Human Relations Gmbh

What Human Relations Gmbh does

Human Relations GmbH is a privately held Swiss executive search and HR consulting firm headquartered in St. Gallen, with four additional offices in Zürich, Bern, Luzern (Sisikon), and Lausanne (Etoy), providing coverage of German-, French-, and Italian-speaking Switzerland. The firm operates a dual-service model structured around "Connecting" (executive search, headhunting, direct search, management and specialist recruiting, funnel recruiting, hybrid funnel recruiting) and "Developing" (assessment, organizational development and coaching, talent management, leadership training, outplacement, employer branding). It serves a heterogeneous mix of Swiss SMEs, mid-market firms, larger enterprises, and public administration clients across industries including manufacturing, healthcare, IT, finance/insurance, retail/consumer, and automotive.

The business model is professional-services fee-based with milestone billing (typically 25% at mandate assignment, longlist, post-interview, and contract signing) for executive search mandates. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with a second-position discount of 20% on repeat placements and a minimum 80% of full fee for part-time placements. Revenue is generated through direct and field sales, with senior consultants personally conducting the full recruitment lifecycle from direct candidate outreach through interviews to post-placement support. The funnel recruiting methodology uses video content and targeted outreach to generate high passive-candidate volumes (e.g., 150 applications in 1.5 months for Senevita; 90 applications in 5 months for Datimo IT-Solutions).

The technology infrastructure is built entirely on standard off-the-shelf tools — CRM, applicant tracking via recruitcrm.io, Zoom and Microsoft Teams for video interviews, Microsoft Bookings and Calendly for scheduling, and LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram/TikTok for candidate sourcing — rather than any proprietary platform. The firm documents approximately 14 senior professionals across its offices, including managing partners, senior consultants, talent acquisition specialists, employer branding experts, and research staff. Recent strategic activity centers on hiring a Digital Talent Acquisition Expert (Raphael Eberle) to drive process digitization and adding a dedicated researcher (Alexa Bosshard, effective November 2025) to strengthen headhunting capacity.

Name

Human Relations Gmbh

Legal name

Human Relations GmbH

Website

https://humanrelations.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Human Relations GmbH is a Swiss boutique executive search and HR consulting firm operating from five offices across German, French, and Italian-speaking Switzerland, serving SMEs, mid-market firms, enterprises, and public administration with recruiting, assessment, leadership training, and organizational development services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Recruitment Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAFAA

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Permanent Placement & Direct Hire

SECONDARYBPACAFAO

Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Permanent Placement & Direct Hire

SECONDARYBPAHACAE

Human Capital & Workforce Transformation Consulting

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

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Headhunting recruitment
• Leadership coaching
• Employer branding
• Talent management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search & Headhunting Services: Contingency-based professional services for executive and senior management recruitment. Billing follows a milestone structure: 1/4 at mandate assignment, 1/4 at candidate longlist presentation, 1/4 after interviews, 1/4 at employment contract signing. Part-time placements charged at minimum 80% of full fee. Multiple placements from same mandate receive 20% discount on 2nd and subsequent placements.
2. Funnelrecruiting & Hybrid Funnelrecruiting: Modern candidate attraction methodology using video content and targeted outreach to generate high volumes of applications from passive candidates. Revenue derived as part of broader recruitment mandates.
3. Assessment, Coaching & Training Services: Organizational development, leadership training, outplacement, and talent management services offered as standalone or bundled offerings. Additional charges apply for graphological assessments, tests, translations, and travel.
4. Employer Branding Services: Employer branding consulting, delivered as part of integrated HR service packages or standalone mandates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Human Relations GmbH is a Swiss HR consulting firm that recruits executive, management, and specialist talent for companies and public institutions across Switzerland (Executive Search, Headhunting, Direct Search, Funnelrecruiting, Hybrid-Funnelrecruiting). Beyond recruitment, it provides talent development services including assessments, organizational development and coaching, leadership training (Führungsschulung), outplacement, and employer branding, under a dual 'Connecting and Developing' service portfolio.

Product overview

Human Relations Gmbh is a Swiss HR consulting firm offering a dual-service portfolio branded as 'Connecting' and 'Developing.' The Connecting services include executive search, headhunting, direct search, recruiting for management and specialist positions, Funnelrecruiting, and Hybrid-Funnelrecruiting. The Developing services encompass assessment, organizational development with coaching and talent management, leadership training, outplacement, and employer branding. The company operates from five offices (Zürich, Bern, Luzern, St. Gallen, Lausanne) and serves clients across German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland with multilingual capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Executive search service for identifying and recruiting senior-level executives and leadership positions in Swiss companies across all industries and language regions.
• Headhunting Direct approach recruitment service targeting passive candidates through trilingual outreach across Switzerland.
• Direct Search Proactive candidate sourcing method combining direct outreach with comprehensive market research to identify and engage qualified candidates.
• Recruiting von Führungs- und Fachkräften Recruitment service specializing in placing management and specialist-level talent across various industries in Switzerland.
• Funnelrecruiting Modern recruitment method using video-based candidate attraction and engagement funnels to reach passive job seekers through targeted marketing approaches.
• Hybrid-Funnelrecruiting Combined recruiting approach integrating funnel-based candidate attraction with traditional executive search methodologies.
• Assessment Candidate and employee evaluation service including competency assessments and potential analysis for hiring and development decisions, with graphological assessments and tests available at additional charge.
• Organisationsentwicklung, Coaching und Talentmanagement Organizational development consulting combined with executive coaching and talent management programs to foster professional growth.
• Führungsschulung (Leadership Training) Leadership training programs designed for executives and managers, available in German and French.
• Outplacement Career transition support service for departing employees including coaching and job search assistance.
• Employer Branding Employer branding service to help organizations strengthen their employer brand and attract top talent.

Quantifiable outcome

• Senevita AG received 150 online applications in 1.5 months via funnel recruiting, hiring 15 employees
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers27 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

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Adecco: Swiss-headquartered global staffing and workforce solutions leader. While primarily volume/temporary staffing, Adecco also operates executive search and career transition (outplacement) lines that overlap with Human Relations' 'Connecting' and 'Developing' offerings.
• Randstad: Global HR services firm with significant Swiss presence across staffing, permanent placement, outplacement (Randstad RiseSmart) and talent development. Adjacent incumbent overlap with Human Relations' multi-service model.
• Hays: Global recruitment and workforce solutions firm with extensive Swiss operations. Comparable across permanent placement and specialist/executive search, though Hays also covers volume staffing and RPO at greater scale.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm combining executive search with talent management, assessment and leadership development. Overlaps Human Relations' 'Connecting + Developing' dual model but at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Most direct comparable to Human Relations' executive search, board advisory and leadership development offerings, though at a far larger global scale and serving large-cap enterprises.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong European presence. Comparable in executive search, leadership assessment and culture shaping services targeting mid-market to enterprise clients.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with assessment, leadership advisory and succession planning services. Direct overlap with Human Relations' executive search and talent development offerings, including serving public-sector and industrial clients.
• Robert Walters: Global recruitment firm with deep European and particularly strong Swiss presence across permanent and interim placement. Comparable in mid-to-senior permanent placement across multiple industries.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search and leadership consulting firm. Closely comparable in the C-level and board search space, and similarly offers leadership development/assessment as a complement to search mandates.
• Michael Page: Global specialist recruitment firm with strong Swiss offices covering permanent placement of management and specialist roles across industries — directly comparable to Human Relations' permanent placement and direct search services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/human-relations-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Human Relations Gmbh