Haselhorst Associates Consulting is a management consultancy that has been expanding since 2004. Our core activities are comprehensive restructuring consulting services combined with the targeted acquisition of CRO mandates.
In 2018, this gave rise to our Urban Transformation division. Initially developed as an analysis of German municipalities for a large industrial company, we have since developed a comprehensive smart city ranking. The annual ranking systematically examines the progress of urban transformation in over 400 German cities and provides a unique data basis for our strategy consulting. Using the ranking, we identify new developments, innovations, and best practices and support municipal actors in the design and implementation of their smart city strategies.
Since 2024, we have also been working with the H&Z Group. This collaboration has created valuable synergies: H&Z contributes strong expertise in management consulting, transformation processes, and sustainability, which ideally complements our smart city consulting services.
Our Smart City team supports municipalities, public utilities, utility companies, and private-sector partners who are actively involved in urban infrastructure. Together, we design effective transformation processes for cities and regions and develop customized approaches for creating livable cities. Meet our team here:
Dr. Lucía Wright joined Haselhorst Associates Consulting in 2019 and heads the Urban Transformation division. She brings extensive experience in sustainable urban and infrastructure development, digital transformation, and strategy and process consulting. She has worked internationally in Mexico, Germany, Spain, and Singapore. Through her doctoral research, she supported UN-Habitat in building the capacity of utilities to improve local water infrastructures. At Haselhorst Associates, her responsibilities include the annual Smart City Ranking, published since 2018, which is the most comprehensive survey of its kind in Germany. The ranking covers all municipalities with more than 30,000 inhabitants and provides a structured analysis that supports cities, utilities, and companies in their transformation in a practical and method-based manner.
Leonie Schiermeyer joined Haselhorst Associates in 2022 and has been involved in compiling the Smart City Ranking ever since. She completed her master's degree in spatial planning at TU Dortmund University. Since then, she has been advising on projects related to urban development issues such as climate protection and adaptation, disaster control, and mobility planning—with the aim of designing smart, resilient, and sustainable cities. She is familiar with the challenges and solutions within municipal administrative structures of small, medium-sized, and large municipalities.
Annika Schäfer has been with Haselhorst Associates Consulting since 2025. She completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in spatial planning at TU Dortmund University. Her focus is on sustainable urban development, climate protection and adaptation, and smart cities. She has practical experience with AI-based software solutions in the real estate industry and with digital participation systems. In this context, she has already worked with numerous municipalities.
