Nothing seems to work without consultants in politics and public administration in Germany. Despite all the scandals, ministries and authorities are increasingly turning to the services of management and IT consultants. In the past few years, they have built up a billion-dollar business with the federal, state and local governments as well as publicly controlled companies. Since 2010, the consultants' turnover with the public sector has more than doubled - to over 3.5 billion euros. In its current issue, manager magazin picks up on our data and devotes a major report to the consultants' business with the state. A story worth reading, compiled by Dietmar Palan.

"Finally, we meet in person again!" This sentence was heard in many conversations when we welcomed over 60 invited guests to this year's Champions Dinner in Berlin yesterday after a three-month delay - Corona did not leave us unscathed. The winners of Germany's oldest consultancy award celebrated their success at the China Club. The Champions Dinner is now a well-established industry event that offers the leadership of the award-winning consultants a protected space to exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere, to hold confidential discussions and to jointly develop good thoughts into even better ones. Horst von Buttlar, editor-in-chief of the business magazine Capital, stimulated the dialogue with an incisive panel discussion, and the mentalist Thorsten Havener showed the astonished guests how they can be influenced by body language and suggestion.

Invited by manager magazin and WGMB, the most important players in the industry met at Soho House in Berlin. In presentations, discussions and personal dialogue, the almost 100 guests discussed what drives the industry - from the Wirecard scandal to ESG reporting. In his keynote speech, Martin Wambach, Chairman of the Institute of Public Auditors in Germany (IDW), Managing Director of Rödl & Partner and author of the "Wambach Report", which sheds light on the role of EY on behalf of the Wirecard Investigation Committee of the German Bundestag, provided deep insights into his work. On the panel, he discussed with Elisabeth Denison (Deloitte), Claudia Kruse (APG), Dirk Schulte-Uebbing (DOSU) and Angelika Werner (Frankfurt School of Finance and Management). mm editor-in-chief Sven Oliver Clausen hosted the day.

Starting next year, many companies will have to prepare a sustainability report. A lucrative area of business for auditors - and an opportunity to attract new talent. At the same time, the consequences of the Wirecard scandal are shaking up the hierarchy of the audit industry in Germany. In our new study with manager magazin, we indicate where the path will lead in the coming years. And we reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the major players in the auditing industry. Based on this, we have awarded Germany's best auditors for 2022/23. For the second time, we also identified the best universities for the subject of auditing. The Frankfurt School of Finance and Management defends its first place from the last round, closely followed by the University of Mannheim.

In its current issue, manager magazin reports exclusively on preliminary results from the WGMB study on the leading accounting firms in Germany, which is scheduled for the end of March. Particularly explosive: Following the Wirecard collapse, many executives are losing confidence in EY, the auditor that signed off Wirecard's balance sheets for ten years. Henrik Ahlers, Germany head of EY, must fear more than ever for the firm's reputation. Dietmar Palan describes in his report what lies ahead for EY now.

The "Hidden Champions of the Consulting Market", launched this year for the eighth time since 2003, is the oldest seal of quality for consultants in Germany and undoubtedly WGMB's most popular study - with regularly high coverage and attention in the market. Large consulting firms dominate the consulting industry. About a quarter of the almost 40 billion euros in turnover on the German consulting market is generated by 25 of the roughly 16,000 companies - led by the big three: McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company. But when it comes to the quality of consulting, specialised consultants sometimes outperform the big players. The magazine Capital reports on the new edition of our study, which identifies the top specialists.

For the twelfth time, we joined forces with former German President Christian Wulff and compamedia to select the best consultants for SMEs - this year, unfortunately, once again without an audience. Presenter Linda Zervakis, who would have guided us through the evening again in her proven charming manner in Corona-free times, addressed the recipients of this year's award together with Christian Wulff and Professor Fink in a video message.

Who advises the German government? This question is controversially discussed in politics and in society. Now the WGMB worked out the latest figures: the public sector spent a total of more than three billion euros on consultants in 2020. In a cover story, WELT AM SONNTAG reports on the background.

In an interview with Dietmar Student of Manager Magazin, Bianka Knoblach and Dietmar Fink shed light on the consulting market in the Corona crisis, the need for experienced turnaround specialists, the dominance of McKinsey and the question of where the business will grow most in 2021.

In its February issue, Manager Magazin reports exclusively on the results of our new study on the leading management consultants in Germany. 1,063 executives shared their experiences with firms such as McKinsey, Bain & Company and the Boston Consulting Group with us. Their judgments form the basis for our analyses.

Together with former Federal President Christian Wulff and compamedia, we have awarded the best consultants for medium-sized businesses for the eleventh time - unfortunately without an audience this year. In Corona-free times, Tagesschau spokeswoman Linda Zervakis would have led the evening in her proven charming manner. This year she addressed the winners of the award in a video message together with Christian Wulff and Professor Fink.

How do companies get out of the Corona crisis in good shape? We asked the "hidden champions" of the consulting industry for their expertise. Hardly anyone knows the everyday problems and structural details of the German corporate sector as well as the members of this network. Together with the business magazine Capital, we have compiled their advice in a compendium. The result is a treasure trove of very precise tips and instructions for looking far ahead. Exactly what companies, entrepreneurs and managers need in the crisis.

Consulting instead of assurance - hardly any other industry has changed as profoundly as that of auditors. In our new study with manager magazin, we show where the path will lead in the coming years. And we show the strengths and weaknesses of the major players in the auditing industry. On this basis, we have awarded Germany's best auditors for 2020 and, for the first time, we have also identified the best universities for the auditing profession. The first place goes to the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

The TV magazine Galileo asked Professor Dietmar Fink to support a report on McKinsey as an industry expert with background information and comments. Despite small mistakes in the presentation of McKinsey's history, an insightful and entertaining look behind the scenes of the world's leading management consultant.

The German Auditors' Meeting 2020 scheduled for March 19 has to be postponed to the second half of the year due to the corona virus. Together with manager magazin, we will then celebrate the auditing industry's leading companies at the Staatsoper unter den Linden in Berlin. This year, Matthias Schulz, Director of the Staatsoper, Martin Plendl, CEO of Deloitte, Petra Raspels, Head of People & Organisation of PwC, Nils Stieglitz, President and Managing Director of the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, and other distinguished speakers will focus on one topic in particular: Talent Management. Take a look back at the 2019 meeting here.