What Direction Plus SA does

Direction Plus SA is a Swiss HR consulting firm headquartered in Nyon (with a Geneva regional office in Carouge), founded in 1982 under the name AC Direction and led since 2012 by CEO Daniel Villard. The firm serves enterprise clients across five primary verticals — Banking & Insurance, Medical & Healthcare, Industry, Training & Public Sector, and International/Multinational — providing assessment, coaching, organizational development, recruitment, and training services. Its core offerings include individual and group assessments, Development Centers, individual and team coaching, career transition support, recruitment, and customized training programs (Design Thinking, LIFO, conflict management, time management).

The company operates proprietary digital platforms that complement its in-person and remote consulting: Direction Plus Academy (e-learning), Profil+ (competency profiling, hosted at apps.directionplus.ch), and Psychomet (personality questionnaires). These platforms underpin assessment delivery and enable the firm to maintain service quality across remote and blended engagements, a capability it emphasized during the COVID-19 period. The firm holds the SQS Swiss Assessment certification (since 2013, most recently renewed in 2021) and the EduQua 2012 training certification, providing differentiated regulatory standing in the Swiss market.

The business model is professional services: engagements are quote-based, individually scoped, and delivered either on client sites, at Direction Plus offices, or remotely by the firm's own consultants — with no reseller or marketplace channels. The GTM motion is sales-led via direct outreach, referrals, and experiential events (e.g., 'Taste and Test' sessions), augmented by partnerships with HR consultancies, academic institutions (UNIL-HEC, EPFL Career Center), and digital marketing via SHAREFORCE. With a reported headcount of 7, the firm runs a lean boutique model, yet reports program delivery across more than 70 countries with regular on-the-ground presence in Paris, London, Kiev, Manila, and New York.

Name

Direction Plus SA

Legal name

Direction Plus SA

Website

https://directionplus.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Direction Plus SA is a Swiss boutique HR consulting firm (founded 1982, 7 employees) offering assessment, coaching, organizational development, recruitment, and training services to enterprise clients across banking, healthcare, industry, public sector, and multinational verticals, delivered through proprietary platforms (Profil+, Psychomet, Direction Plus Academy) and certified by SQS Swiss Assessment and EduQua.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR Consulting Services

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH)

Keywords

• HR consulting services
• Leadership assessment
• Executive coaching
• Organizational development
• Talent recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Nyon

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Assessment Services: Individual assessments for operational managers, middle management, and general management; Assessment Center group evaluations. Delivered in-person or remotely with structured psychometric instruments and detailed reporting.
2. Coaching and Career Transition Services: Individual and team coaching, career transition coaching, and individual accompaniment programs for senior managers and high-potential specialists.
3. Training and Development Programs: Customized training solutions including Design Thinking, LIFO method, conflict management, time management, remote management, sales strategy, and digitization of training courses. Delivered in-person, blended, or fully remote.
4. Recruitment Services: Talent acquisition and recruitment support including candidate search, screening, and onboarding accompaniment to ensure successful integration.
5. Organizational Consulting: Consulting and delegation services for strategy development, change management, Development Center intra-company programs, and group cohesion initiatives.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Direction Plus SA is a Swiss HR consulting firm that provides assessment, coaching, recruitment, and organizational development services. The company evaluates managerial competencies and leadership potential, delivers customized training programs (including Design Thinking, LIFO, conflict management, and time management), and supports career transitions for senior managers and high-potential specialists. It also operates proprietary digital platforms (Profil+ and Psychomet) for competency profiling and psychometric assessment to complement its consulting engagements.

Product overview

Direction Plus SA is a Swiss HR consulting firm offering a unified portfolio of human resources and organizational development services. The core offering consists of assessment services (Individual Assessment, Assessment Center), organizational development solutions (Development Center, Group Cohesion, Consulting, Individual Coaching), and training programs (Career Transition, Design Thinking, LIFO Method, Conflict Management, Time Management). The company also provides recruitment services and operates two digital platforms: Profil+ for competency profiling and Psychomet for psychometric assessments, which complement their in-person consulting services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PROFILplus: Competency profile platform for defining precise managerial skills profiles
• Psychometrics

Products and services

• Individual Assessment Comprehensive evaluation services for operational managers, middle management, and general management levels to assess competencies, potential, and leadership capabilities for hiring, succession planning, and development decisions.
• Assessment Center Group-based assessment program to determine qualities and potential of young or future managers, developing personalized action plans for organizational succession.
• Development Center Intra-Company Internal program to unify managerial culture, develop managerial competencies aligned with company strategy, and enable experimentation with new management practices.
• Group Cohesion Intra-Company Team-building program that transforms groups of employees into cohesive teams focused on common objectives, identifying synergies to optimize team effectiveness.
• Consulting and Delegation Strategic consulting services to help companies develop or adapt strategies, anticipate systemic changes, and address current and future business challenges.
• Individual Coaching Personalized coaching for senior managers and high-potential specialists to develop competencies and achieve strategic project impact through targeted development plans.
• Career Transition Coaching Personalized support service to help individuals assess needs and skills, develop employability, and successfully navigate career transitions.
• Design Thinking Method Training Innovation-focused training program teaching the 5 stages of Design Thinking methodology to develop individual and team creative and innovative capacities.
• LIFO Method Training Behavioral style assessment and development methodology that maximizes individual potential, improves team dynamics, and facilitates interpersonal communication.
• Conflict Management Training Professional development program teaching theoretical principles and practical techniques for managing conflicts in professional and managerial settings.
• Work Organization and Time Management Training Skills development program for setting objectives, understanding personal impact on organization, allocating resources, and making informed decisions.
• Recruitment Services Talent acquisition services matching candidate skills with position requirements, providing comprehensive candidate selection and supporting new hire integration.
• Profil+ Platform Proprietary competency profiling web platform enabling definition of precise managerial competency profiles with coaching and assessment tools.
• Psychomet Platform Proprietary psychometric assessment web platform providing personality questionnaires and objective, reliable feedback on personal functioning for professional development.
• Direction Plus Academy Online training platform providing access to interactive and engaging self-learning resources for professional development of employees and managers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recruitment error costs reduced to 0.5 to 2 times the annual salary for the position when using assessment services
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• SHAREFORCEminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018SHAREFORCE (shareforce.ch) helped Direction Plus develop its new website in 2018, marking the beginning of a collaborative relationship. The company is open to discussing various collaboration formats with innovative startups, freelancers, and research institutions.
• Voisins105 (Coworking Space)minorOthers · 1 January 2018Voisins105 is the coworking space in La Praille, Geneva, where Direction Plus opened its Geneva office on June 1, 2018. The 850m2 building offers private offices, meeting rooms, and shared workspaces.
• BConminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCon (bconglobal.com) is listed as a partner on the Direction Plus partners page. Nature of partnership not explicitly detailed in available sources.
• CEP (Centre d'Enseignement et de Perfectionnement)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEP (cep.swiss) is listed as a partner on the Direction Plus partners page. Nature of partnership not explicitly detailed in available sources.
• SkillspiritminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkillspirit (skillspirit.fr) is listed as a partner on the Direction Plus partners page. Nature of partnership not explicitly detailed in available sources.
• UNIL-HEC (Prof. Schmid-Mast)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with the HEC faculty of the University of Lausanne (UNIL) for the exploration of younger generations' needs and collaborative research on leadership development.
• EPFL Career CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the EPFL Career Center for exploring the needs of young graduates and understanding evolving career development requirements in the digital era.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Korn Ferry: Global leader in talent management and organizational consulting with adjacent assessment, leadership development, and executive search offerings. Comparable to Direction Plus because both serve enterprise clients with psychometric assessment and leadership development programs, though Korn Ferry operates at vastly greater scale.
• Hogan Assessments: Personality assessment provider for leadership development, hiring, and executive coaching with globally normed psychometrics. Comparable because both offer personality/competency assessment tools sold to HR and applied in coaching and leadership development engagements.
• Kienbaum: European HR and leadership consulting firm offering assessment, executive search, and organizational development. Comparable because both serve mid-market and enterprise European clients (including German-speaking adjacent to the Swiss Romandie market) with leadership advisory and assessment.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): Global leadership and assessment center specialist working with multinational employers on selection, development, and succession. Comparable because both run assessment center programs, deliver leadership development curricula, and serve regulated industries.
• SHL (Expleo): Provider of psychometric assessments, talent analytics, and assessment center solutions for enterprise HR globally. Comparable because both build assessment methodologies, run assessment centers for large employers, and ship tools to enterprise HR teams.
• Egon Zehnder: Swiss-founded global executive search and leadership advisory firm with assessment and leadership development practices. Comparable because both operate from Switzerland, advise boards/HR on executive succession, and run proprietary leadership assessment work.
• RHR International: Boutique consultancy specializing in CEO/executive development, peer groups, and Board advisory grounded in psychological assessment. Comparable because both are boutique by design, partner with senior leaders, and ground development work in psychometrics and assessment.
• LHH (Lee Hecht Harrison, an Adecco Group company): Global provider of career transition, leadership development, and assessment services to enterprise clients. Comparable because both offer career transition coaching, leadership development, and assessment-driven talent solutions to the same enterprise buyers.

Regional players

• IMD Business School: Swiss-based executive education and leadership development institution in Lausanne delivering executive programs and customized corporate solutions. Comparable because both operate from the Lausanne/Nyon area, serve Swiss and international executives, and compete for corporate leadership development budgets.

Broad incumbents

• CEB/Gartner (Talent Assessment): Global research and advisory firm (formerly CEB SHRM) with leadership and assessment research offerings targeting HR and talent leaders. Comparable because it sells research-backed leadership insights and assessment benchmarks to enterprise HR the same buyers as Direction Plus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/directionplus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Direction Plus SA