Phaidon International
Phaidon International is a London-headquartered, privately held global specialist recruitment group operating six vertical brands (Selby Jennings, LVI Associates, DSJ Global, EPM Scientific, Glocomms, Larson Maddox) serving enterprise clients across financial services, life sciences, technology, supply chain, energy/infrastructure, and regulatory/legal in 14-15 offices worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Phaidon International does
Phaidon International (legal entity Plato Topco Limited) is a London-headquartered, privately held global specialist recruitment group operating through six wholly-owned vertical brands: Selby Jennings (financial sciences and services), LVI Associates (energy and infrastructure), DSJ Global (end-to-end supply chain), EPM Scientific (life sciences), Glocomms (technology), and Larson Maddox (regulatory and legal). Founded in 2004/2005, the firm has scaled from approximately 80 employees to over 1,600 across 14-15 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, serving enterprise clients that include Goldman Sachs, Top 5 American Banks, and other Tier One financial institutions, as well as engineering consultancies and large corporates across its verticals.
The firm runs an enterprise field-sales GTM with specialist brand-website funnels, recruiting for temporary, contract, permanent, contingent, and executive-search engagements on a transaction-fee model. Revenue streams cover contingency recruitment, retained and executive search, contract/interim staffing, and salary survey/market insight products. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Supporting infrastructure includes dedicated marketing (content, salary guides, DE&I content hub), a Director of Technology function, and a Global Talent function that operates the internal Future Female Leaders Program.
The company is rated the 3rd largest direct-hire firm in the US (SIA 2026) and the Selby Jennings brand holds a #1 ranking across three categories in the 2026 Ideal Recruiter Report. Notable capital events include a 2016 $26.2 million raise from HSBC Bank and Muzinich & Co and a 2018 round from Esas Private Equity; no external funding rounds have been disclosed since. The board is led by CFO James Slipper, with a Chief HR Officer, regional Managing Directors for APAC, EurAsia, and South USA, and a newly appointed Chief People Officer reflecting ongoing organisational scale-up.
Phaidon International firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Phaidon International
- Legal name
- Plato Topco Limited
- Website
- https://phaidoninternational.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Phaidon International is a London-headquartered, privately held global specialist recruitment group operating six vertical brands (Selby Jennings, LVI Associates, DSJ Global, EPM Scientific, Glocomms, Larson Maddox) serving enterprise clients across financial services, life sciences, technology, supply chain, energy/infrastructure, and regulatory/legal in 14-15 offices worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Phaidon International industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialist Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire (BPACAFAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Global Contractor Engagement & Cross-Border Payments (BPACAGAI), Legal & Compliance Direct Hire (BPACAFAJ)
Keywords
Where Phaidon International is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices14 records
Markets served
Phaidon International business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Recruitment Services: Temporary, contract and interim recruitment services; Permanent, contingent and fixed term selection recruitment services; Retained & executive recruitment services; Salary surveys and market insights
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Phaidon International product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Phaidon International is a global specialist recruitment agency that delivers temporary, contract, permanent, and executive search placement services through six industry-vertical brands covering financial services, energy and infrastructure, supply chain, life sciences, technology, and regulatory and legal. It earns placement fees by matching enterprise clients with highly skilled professionals across 14 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. The firm also publishes salary surveys and market insights as supporting intelligence for clients.
Product overview
Phaidon International is a global specialist recruitment agency offering a portfolio of six specialist talent brands operating under a unified parent company. The company provides recruitment services across different industry verticals: Financial Sciences & Services (Selby Jennings), Energy and Infrastructure (LVI Associates), End-to-End Supply Chain (DSJ Global), Life Sciences (EPM Scientific), Technology (Glocomms), and Regulatory & Legal (Larson Maddox). Each brand operates with local expertise while maintaining worldwide reach, serving clients from startups to Fortune 500 companies across 14 offices on 3 continents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Selby Jennings: Financial Sciences & Services specialist supporting the world's largest financial institutions to innovative fintech start-ups.
- LVI Associates
- DSJ Global
- EPM Scientific
- Glocomms
- Larson Maddox
Products and services
- Selby Jennings Financial Sciences & Services talent specialist recruitment brand, supporting the world's largest financial institutions to innovative fintech start-ups across sales, trading, risk, and investment banking. Ranked #1 recruiter across three categories in the 2026 Ideal Recruiter Report.
- LVI Associates Energy and Infrastructure specialist recruitment brand delivering talent across architecture, engineering, construction, post-construction, and adjacent disciplines.
- DSJ Global End-to-End Supply Chain specialist recruitment brand, placing talent across supply chain planning, procurement, logistics, and distribution for enterprise clients.
- EPM Scientific Life Sciences specialist recruitment brand providing talent to take drug, device, or therapeutic applications through from conception, into research and development, and clinical, all the way through to sales and marketing.
- Glocomms Technology specialist recruitment brand partnering with clients from the world's largest data providers to innovative start-ups to deliver top technology talent.
- Larson Maddox Regulatory and Legal specialist recruitment brand covering compliance, operations, and in-house counsel, helping clients navigate evolving regulatory and legal landscapes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 50% of female employees received a promotion last year
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Phaidon International
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Phaidon International technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Phaidon International partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Halogen Foundation SingaporeminorPhaidon International Singapore partners with Halogen Foundation to launch Phaidon Outreach Program (POP) as part of CSR Initiatives Program. The partnership aims to create opportunities for students from underserved communities to learn about the recruitment industry and develop entrepreneurial mindset through NFTE program.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Phaidon International competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Robert Half International: Global specialist staffing and direct-hire firm with comparable finance, technology, and legal verticals. Closely mirrors Phaidon's specialist-brand strategy at significantly larger scale, making it the most direct public-market comparable.
- Hays plc: UK-headquartered global specialist recruitment firm operating across multiple verticals including financial services, technology, and life sciences. Direct competitor for both enterprise clients and recruiter talent in Phaidon's core markets.
- SThree plc: Specialist STEM recruitment group operating multiple brands across technology, life sciences, and engineering. Closely comparable in brand portfolio structure, micro-specialization approach, and global direct-hire footprint.
- Michael Page International: Global professional recruitment firm covering finance, technology, legal, and engineering verticals. Direct competitor for permanent and contract placements across Phaidon's specialist brand portfolios.
- Aerotek (Allegis Group): Specialist staffing subsidiary of Allegis Group with deep verticals in engineering, technical, and professional services. Competes directly with LVI Associates and Glocomms for technical talent placements.
Broad incumbents
- Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm. Overlaps with Phaidon's retained/executive search offering across all six verticals, but operates at a much larger and broader scale.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with vertical practices in financial services, technology, and life sciences. Competes with Phaidon for senior-level and C-suite retained mandates, particularly via Selby Jennings and EPM Scientific.
- Randstad N.V. One of the world's largest staffing and HR services firms, operating across all of Phaidon's verticals plus broader workforce solutions. Represents scale-based competitive pressure on enterprise RFPs.
Emerging players
- True Search: Executive search firm focused on technology, life sciences, and financial services. Increasingly competitive for retained mandates that Phaidon's specialist brands have historically captured, particularly in fintech and biotech.
Regional players
- Investigo: UK-based specialist recruitment firm focused on finance, technology, and change & transformation. A regional direct competitor in the London market that targets similar mid-market enterprise clients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Phaidon International social profiles
Digital presencePhaidon International financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Phaidon International leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
Phaidon International subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Phaidon International funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Phaidon International M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Phaidon International
What does Phaidon International do?
Phaidon International is a global specialist recruitment agency that delivers temporary, contract, permanent, and executive search placement services through six industry-vertical brands covering financial services, energy and infrastructure, supply chain, life sciences, technology, and regulatory and legal. It earns placement fees by matching enterprise clients with highly skilled professionals across 14 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. The firm also publishes salary surveys and market insights as supporting intelligence for clients.
Is Phaidon International a public or private company?
Phaidon International is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Phaidon International founded?
Phaidon International was founded in 2005. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Phaidon International based?
Phaidon International is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Phaidon International make money?
One revenue line is on record: recruitment Services.
Who are Phaidon International's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Robert Half International, Hays plc, SThree plc, Michael Page International and Aerotek (Allegis Group). Broad incumbents are Korn Ferry, Heidrick & Struggles and Randstad N.V.. True Search is listed as an emerging player. Investigo is listed as a regional player.
Does Phaidon International have an API?
No public API is recorded for Phaidon International.
What industry is Phaidon International in?
Phaidon International's product category is Specialist Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAO, Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire, with a secondary code of BPACAGAI, Global Contractor Engagement & Cross-Border Payments. Its NAICS code is 56131 and its SIC code is 7361.