Our History
1993: Keel Laying
The company is founded by Dipl.-Psych. Annette Feist and Dipl.-Kfm. Ingo Scheider.
Both founders have a business degree and had previously worked independently for about 5 years for various companies.
The first office is located in Schwetzingen (Heidelberg region).
Main topics: Human resources development & seminars and coaching for specialists and executives
Clients from the very beginning: SAP SE, Baxter International Inc, AOK-Bundesverband
Also: Teaching assignments for various vocational academies and TÜV academies in all federal states.
1995: The Great Journey Begins
Expansion of the range of services to include the business field of organisational development. We support our clients' growth and offer suitable HR/consulting services.
Other sectors are added: Industry (SIEMENS), public service, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Establishment of a network of freelance consultants to handle the increasingly large mandates.
1997: New Home Port
Strategic decision: relocation of the company to northern Germany (Hamburg / near the Elbbrücken).
With the move: change of name to GmbH
At the same time: Change from freelance consultants to permanent staff in the new and larger premises.
Company growth: Investment in own HR development. Kontrast Personalberatung GmbH becomes a training company in cooperation with the Hamburg Business Academy.
1998 - 2001: Sail on a Close Reach - Three Storms in a Short Time
The changeover to the euro from 1999 onwards as the first big shock causes major upheavals in the education market: sharp price reductions for events and thus a slump in fees are the result.
In addition: at the turn of the millennium, many HR services are halted due to the conversion of databases.
In 2001, the terrorist attacks on 9/11 in the US shake the world. The effects are also clearly felt in the economy - loss of value makes German companies invest little in HR services.
What does Kontrast do: Our first website goes online and we generate large orders by starting digital marketing.
At the same time, we continue to develop our strategy, realign our marketing and sales and professionalise our internal structures.
2002: Crises Offer Opportunities
The reorientation works and we build up the business fields of HR marketing and recruitment. We register high demand and our clients are increasingly looking for new employees and tailor-made training measures for individual employees.
Openhouse is launched as a HR development platform.
2004: The Spin-Off Year
Kontrast Consulting GmbH concentrates on the business areas of HR consulting and headhunting.
At the same time we build up a start-up. In Kompakttraining GmbH & Co. KG all services in the field of seminars and HR development are bundled.
2005: We Pick up Speed
The company split works: Both companies establish themselves with their own brand and can employ staff on a permanent basis. Kontrast Consulting GmbH continues to grow.
After moving to the new company location in Hamburg's city centre (Binnenalster), Leuphana University Lüneburg and the Helmut Schmidt University of the German Armed Forces become important cooperation partners.
The large event room in the office area is in permanent use.
2007 - 2009: Storm Ride 2.0 - Global Financial Crisis
The global financial crisis is a new challenge for Kontrast: However, the areas of HR consulting and headhunting get well through the storm - our digital strategies and internet marketing ensure many exciting client assignments and a secure future even in this time.
The decision to outsource HR development is proving to be the right one and essential for survival.
We use the crisis once again for the strategic development of our company.
2010: New Specialists on Board
Implementation of the strategy: We bring IT, software and digitalisation know-how in-house iby setting up an internal IT department. In addition we continue to consistently expand our marketing and sales efforts.
2013: Signed and Sealed
First certification of our quality management system according to DIN EN ISO 9001 and SGB III.
2015: A New Dock
Our team grows again and an expansion of the office space becomes necessary: Relocation of both companies to the edge of Hamburg's Hafencity with three dedicated event rooms.
2017: New Waters
Founding of the job portal KATAREO, initially as a job portal for health professions. This is our response to the extinction of print job ads and the patchy supply of online job portals.
2019: Europe: New Trade Routes and Ports
Many of our clients are now based in Europe and around the world and are looking for employees internationally. We support this search for personnel with our new English-language portal www.headhunter-europe.com.
2020 - 2022: Epidemic on Board
Proven crisis management and a clear corporate strategy bring Kontrast Personalberatung GmbH safely through the next storm.
Increased use of digital interview formats.
Once again we use the time to develop strategically.
2022: Clear Ship
New corporate identity with new website as a first step of the realignment.
