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HEIMEL

CONSULTING

HEIMEL
CONSULTING

WELCOME

“I help boards, owners, CEOs, HR leaders, and leadership teams make leadership decisions with greater confidence through executive assessment, leadership advisory, leadership transitions, and organizational development.

With more than 35 years of consulting experience – including 25 years as partner and co-owner of a management consulting firm – I combine strategic perspective with practical implementation across international corporations, family-owned businesses, public institutions, universities, and non-profit organizations.”

Company
& NETWORK

HC is a consulting company based in Austria. Together with renowned network partners we offer senior expert know-how and many years of comprehensive international experience in Leadership and Organizational Development, HR Management and Process Consulting. Evaluation of competences and potential of key staff is the signature service of our company.

ABOUT

More about Dr. Franz Heimel.

SERVICES

More about our Consulting Services.

LEADERS

More about athentic leadership.

CONSULTING
SERVICES

STRATEGY


Aligning people, organization, culture and HR systems.

ASSESSMENT

Evaluating current status of organizations with respect to their HR strategy.

Appraising competence and potential of key staff.

DEVELOPMENT

Designing action plans and customized HR systems.

Facilitating internal participative processes and cultural change.

Leadership Coaching.

AUTHENTIC
LEADERSHIP

Authentic leaders demonstrate above average:

Self-awareness
||
Trust in their thoughts, feelings, motives and values
||
Self-reflection
||
Responsiveness to feedback
||
Conflict-resolution in honest and non-manipulative manner

1.

Facing decisions proactively

2.

Motivating by being supportive and enthusiastic of needs of staff.

3.

Looking beyond job roles and taking over responsibility.

4.

Collaborating and sharing knowledge.

About Dr. Franz Heimel

I advise organizations on leadership decisions, executive assessment, leadership transitions, executive coaching, and organizational development.

During more than 35 years in consulting – including 25 years as Partner and co-owner of a management consulting firm – I have worked with organizations of different sizes, ownership structures, and sectors, from international corporations and family-owned businesses to public institutions, universities, and non-profit organizations. Many of them are recognized leaders in their respective fields.

A defining characteristic of my work has always been close collaboration with decision-makers. Rather than applying standard approaches, I work with boards, owners, executives, and HR leaders to understand their specific context, develop tailored solutions, and support successful implementation.

Over the course of my career, I have assessed and advised leaders from all continents and across diverse cultural environments. This international perspective is complemented by more than two decades of teaching and assessing at WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, doctoral research in Change Management, and an ongoing commitment to professional development.

Today, these experiences enable me to serve as a trusted advisor to owners, boards, CEOs, and leadership teams, helping them make better leadership decisions and strengthen organizational impact.

My current areas of focus include:

• Leadership Impact Assessment

• Executive Selection and Promotion Decisions

• Executive Transition & Onboarding

• Leadership Team Effectiveness

• Executive Coaching

• Organizational Advisory

My ongoing engagement with music has broadened my understanding of communication, trust, shared attention, and collective performance. These perspectives continue to enrich my work with leaders and leadership teams.

MY VALUES –

MY PROMISE

Respect

I meet people at eye level, with due regard for their uniqueness, their interests, needs and concerns.

Transparency

In my role as consultant, I communicate openly, involving all stakeholders concerned. I freely disclose project objectives and don’t accept hidden agendas.

Discretion

Information given to me in the course of a consulting project will be kept strictly confidential.

Loyalty

All my clients can trust that I will do my best to support the purpose of the project and that I will go out of my way to generate additional benefit.

Accountability

Promises I make I intend to keep as best as I can. If I have doubts about the feasibility of a plan, I will raise them when they arise.

Teamplay

I believe that collaboration is the source of synergy and outstanding results. In the role of an external consultant, I am willing to openly share my knowledge and experience.

Out-of-the-box

My insights and recommendations are triggered by real-life observations and not taken from ready-made toolkits and templates.

Pragmatic Solutions

Drawing from my experience I usually find workable solutions which don’t require too much hassle and find acceptance from those concerned.

Blog

AI Needs Human Leadership

As AI reshapes the landscape of business functions, it’s imperative to acknowledge that authentic leadership remains an inherently human quality. No algorithm can...

Why leaders don’t get the truth during transformation

Transformation creates clarity at the top. But often… silence below. Strategies are defined. Structures are changed. Expectations are set. And yet, something essential...

An Evening at the Berlin Philharmonie — and a Lesson in Leadership

Tonight at the Berlin Philharmonie: Andrew Norman’s „Play“ with Klaus Mäkelä and the Berliner Philharmoniker. A fascinating piece, not only musically, but also from a...

Are We Assessing Competencies—or Leadership Impact?

For many years, leadership assessments have been designed to answer one fundamental question: ” Does this person have the competencies required for the role?...

Clients

Current
Projects

LEADERSHIP IMPACT IN PRACTICE

My current work reflects different perspectives on one central question: How can leadership decisions translate into sustainable impact?

Projects range from executive assessment and global leadership development to strengthening leadership dynamics in complex organizational environments. While the context and interventions differ, the common focus is on understanding and strengthening the impact leadership creates – on people, collaboration, decision-making, and organizational performance.

LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS IN A COMPLEX PROJECT ENVIRONMENT
Client: International Construction Group
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Client: Global Software Company
LEADERSHIP SUCCESSION IN A FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS
Client: Family-Owned Wholesale Company
ORCHESTRATING PROFESSIONAL IMPACT
Client: International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA)

Objective:
Strengthening leadership effectiveness and collaboration in a strategically important international infrastructure project involving different organizational units, management levels, and national contexts.

Project:
Integrated Leadership Impact Diagnostic combining individual Leadership Dialogues, stakeholder interviews, on-site observations, and quantitative analysis. The diagnostic examines both individual leadership effectiveness and the dynamics across management levels and organizational interfaces.

Individual feedback and an overall assessment provide the basis for targeted recommendations to strengthen collaboration, decision-making, and project leadership.

Timeframe:
Ongoing – Diagnostic phase: approximately 2 months

Objective:
Identifying leadership potential and preparing experienced professionals and managers for broader leadership responsibilities in an increasingly global environment.

Project:
Customized, interactive leadership assessments combined with individual development sessions.

The focus extends beyond current leadership competence to the impact of individual leadership styles in changing contexts – including the different expectations of culturally diverse and globally distributed teams.

Direct managers are involved in the assessment process to connect individual development with organizational requirements and future business needs.

Timeframe:
Ongoing program, conducted periodically with selected leaders and high potentials

Objective:
Assessing the leadership potential of a next-generation family member as a possible successor in the absence of a direct-line successor.

Project:
A comprehensive executive assessment evaluated the candidate’s potential and readiness for future leadership responsibility against the specific requirements of the business and the envisaged succession role.

Based on the assessment findings, a subsequent coaching process translated the results into concrete development priorities and actions, providing a structured foundation for both the candidate’s further development and the company’s succession planning.

Timeframe:
Executive assessment followed by an individual development process

Objective:
Encouraging young professionals to look beyond individual expertise and consciously shape their professional path, leadership contribution, and impact.

Project:
Interactive conference session combining leadership and career reflection with insights from music and conducting.

Real-life decision cases invite participants to explore the transition from perfecting their individual part to taking responsibility for collaboration, direction, and collective performance – even before assuming a formal leadership role.

Timeframe:
International Annual Congress, August 2026

Testimonials

“The Autodesk Consulting EMEA team has worked with Franz for over 10 years providing manager assessments for both existing and potential new managers. This collaboration has given us extremely valuable insights into our manager capability and potential with expert guidance on a growth and development path.”

DAVID PETTIT
(EMEA Consulting Delivery Director, Autodesk)

„I am very grateful for the services which Franz has given to my board members and me for the last 10 years. His exceptional analytical skills and recommendations in our domestic and international business units were very helpful for our decision-making process. I can confidently say that I thoroughly enjoyed working with Franz, as a top professional in his field as well as a great business partner to have OnBoard.“

THOMAS STIEGLER
(former Group COO and Board Member of Austrian construction company PORR AG)

„Franz facilitated an internal integration and cultural change process for our company and accompanied our leadership team. As an external consultant he was a well-trusted sparring partner to decision-makers and coach to our managers and change agents. I really appreciated his unbiased analytical mind, his personal involvement and identification with his assignments as well as his social skills when it comes to making things happen.”


BETTINA GLATZ-KREMSNER
(Former CEO Casinos Austria & Austrian Lotteries)

“I’ve worked with Franz since 2011 and over that time he has given me some of the most important feedback and guidance of my career. His ability to understand deeper issues affecting my performance as an executive provoked deeper reflection and ultimately decisions to make changes in my career that I am still grateful for today. We have also worked closely with Franz for many years to evaluate and develop our new leaders to ensure their development is both personalized and focused on the results we need in our business.”

BRIAN LOPEZ
Director Consulting Practice & Innovation,
Autodesk (USA)

 

“Worked closely with Franz on a leadership project with my management team. I enjoyed working with Franz and especially respected his recommendations and approach as a consultant to help develop my organization and myself.”

TOM BECKER
(Retired Executive (3M, USA))

“Congrats Franz, you will do great as your services and value to companies is immeasurable.”


IVAN F RODRUIGEZ
(Chief Transformation Officer,
Current Lighting (USA))

„I got to know Franz as an external process facilitator a number of years ago when I was in the role of an internal change agent. Over the years he has become a well appreciated sounding board and partner when it comes to cultural change and alignment of people and job functions. I know I can rely on his insightful and to the point analysis of people and situations and his recommendations for taking action.”


CHRISTOF HABERLAND
(Senior Vice President – Head of Global Project Support, PERI)

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