills Group
Customer profileNamed customers29 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Skills Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Skills Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TEAM FARNER AustriacoreSkills operates as part of TEAM FARNER Austria, a network of partner agencies that achieved 1st place in the Horizont-PR-Ranking 2024. The agency group combines multiple PR agencies under this umbrella brand for shared resources, expertise, and market positioning.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Skills Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Edelman: World's largest PR firm, with European hubs serving the same global enterprise and government clients as The Skills Group. Competes at the top end of the Austrian market for cross-border mandates and brings substantially larger scale.
- Hill+Knowlton: Global PR and public-affairs network with European offices that compete for the same multinational briefs as The Skills Group in DACH. Offers a wider portfolio and global reach than The Skills Group, but overlaps on crisis, public affairs, and corporate communications work.
- Ketchum: Global PR and communications network with a substantial Austrian and DACH presence. Competes with The Skills Group for multinational briefs that require cross-market delivery, and offers a broader portfolio that includes public affairs and brand marketing.
- FleishmanHillard: Global PR and integrated communications agency with European operations covering DACH markets. Overlaps with The Skills Group on enterprise, public-affairs, and crisis work, particularly for multinational clients active in Austria.
Regional players
- Hering Schuppener: Germany-headquartered strategic communications and public-affairs consultancy (part of FTI Consulting). Directly comparable on corporate, capital-markets, and public-affairs work for DACH enterprise clients, with primary geographic focus on Germany rather than Austria.
- FAKTOR 3: Independent German full-service PR and communications agency with a similar broad vertical and service-line portfolio. Comparable in size and positioning to The Skills Group, but operating primarily in the German market.
Direct peers
- Farner Consulting: Swiss-headquartered PR and communications consultancy that is the core partner of the TEAM FARNER network alongside The Skills Group. Operates the same full-service PR model and shares joint pitches, awards positioning, and the TEAM FARNER Austria umbrella that delivered the #1 Horizont ranking in 2024.
- 365 Sherpas: Vienna-headquartered full-service PR and communications consultancy serving enterprise and public-sector clients in Austria. Direct Austrian peer competing for the same brand, government, and NGO mandates as The Skills Group.
- segmenta communications: Vienna-based full-service PR and communications agency of comparable size, serving Austrian enterprise, government, and NGO clients. Directly comparable on geography, service breadth, and mid-market positioning against The Skills Group.
- Rosam.Pirker: Austrian PR and public-affairs agency with strong public-sector, NGO, and corporate clients in Vienna. Comparable in geographic footprint, full-service positioning, and competing for the same Austrian enterprise and institutional RFPs as The Skills Group.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Skills Group social profiles
Digital presenceThe Skills Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
The Skills Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Skills Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Skills Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Skills Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Skills Group
What does The Skills Group do?
The Skills Group is a full-service public relations and communications consulting agency that develops and executes strategic communications programs for enterprise and institutional clients. Core services include strategy and consulting, crisis communication, internal communications and employer branding, PR and media relations, digital and video production, ESG and sustainability communications, coaching and training, and AI guidelines advisory. The agency serves clients across industries including finance, healthcare, technology, energy, government institutions, NGOs, and consumer brands, with engagements custom-scoped per client.
Is The Skills Group a public or private company?
The Skills Group is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was The Skills Group founded?
The Skills Group was founded in 1984. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Skills Group based?
The Skills Group is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, in the Europe region.
How does The Skills Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: PR and Communications Consulting Services.
Who are The Skills Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Edelman, Hill+Knowlton, Ketchum and FleishmanHillard. Regional players are Hering Schuppener and FAKTOR 3. Direct peers are Farner Consulting, 365 Sherpas, segmenta communications and Rosam.Pirker.
Does The Skills Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Skills Group.
What industry is The Skills Group in?
The Skills Group's product category is Public Relations and Communications Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAA, Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies. Its NAICS code is 54182 and its SIC code is 7311.