ETTER & PARTNER

What ETTER & PARTNER does

Etter & Partner (legal entity: Etter Personalkompetenz GmbH) is a German boutique executive search firm founded in 2014 by Jochen Etter, the former CEO (Geschäftsführer) of Heineken Deutschland. The firm specializes exclusively in placing senior leadership and key personnel for the beverage industry and adjacent sectors — including FMCG, dairy, beverage specialty wholesale (GFGH), and beverage-industry suppliers and service providers — for clients ranging from German Mittelstand to international corporations.

The core product is Executive Search, delivered via a structured 5-step methodology (Understand, Focus, Win, Decide, Anchor) that combines active sourcing with direct search and incorporates the proprietary ViQ® personality assessment — described as scientifically validated and visually perception-based — alongside AI-supported research and analysis tools and a proprietary candidate database. A supplementary Career Coaching service is delivered by Sylvia Etter and Laura-Sophie Moseberg, broadening the offering to professionals outside of live mandates. The firm monetizes through project-based executive search mandates with per-engagement pricing that is not publicly disclosed, plus candidate-side coaching sessions; candidate-facing engagement is supported by a Recruitee-hosted career portal.

The firm operates a sales-led, relationship-driven go-to-market from its headquarters in Zweibrücken, Germany, with a second office in Lemberg, France, serving clients across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and broader Western and Eastern Europe. Distribution relies on direct outreach, founder and managing-director networks, industry association memberships (Bundesverband des Deutschen Getränkefachgroßhandels e.V., Competence Center for Business Succession), the women4beverages network co-founded by the firm, and guest-lecturer partnerships with the University of Amsterdam. The company is founder-owned, with no external investors disclosed, and operates with a small team of approximately seven named professionals.

Name

ETTER & PARTNER

Legal name

Etter Personalkompetenz GmbH

Website

https://www.etterundpartner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Etter & Partner is a German boutique executive search firm, founded in 2014, that places C-level and senior leaders exclusively for the beverage industry and adjacent FMCG, dairy, and wholesale sectors across the DACH region, France, and broader Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lemberg

HQ country

France

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. Executive Search Mandates: Project-based executive search services where the firm is engaged by companies to fill leadership and key positions. The process involves briefing, search strategy, candidate identification, assessment, and onboarding support. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and handled on a quote basis per mandate.
2. Career Coaching Services: Career coaching services provided by Sylvia Etter and Laura-Sophie Moseberg, supporting professionals in clarifying their career identity, recognizing strengths and development potential, and positioning themselves effectively in the market.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Etter & Partner is an executive search boutique that identifies and places senior leaders and key personnel for companies in the beverage industry and adjacent FMCG, dairy, and supplier sectors. The firm applies a structured five-step methodology (Understand, Focus, Win, Decide, Anchor) that combines direct search, AI-supported research, the ViQ® personality assessment, structured interviews and reference checks, and post-placement onboarding support. It also provides career coaching services to professionals and publishes open mandates through an online job portal (Recruitee).

Product overview

Etter & Partner offers Executive Search as its core service—a full-cycle, consultative approach to identifying and placing senior leaders and key personnel. The company operates a proprietary 5-step methodology encompassing role analysis, targeted research, candidate qualification, structured assessment (including the ViQ personality assessment), and post-placement onboarding support. As a supplementary offering, the company provides Career Coaching services to help professionals with career identity, positioning, and professional development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search

Quantifiable outcome

• Typically able to provide qualified shortlists within a few weeks due to immediate access to actively maintained executive network and current candidate pool

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• women4beveragescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding and active member of women4beverages, the network for women in the beverage industry. The firm actively promotes visibility and networking of women in the sector and supports individual career development through free coaching conversations, contributing to sustainable career paths.
• Bundesverband des Deutschen Getränkefachgroßhandels e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting member of the German Beverage Specialty Wholesale Association. The firm engages in an environment facing concrete succession and leadership challenges, contributing experience to the association's Competence Center for Business Succession and Future Viability.
• Kompetenzzentrum für Unternehmensnachfolge und ZukunftsfähigkeitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe firm actively contributes its experience to the Competence Center for Business Succession and Future Viability initiated by the German Beverage Wholesale Association. The center aims to create sustainable added value and support companies with succession and leadership challenges.
• University of AmsterdamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJochen Etter and Sylvia Etter serve as guest lecturers on Diversity & Inclusion and recruitment topics at the University of Amsterdam, sharing expertise in recruitment, diversity, and career development with companies and employees.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Consumer Products practice covering beverage majors. Comparable in that it competes for the same C-suite and functional leadership mandates in beverage manufacturing and FMCG, but with global reach and a much larger partner bench.
• Egon Zehnder: Swiss-founded global executive search firm with deep European roots and a strong consumer-products practice. Comparable because it serves the same beverage and FMCG C-level mandate market across DACH and globally, though at materially larger scale and broader sector coverage.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with sector practices spanning consumer products and beverage. Comparable as a direct competitor for senior leadership mandates in beverage manufacturing, though it operates across all major industries and geographies rather than specializing in beverages.
• Page Executive: Executive search brand within PageGroup covering senior leadership mandates across consumer products in Europe. Comparable as a competitor for mid-to-senior executive placements in DACH beverage and FMCG, with deeper technology infrastructure than Etter & Partner.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a major executive search and consumer-products franchise. Comparable as a competitor for beverage executive mandates, with added RPO and HR consulting capabilities that pressure boutique specialists on enterprise panel deals.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with dedicated Consumer Markets and Industrial practices covering beverage manufacturers and suppliers. Comparable in mandate scope and methodology, though at much larger scale and with broader geographic footprint.
• Odgers Berndtson: International executive search firm with strong presence in Germany, Switzerland, and broader Europe. Comparable as a competitor for DACH-based C-level mandates in consumer and industrial sectors, including beverage, with a partner-led boutique model at larger scale.

Direct peers

• Stanton Chase: Global boutique executive search firm with a partner-led delivery model and dedicated Consumer Products and Industrial practices. Comparable as a similarly sized boutique competitor for DACH and pan-European senior mandates in beverage and FMCG.
• Signium International: Global boutique executive search firm with a partner-led model and practices covering consumer products. Comparable as a similarly structured boutique competitor pursuing senior mandates in beverage-adjacent sectors, particularly across European markets.
• Transearch International: International executive search firm with a partner-led network model and consumer-products expertise. Comparable as a boutique-to-mid-market competitor for European executive search mandates in beverage manufacturing and distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EtterundPartner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 ETTER & PARTNER