Who we are

Since 2005, our senior team has helped international clients to improve their results in corporate benchmarks such as rankings, awards, indices and ratings. R.A.T.E. is a management consultancy with a strong background in three important areas:

  • Communication (internal / external)
    We understand your company’s communication needs. Our work does not end with data analysis. We support you to turn data into messages and action. We do not only want you to be more successful in rankings, awards and ratings. We also help you to leverage your achievements to enhance your image in your most important stakeholder groups and to grow your overall reputation in the market.
  • Reputation Management
    We understand statistics and technology. All our suggestions are based on a comprehensive analysis of data e.g. rankings results or background reports. Our data analysis is driven by two main aspirations: a) be thorough but also pragmatic (we appreciate that data sources are often times incomprehensive). b) be cost efficient and creative (instead of doing cost intensive research, we try to work with the data that’s already available or easy to get).
  • Corporate Social Responsibiliy
    The world of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is changing rapidly. Companies and their shareholders have understood that CSR is no longer a philanthropic exercise but a strategic differentiator and competitive advantage. This is among other things reflected in a growing number of rating agencies who evaluate the CR performance of stock-listed companies. We understand how analysts work and what it takes to translate your CSR strategy into a fair CSR rating.

Our Management Team

Steffen Rufenach
CEO

Steffen is located in Frankfurt. Prior to founding R.A.T.E., Steffen spent seven years advising corporate clients on public affairs, corporate affairs, as well as reputation and rankings management at Hering Schuppener Consulting. Steffen has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Frankfurt.

Timo Teichert
Senior Consultant

Timo is located in Königswinter. Prior to joining R.A.T.E., Timo worked for five years in a leading position in the communication performance and reputation management department at Hering Schuppener Consulting. Timo has a Master in Business Administration from University of Dortmund.

Dr. Gero Kalt
R.A.T.E. Advisory Board

Gero is Managing Director of  F.A.Z.-Institut, the strategic partner of R.A.T.E. in Germany. The F.A.Z.-Institut is part of the prestigious publishing group "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung". Since 1989, it provides high-class services in the area of analysis, conception and consulting for stakeholder-targeted communication. 

Dr. Thomas Scheiwiller
R.A.T.E. Advisory Board

Thomas is based in the Zurich area. He works as an independent advisor and member of boards, mainly for international large businesses, both listed and privately-owned. He is an expert in Integrity, Compliance, Sustainability, and Governance. Thomas holds a PhD in Physics from ETH Zurich.