H&Z a ‘Hidden Champion’ for procurement and transformation work

16 January 2026 Consultancy.uk

H&Z Management Consulting has been lauded as a ‘Hidden Champion’ for its work in procurement, and in transformation. The firm was rated top of both categories by a survey of more than 1,100 consulting clients in Europe.

Since 2003, the WGMB (the Germany-based Scientific Society for Management and Consulting) has been recognising the hidden champions of the consulting market through its Hidden Champions award. Based on uncompromising benchmarking, only those who can prevail against McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company in their specialist field receive the seal of quality – which is the longest-running award for consultants in German-speaking countries.

The benchmarking is based on a survey of over 1,100 experienced consulting clients, while applications are not accepted. And with that jury having cast their votes for the 2026/27 season, H&Z Management Consulting is once again one of the firms to have made the grade.

This year, however, H&Z went one better than simply ranking – by being awarded the top position in two categories for the first time. Rated number one in both Procurement & Purchasing, and Transformation, a release from the firm on LinkedIn celebrated “a clear signal of what defines H&Z today”: an ability to “turn ambition into measurable impact” across “functions, industries and transformation agendas”.

The statement read, “In Procurement & Purchasing, we treat sourcing as one of the strongest value drivers in any organisation. H&Z combines strategy, digital enablement and operational excellence to unlock measurable impact across the supply base. In Transformation, we turn strategic clarity into results – with the execution power to master even complex turnaround situations.”
Founded in 1997, H&Z Management Consulting is an advisory firm specialising in strategy and performance, procurement, transformation, and sustainability work. With over 600 consultants in 14 countries, it has implemented over 3,500 successful projects.

In the last two years, the firm has been rapidly expanding its European footprint. This included the launch of a first UK office in London.

Looking ahead, the firm concluded, “A huge thank you to our clients for their trust, and to our teams across the H&Z Group for making this possible. We’re just getting started.”