Bundesverband Deutscher Unternehmensberater e.V.

The Bundesverband Deutscher Unternehmensberater BDU e. V. – the BDU: Germany’s federal association of management consultants – is the business and professional association for management consultants and executive recruitment consultants in Germany. It is Europe’s largest trade association of management consultants and a member of the corresponding association at the international level – the European Confederation of Search and Selection Associations (ECSSA) – headquartered in Brussels, and of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI), the global body safeguarding quality assurance in the management consultancy profession, headquartered in the USA.

Trade association for executive recruitment consultants

 The Fachverband Personalberatung – the trade association for executive recruitment consultants, currently consisting of around 70 member companies, is one of the expert groups within the BDU that is richest in tradition and experience; among other things, it has set itself the goal of establishing quality standards in our sector of professional activity.

By continuously discussing new developments specific to their area of professional activity, the consultants grouped within the trade association constantly enhance the quality of their own consultancy performance. For this reason, the BDU has formulated the following principles of professionally proper and qualified executive recruitment consultancy.

Principles of proper and qualified executive recruitment consultancy

Supporting a client in the latter’s search for and selection of subject-specialist and management personnel is a consultancy service that generates a great benefit in terms of management of the individual enterprise and of the economy as a whole. It demands the highest degree of competence and responsibility from the executive recruitment consultant.

The Bundesverband Deutscher Unternehmensberater BDU e.V. – the federal association of German management consultants – has set itself the goal of promoting the professionalism of its sector of business activity and of its members. Therefore the principles of proper and qualified executive selection in the BDU define how all parties involved – clients, candidates, executive recruitment consultants – conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to their role and responsibilities.

Executive recruitment consultants are the partners of their clients in an extensive process of consultation, with the objective of supporting and advising the clients in searching for and selecting qualified subject-specialist and management personnel. A partnership like this can only be successful if both sides ensure that they show due care and vigilance, trust and openness in dealing with one another, as well as ensuring an exchange of information throughout the whole project.

Certified Executive Recruitment Consultant CERC

In 2009, the European Confederation of Search & Selection Associations (ECSSA) transferred to the BDU the sole right in Germany to confer the internationally-recognised title “Executive Recruitment Consultant CERC/BDU”. By conferring the national certification on the BDU, the superordinate association at European level underscores the BDU’s claim to be the sole relevant institution for representing the interests of the executive-recruitment business community in Germany.

The title “executive recruitment consultant CERC/BDU” is conferred solely on individuals whose point of emphasis in their activities is on the search for and selection of subject-specialist and management personnel (=executive recruitment consultancy). On a matter of principle, the title may solely be conferred within the framework of professional activity for a BDU member company.

Personal prerequisities for conferring this title:

•     5-year (full-time) professional activity as an executive recruitment consultant
•     Graduate qualification
•     Regular ongoing vocational training
•     Current full-time activity as executive recruitment consultant

The certification procedure and the re-certification, every three years, makes provision for the following steps:

•     Two positive references from BDU members after completion of a subject-specialist interview
•     Three positive references from clients
•     Three (anonymous) candidate reports
•     Proof of regular ongoing training activity

The BDU is integrated into the pns group international via:

Bernd Mertens – MPW Executive Search

Dr. Josef Pschorr – MPW Executive Search

Wilhelm Julian Gruber – Gruber & Partner