Roland Berger founded the firm in Munich in 1967, spreading into Italy and Brazil within a decade and passing a series of notable milestones on its journey to the present day. In 1980, it became the first European firm to be welcomed as a member of the U.S. Association of Consulting Management Engineers (ACME) – a remarkable achievement given that, for legal and ownership reasons (Deutsche Bank-owned a majority stake in the company from 1988 to the late 1990s), Roland Berger did not gain a permanent foothold on the U.S. market until 1995. Its initial stateside presence took the form of a representative office in New York in that year. After regaining majority control, however, the company was finally able to open an independent office on U.S. soil (in Detroit) three years later. Offices in Chicago (2008), Boston and Montreal (both 2012) followed, by which time Roland Berger was also on the ground from London to Tokyo and from Madrid to Singapore.

Well-researched and thought-provoking

Roland Berger is a prolific source of quality publications for both clients and the public at large. Besides the more than 100 books it has published, the firm's award-winning THINK ACT series, launched in 2014, combines insightful opinions with cutting-edge research and analysis on topics of relevance to business movers and shakers. Every year, the company also publishes numerous in-depth studies plus the PhD dissertations of its own professionals.

Giving back

In March 2008, Roland Berger used some €50 million of his own private resources to set up the Roland Berger Foundation, an organization that promotes human rights and dignity throughout the world. Every year, the Foundation gives an award of up to €1 million to an individual or institution that helps to promote dignity and education. It also supports gifted children and young people from socially disadvantaged families, currently granting scholarships to over 800 primary and secondary school students. In addition, the Foundation has set up a support program for unaccompanied refugee minors.

Digitalization

In 2014, Roland Berger launched the digital ecosystem Terra NumerataTM to help companies benefit from disruptive technologies and proactively shape their own digitalization agendas. The ecosystem brings together companies of all shapes and sizes, striving to advance global and cross-industry connectivity. Today, its more than 100 partners comprise start-ups, accelerators, incubators, investors, data scientists, design thinking agencies, prototypers, developers and corporates, plugging them all into high-tech hubs from Europe and Palo Alto to Shanghai and Shenzhen. A Roland Berger-backed digital hub initiative, with bases in Berlin and Paris, has flanked the Terra NumerataTM ecosystem since 2016.