About us
About us
At R.A.T.E. GmbH, we specialize in enhancing corporate reputation through expert management of rankings and ratings, conducting sustainability materiality assessments, and providing strategic corporate communications. Our unique services help international clients navigate complex landscapes and achieve their sustainability and communication goals.
Who we are
R.A.T.E. is a strategy consultancy based in Germany, supporting organisations around the world in managing how they are measured and perceived. We turn rankings, ratings, and external evaluations into tools for strategic positioning, using data-driven insights and proven frameworks to shape reputation and influence performance.
With over 20 years of international experience, our mission is to help organisations build trust through transparent, measurable, and well-managed communication. We make performance visible and reputation actionable.
Our Values
The world is complex, and meaningful change takes time. To foster sustainable progress, it is crucial to engage individuals and organizations while considering economic factors. We strive to actively participate in the transition process, focusing on our clients’ goals rather than their current positions. Our primary concern is ensuring that our projects contribute positively to sustainability.
Our sustainability strategy as a consultancy is multifaceted and comprehensive, encompassing a range of initiatives aimed at promoting environmental responsibility, fostering social equity, and enhancing corporate transparency. We recognize that sustainability is not just about mitigating risks or complying with regulations but about creating shared value and making a meaningful impact on the world around us.
Acknowledging that our consultancy’s primary impact lies in our projects, we have established precise guidelines for project selection and consistently engage in team discussions to promptly address any concerns that arise.
To ensure meaningful impact through our projects and clients, we have implemented clear guidelines for project selection and regularly engage in team discussions to address any concerns that arise.
Meet our amazing team
At R.A.T.E., we bring together a diverse, international team of specialists who share a clear focus: helping organisations navigate complexity through data, strategy, and precise communication.
What unites us is a love of data and of making sense of it. We thrive on separating signal from noise, translating complexity into simple but credible options for decision-making. Whether working on rankings, sustainability, or corporate reputation, we bring analytical rigour, structured thinking, and a passion for clarity to every project.
We work closely with communication professionals across functions such as HR, Sustainability, IR, and beyond. From our base in Germany to client teams around the world, we combine the latest tools and technologies with a collaborative, hands-on approach. Our goal: to help you turn external expectations into strategic advantage efficiently, insightfully, and with purpose.
Steffen Rufenach
CEO
Hari K. Ramachandran
Senior Analyst
Nikolai Zernikow
Senior Analyst
Egor Zaitsev
Analyst
Chandana Reddy Bhavanam
Analyst
