DLA Piper advises Highberg Group on acquisition of Schickler Consulting

DLA Piper has advised the Highberg Group (Highberg) on the acquisition of consulting agency Schickler Unternehmensberatung (Schickler) in Hamburg. Schickler will add new capabilities in the field of strategic- and data based consulting as well as data science subscription services to the consulting group. Highberg is the new collective name of consulting agencies BlinkLane Consulting, Gladwell Academy, Verdonck Klooster & Associates and House of Performance. The four agencies joined forces in 2021, with the support of the mutual shareholder AUCTUS Capital Partners of Munich Germany.

Schickler is widely recognized as the leading consulting firm in the media market in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and offers strategic consulting services and insights based on a data science approach. The firm employs over 25 specialized consultants.

After the addition of Schickler to the Highberg Group, the organizations will continue to focus on digital and organizational transformations in large European businesses. Through advice, training and implementation support in fields such as organizational agility, digital optimization, data science and sustainability, Highberg aspires to help businesses stay responsive and competitive in a digital era.

Through the acquisition of Schickler, Highberg now is comprised of more than 325 specialist professionals in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and India. The group’s annual turnover amounts to around EUR65 million.

“The advice provided by our DLA Piper team is – irrespective of the complexity of the transaction – at all times well thought out and expedient. They are a great partner to us and we are looking forward to our future collaboration with them”, said Marcel Niemann, future Chief Financial Officer at Highberg.

The DLA Piper team was jointly led by partner Sebastian Decker and senior associate Sophie von Mandelsloh (both Corporate/M&A) and also comprised of partners Dr Henriette Norda (Employment), Verena Grentzenberg (IPT/Data Protection, all Hamburg), Semin O (Antitrust) and Dr Torsten Pokropp (Finance & Projects, both Frankfurt), counsel Dr Nico Brunotte (IPT), senior associates Friederike Rickers (Corporate/M&A, both Hamburg), Dr Catharina Voß (Real Estate) and Georg Haberkorn (Employment, both Munich) as well as associates David Sanchio Schele (IPT, Hamburg) and Andreas Pavelec (Real Estate, Munich).

From the DLA Piper office in Amsterdam were also involved partner Casper Hamersma, senior associate Stefan Spaans and associate Jasper van Adrichem (all Corporate).