Solutions Driven
Solutions Driven is a Glasgow-headquartered specialist recruitment firm that delivers executive and critical-hire search, plus embedded recruiter teams, to enterprise clients in industrial, energy, life sciences and advanced-technology sectors under a proprietary 6S/6F/6E Hiring Operating System.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersGlasgow, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Solutions Driven does
Solutions Driven is a Glasgow-headquartered specialist recruitment firm founded in 1998 by Walter Speirs, now led by his son Gavin Speirs as CEO, that focuses on executive and senior-level hiring in engineering and STEM domains. The company delivers three core services - SD Search (critical hire search with a 12-month placement guarantee), SD Exec (VP-to-C-suite executive search with an 18-month guarantee), and SD Embedded (dedicated recruiters integrated into client teams) - all operating under a proprietary Hiring Operating System built on three named frameworks: the 6S Process, the 6F motivational-factors assessment, and the 6E embedded accountability framework. The company claims a 97% right-hire first-time rate and serves approximately 150 enterprise and mid-market clients across four defined verticals: Industrial & Engineering, Energy & Infrastructure, Life Sciences & Process Industries, and Advanced Technologies, with stated delivery capability spanning 60+ countries.
Solutions Driven operates a direct, consultative, sales-led go-to-market targeting enterprise hiring decision-makers in technical and regulated industries, supported by a content-led marketing programme (blog, eBooks, case studies, testimonials) on its website and LinkedIn presence. Revenue is generated almost entirely through transactional placement fees, with a standard fee of 20% of candidate first-year earnings per the published terms, subject to the multi-month replacement guarantees that differentiate the offering. The firm employs 51-100 staff from its Broadwood Business Park headquarters in Glasgow and a London regional office opened by its new parent.
In March 2026 the company was acquired by Groupe Adéquat, the eighth-largest staffing firm in France and the 46th largest globally, marking the acquirer's first UK deal and integrating Solutions Driven into a group pursuing one new country per year. Solutions Driven continues to trade under its own brand with its existing management team, and the transaction positions the firm for accelerated international roll-out while preserving its methodology-led service model.
Solutions Driven firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Solutions Driven
- Legal name
- Solutions Driven Limited
- Website
- https://solutionsdriven.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Solutions Driven is a Glasgow-headquartered specialist recruitment firm that delivers executive and critical-hire search, plus embedded recruiter teams, to enterprise clients in industrial, energy, life sciences and advanced-technology sectors under a proprietary 6S/6F/6E Hiring Operating System.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Solutions Driven industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialist Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG), RPO Technology, ATS Administration & Recruitment Operations (BPACABAN)
Keywords
Where Solutions Driven is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Glasgow
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Solutions Driven business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Recruitment Services - SD Search: Critical hire search services with 12-month guarantee. Revenue generated through success-based fees contingent on successful placement. Milestone-based delivery with shortlist generation in weeks rather than months.
- Recruitment Services - SD Exec: Executive search services for VP to C-suite hires with 18-month guarantee. Premium pricing for senior-level searches with leadership profiling and internal benchmarking included.
- Recruitment Services - SD Embedded: Embedded recruitment model where dedicated recruiters operate within client teams running the proprietary methodology at scale. Typically 40% more cost-effective than equivalent search volume, generating ongoing engagement revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard recruitment fee structure |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Solutions Driven product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Solutions Driven is a specialist recruitment firm that provides executive and senior-level hiring services for engineering and STEM roles across industrial, manufacturing, energy, life sciences, and advanced technology sectors. Its three core offerings are SD Search (critical-hire search with a 12-month guarantee), SD Exec (executive search for VP to C-suite roles with an 18-month guarantee), and SD Embedded (dedicated recruiters integrated into client teams). All engagements are delivered through the company's proprietary "Hiring Operating System" methodology built on the 6S, 6F, and 6E frameworks, and fees are typically structured as 20% of the placed candidate's first-year earnings.
Product overview
Solutions Driven offers three core hiring solutions—SD Search (critical hire search with 12-month guarantee), SD Exec (executive search with 18-month guarantee), and SD Embedded (dedicated in-house recruiters at scale)—all powered by their proprietary Hiring Operating System built on the 6S Process, 6F Methodology, and 6E Framework. The company specializes in senior and executive-level recruitment across four sectors: Industrial & Engineering, Energy & Infrastructure, Life Sciences & Process Industries, and Advanced Technologies, with global delivery across 60+ countries. The company claims 97% right-hire first-time success rates and 12-18 month placement guarantees.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SD Search: Critical Hire Search - milestone search with a 12-month guarantee and shortlists delivered in weeks
- SD Exec
- SD Embedded
Products and services
- SD Search Critical hire search service with a 12-month guarantee and shortlists delivered in weeks, targeting high-stakes engineering and STEM roles where placement failure carries significant business risk. Designed for enterprise organizations needing a single high-impact hire rather than ongoing volume recruitment.
- SD Exec Executive search service for VP to C-suite hires, including leadership profiling and internal benchmarking, with an 18-month replacement guarantee. Differentiates from traditional executive search firms through longer guarantees and the proprietary 6S/6F/6E methodology.
- SD Embedded Embedded recruitment model placing dedicated Solutions Driven recruiters inside client teams to run the firm's hiring methodology at scale; positioned as approximately 40% more cost-effective than equivalent search volume and suited to ongoing multi-hire or multi-region talent programmes.
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% right-hire, first-time rate
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Solutions Driven
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Solutions Driven technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Solutions Driven partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Groupe AdéquatcoreSolutions Driven was acquired by Groupe Adéquat, the eighth-largest staffing firm in France and 46th largest globally, marking Groupe Adéquat's first UK acquisition. The acquisition supports Groupe Adéquat's international expansion strategy targeting entry into one new country per year. Solutions Driven continues to operate under its own brand with existing management remaining in place, strengthening Groupe Adéquat's recruitment capabilities in the UK and globally.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Solutions Driven competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Hays: Global listed recruiter with deep engineering, manufacturing and life sciences desks. Comparable transaction-fee permanent placement model and cross-border delivery, but at much larger scale and broader sector coverage.
- Robert Half: Established global staffing firm with finance, technology and engineering practice areas. Comparable permanent-placement model at much larger scale, primarily serving North American and European mid-market and enterprise clients.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm competing for senior leadership placements. Comparable on SD Exec mandates but with broader industry coverage and a much larger global bench.
- Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm competing directly for SD Exec mandates. Operates at a larger scale and across all sectors, but overlaps on VP-to-C-suite STEM placements.
- Michael Page (PageGroup): Large UK-headquartered professional recruiter with significant engineering, technical and executive search practices. Overlaps with Solutions Driven's SD Search and SD Exec offerings, though PageGroup operates across many sectors beyond STEM.
Direct peers
- Harvey Nash: Technology and engineering-focused recruiter with embedded recruitment and executive search capabilities. Highly comparable to Solutions Driven's SD Embedded and SD Exec offerings, with similar enterprise customer base.
- SThree: Global STEM specialist recruiter with similar focus on engineering, technology and life sciences contract and permanent placements. Closely comparable business model, sector mix, and target customer profile to Solutions Driven.
- Nigel Frank International: Specialist recruiter focused on Microsoft, cloud, and engineering technology talent. Direct competitor for Solutions Driven's Advanced Technologies vertical with similar permanent-placement, fee-based model.
- Selby Jennings: Specialist recruiter focused on quantitative, technology and engineering professionals. Comparable to Solutions Driven's Advanced Technologies vertical with similar fee-based, guarantee-style placement model.
Others
- Groupe Adéquat: Parent company of Solutions Driven since March 2026. 8th largest staffing firm in France and 46th largest globally; provides useful parent-overhead and cross-sell context for SD's scaling trajectory, though not a direct competitor in STEM search.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Solutions Driven social profiles
Digital presenceSolutions Driven financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Solutions Driven leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Solutions Driven funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Solutions Driven 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 Solutions Driven
What does Solutions Driven do?
Solutions Driven is a specialist recruitment firm that provides executive and senior-level hiring services for engineering and STEM roles across industrial, manufacturing, energy, life sciences, and advanced technology sectors. Its three core offerings are SD Search (critical-hire search with a 12-month guarantee), SD Exec (executive search for VP to C-suite roles with an 18-month guarantee), and SD Embedded (dedicated recruiters integrated into client teams). All engagements are delivered through the company's proprietary "Hiring Operating System" methodology built on the 6S, 6F, and 6E frameworks, and fees are typically structured as 20% of the placed candidate's first-year earnings.
Is Solutions Driven a public or private company?
Solutions Driven is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Solutions Driven founded?
Solutions Driven was founded in 1998. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Solutions Driven based?
Solutions Driven is headquartered in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Solutions Driven make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Recruitment Services - SD Search is the primary driver. The others are recruitment Services - SD Exec and recruitment Services - SD Embedded.
Who are Solutions Driven's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Hays, Robert Half, Heidrick & Struggles, Korn Ferry and Michael Page (PageGroup). Direct peers are Harvey Nash, SThree, Nigel Frank International and Selby Jennings. Groupe Adéquat is listed as an others.
Does Solutions Driven have an API?
No public API is recorded for Solutions Driven.
What industry is Solutions Driven in?
Solutions Driven's product category is Specialist Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAA, General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry), with a secondary code of BPACAKAG, Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops). Its NAICS code is 561312 and its SIC code is 7361.