zeb Consulting

zeb is one of the leading strategy, management and IT consultancies in Europe specifically focused on the financial sector. We advise banks, insurers and other specialists such as Fintechs. Whether it concerns challenges relating to the various functions – Finance & Risk, Operations & IT – or the various client groups – Retail Banking, Private Banking and Corporate Banking.

zeb was founded in 1992 by Bernd Rolfes and Henner Schierenbeck, two German professors at the University of Münster. They wrote THE standard work for all banking finance students.

In just three decades, we have grown into one of the largest players of our kind. In 2023, we worked with more than 1,000 consultants and employees, spread over 15 offices in 11 countries, on more than 2,200 projects. We also have a rapidly growing, local presence in the Netherlands.

We are partners for change

zeb likes to position itself as a 'partner for change'. We challenge our clients to make forward-looking decisions. We help them develop visions and strategies and carry out their implementations.

Over the years, we have built up a lot of experience in conducting market analyses – especially for the DACH region – commercial due diligences, integration processes, and the implementation of new regulations. We also do not shy away from large-scale IT projects. If the situation requires it, we develop technical solutions ourselves.

Specifically focused on the financial sector

At zeb, all our consultants have one thing in common: a specific focus on the financial sector. We are proud to count many of the banks under European and national supervision among our clients. In addition, we serve insurers and other specialists such as FinTechs. Within the financial sector, we cover the entire spectrum. Whether it's the different functions or clients groups.

Current themes we work on include – in addition to the extensive, sector-wide initiatives for sustainability reporting (CSRD) and cybersecurity (DORA) – the development of commercial strategies for Corporate Banking teams and the modelling of climate-related stress tests.

Data- and result-driven approach

Almost all of the first generation of zeb consultants obtained their PhDs with Rolfes and Schierenbeck. Our academic origins are still clearly visible in our approach. We substantiate our analyses with a large amount of data. Thanks to our in-depth knowledge of the financial sector, we are uniquely positioned to oversee the bigger picture of changes and offer our clients pragmatic solutions. Under the motto of 'stay & grow', we know how to bind our consultants to us for a long time. They bring a relatively large amount of experience on projects, in combination with strong social skills and the necessary creativity.