Who we are. Where we come from.

60er

How successful executives turn out to be often depends more on their personality than on their specialist knowledge. It was with this idea in mind that Horst Will founded ifp in December 1964, making him one of the pioneers of a young industry which was only just beginning to take root. Half a century later, a mere handful of the players from those early days would still be present in the market.

For Horst Will, one thing was clear from the very start: ifp was going to provide a special consulting service for assessing executives, and it would go beyond simply searching for specialists. To account for the relevant personality aspects of each executive, ifp established its own professional analysis model. And, always keen to improve, the company became its own most stringent quality inspector. Before long, the assessment process took on a meticulous structure. It was also backed up by the latest aptitude diagnostic instruments including all adjustments to future progress, and, to this day, remains our “trademark”.

70er

The most unusual of tasks make human resources consultancy one of the most versatile of professions. This was certainly the case for ifp as we began receiving assignments from more and more sectors, after having initially focused only on the insurance field. And it’s why our consultants were constantly facing new challenges – like joining police officers on their nightly beats in order to develop a recruitment strategy for the police force.

Horst Will tried out all kinds of things. The visionary entrepreneur soon established additional business units beyond ifp, some of which turned out to be highly successful.

80er

This enabled us to tap into more and more human resources markets in a collaborative manner, whether for the search and acquisition of international executives or to fill key positions in German companies abroad.

Job ads by the broadsheet: ifp gained widespread recognition through advertising in all the major newspapers. However, relying on this search method alone turned out to have its limits. Which is why ifp developed its own systematic approach to researching executives, contacting them directly by telephone and recommending them to clients. This was extraordinarily successful – and multiple spectacular search mandates ensued: for instance, a contract to participate in the preparation of ESA’s D2 Spacelab mission and to select suitable astronauts. Our methodology defined our core service for our future development, along with our dynamic ability to adapt to the changing conditions of the times.

Concentrated expertise: Thanks to our sector teams, clients and candidates, we were able to find even more focused skill sets. We set up the first ifp sector teams for the insurance field as well as for banks and building societies, laying the cornerstone for our current market position.

90er

With a focus on our core business, we decided to spin off our successful diversifications as independent companies. Our segmentation by individual industries grew to include additional core areas. The respective industry teams grew into incubators: our clients and candidates in equal measure appreciated the concentration of specific knowhow along with the long-standing contacts to key players and decision-makers we had to offer them.

1996

Founder Horst Will began the process of handing the business over to his son. Jörg Will, who’d learned about ifp from the bottom up after completing a banking apprenticeship and university degree, acquired his father’s company shares and took over the management of the consulting firm.

00er

The call of the market brings about entrepreneurial transformation. One of our Executive Search core competencies – assessing the job-related personality of a candidate and establishing whether an executive possesses the required profile – saw an increasing demand around supporting personnel development. This is why we pooled our expertise around the identification, assessment and retention of top performers and talent within the company. Management Diagnostics became a legally independent ifp unit.

10er

Over this decade, we continued to expand our business in a systematic way. Additional industry foci were created, and ifp set up new industry teams. Our clients continued to be impressed with our profound understanding of their specific requirements and the way our consultants managed to meet these requirements in the companies’ own market and corporate environment.

Networking was everything and everywhere. Our consultants developed deep personal networks within their respective industries, and thanks to teamwork, the range of opportunities grew exponentially.

2014

ifp turned 50 – an impressive milestone which, of course, called for a celebration. But where would we possibly find something to everyone’s liking in December? The choice fell on Mallorca, where the ifp team spent a fantastic weekend together.

20er

More than ever, the question is this: what do we need to do today to be successful tomorrow? The impact of the pandemic, the changing demands of the world of work, digitalisation and AI, as well as our customers’ desire for speed and flexibility, require a critical review of the status quo. Changing employee needs for more freedom, purpose and personal development, as well as a generational shift in several industry teams, are also causing us to question familiar routines and rethink processes.

Adaptability is becoming an essential virtue – staying true to who you are, yet continually responding to changing demands, needs and opportunities. In the face of increasing complexity and dynamism, there are now many more ways to get there. Hybrid ways of working – unthinkable just a few years ago – along with more personal responsibility and even more trust have emerged as important elements of our step into the future. With surprising effects: whereas in the 2000s, for example, 90 percent of all partners and colleagues formally addressed each other by their surname at ifp, using first names has become the norm. Finally, the proportion of women has also increased significantly in recent years. Young female partners bring a breath of fresh air and ensure that female leadership has become part of our everyday life. To reflect all these changes in our communications, we’ve finally said goodbye to our old brand identity and given our company a new, clear and uncluttered look.