Macdonald & Company
Macdonald & Company is a specialist recruitment consultancy dedicated to real estate and the built environment, providing permanent, interim, executive search, and talent advisory services. The firm serves investors, developers, funds, and advisory firms across the UK, Europe, US, APAC, Middle East, and Africa.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Macdonald & Company does
Macdonald & Company is a specialist recruitment consultancy focused exclusively on the real estate and built environment sectors, founded in 1994 and headquartered in London. The firm operates a platform-plus-services model centered on three core service lines: Permanent Recruitment (fees typically 15-35% of the hired candidate's total annual remuneration), Interim & Contract Recruitment (charged on a day-rate or hourly-rate basis), and Talent Advisory (bespoke salary benchmarking, talent mapping, and market intelligence). These are supported by Executive Search for board and C-suite placements. The underlying technology comprises a proprietary candidate database of over 250,000 registered real estate professionals and a content platform producing the annual Global Real Estate Salary, Rewards and Sentiments Report, sector-specific Salary Guides, the Macroscope podcast, the RE:MAIL newsletter, and a job board with self-serve CV upload functionality.
The firm serves investors, funds, owners, operators, developers, advisory firms, corporate real estate teams, facilities management providers, and public-sector property bodies across the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. GTM motion is consultative and insight-led, with consultants organized by discipline, asset class, and market sector across seven practice areas (Real Estate Investment & Funds, Development, Real Estate Services, Planning/Architecture/Design, Building & Construction, Finance & Accountancy, and Corporate Services). Notable enterprise clients include Battersea Power Station Development, Harvest Real Estate, Proterra Properties, and Pocket Living (exclusive partner since 2015). Macdonald & Company holds RICS preferred recruitment partner status.
The business is structured as Macdonald & Company Holdings Ltd., a private limited company registered in England and Wales, with no external institutional investor, no parent company, and no public listing. Headcount is in the 101-250 range. Strategic milestones include the 2017 acquisition of Command Recruitment Group (H.K.) to extend Asia-Pacific reach, ongoing content franchise investment (Salary Report 2026, Macroscope podcast, Finance & Accountancy practice launch), and a multi-region office network supporting cross-border hiring while retaining local market expertise.
Macdonald & Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Macdonald & Company
- Legal name
- Macdonald & Company Holdings Ltd.
- Website
- https://macdonaldandcompany.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Macdonald & Company is a specialist recruitment consultancy dedicated to real estate and the built environment, providing permanent, interim, executive search, and talent advisory services. The firm serves investors, developers, funds, and advisory firms across the UK, Europe, US, APAC, Middle East, and Africa.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Macdonald & Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Real Estate Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA), Construction & Real Estate Direct Hire (BPACAFAN)
Keywords
Where Macdonald & Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Macdonald & Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Permanent Recruitment Fees: Permanent recruitment fees typically range from 15% to 35% of the hired candidate's total annual remuneration. The exact fee depends on factors such as seniority level, location, and complexity of the role.
- Interim & Contract Recruitment: Interim and contract assignments are charged on a day-rate or hourly-rate basis, reflecting the level of experience required and market conditions.
- Talent Advisory & Market Intelligence: Salary benchmarking, talent mapping, and workforce planning support services provided alongside recruitment delivery, supporting hiring insight informed by market conditions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Permanent Recruitment - Seniority-based fee structure |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Interim & Contract Recruitment - Day/hourly rate |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Talent Advisory Services - Bespoke |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Macdonald & Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Macdonald & Company is a specialist recruitment consultancy placing professionals across the global real estate and built environment sector. It sells four service lines — Permanent Recruitment, Interim & Contract Recruitment, Executive Search, and Talent Advisory & Market Intelligence — to employers including institutional investors, developers, advisory firms, corporate real estate teams, and public-sector property bodies, while providing candidates with career resources, salary insights, and job access.
Product overview
Macdonald & Company is a specialist real estate and built environment recruitment consultancy operating a platform-plus-services model. The core offering consists of three service lines: Permanent Recruitment (mid-to-senior executive search and placement), Interim & Contract Recruitment (temporary staffing), and Talent Advisory (salary benchmarking, market intelligence, and talent mapping). These services are supported by proprietary research products including the annual Global Real Estate Salary Report (Salary, Rewards & Sentiments Report) and sector-specific Salary Guides. Content platforms include the Macroscope Podcast series and the Career Toolkit resource hub. A job board provides candidates access to exclusive real estate positions across global markets. The company operates across specialisms including Real Estate Investment & Funds, Development, Real Estate Services, Planning/Architecture/Design, Building & Construction, Finance & Accountancy, and Corporate Services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Permanent Recruitment Permanent placement service sourcing mid-to-senior real estate professionals across investment, asset management, development, advisory, corporate real estate, and public-sector property disciplines for institutional employers. Priced as a percentage of the placed candidate's annual remuneration.
- Interim & Contract Recruitment Interim and contract placement service providing real estate and built environment professionals on a day-rate basis for gap cover, transformation, project-cycle peaks, and interim leadership assignments. Billed at a day-rate margin.
- Executive Search Confidential, retained executive search service for C-suite, board, and senior leadership hires across the real estate and built environment value chain, typically charged on a bespoke/retained fee basis.
- Talent Advisory & Market Intelligence Talent advisory and market intelligence service providing salary benchmarking, reward strategy, organisational design, talent mapping, and market insight to real estate employers and candidates, delivered on bespoke mandate terms.
- Global Real Estate Salary, Rewards & Sentiment Report Annual flagship salary, rewards, and employee sentiment benchmarking publication covering global real estate and built environment compensation trends; available for download and referenced in marketing as a primary market-intelligence asset for employers and candidates.
Quantifiable outcome
- Singapore real estate professionals experienced an average salary increase of 14% in the past year, ranking third globally with a median salary of S$158,400.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Macdonald & Company
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Macdonald & Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Macdonald & Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)coreMacdonald & Company is a RICS preferred recruitment partner, providing specialist real estate recruitment services aligned with RICS professional standards and leveraging RICS Matrices networking platform for candidate engagement and access to industry events.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Macdonald & Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cobalt Recruitment: Cobalt Recruitment is a UK-headquartered specialist recruitment firm focused on property, construction, and real estate. It directly competes with Macdonald & Company across permanent, interim, and executive search mandates in the same real estate vertical.
- Oyster Partnership: Oyster Partnership is a UK specialist recruitment consultancy focused on planning, development, surveying, and real estate roles. It is a direct competitor to Macdonald & Company in the property and built environment recruitment market.
- Deverell Smith: Deverell Smith is a London-based specialist real estate and property recruitment consultancy. It competes head-to-head with Macdonald & Company for mid-to-senior placements across investment, development, and property services.
- Healy Hunt: Healy Hunt is a UK boutique recruitment consultancy focused on real estate, investment, and development roles. It is comparable to Macdonald & Company in its sector specialisation, scale, and senior appointment focus.
Broad incumbents
- Robert Walters (Property & Construction): Robert Walters is a global specialist recruitment group with a dedicated UK Property & Construction practice covering real estate, development, and surveying. It overlaps with Macdonald & Company in mid-to-senior real estate mandates, particularly at the executive search end.
- Reed (Property & Construction): Reed is one of the UK's largest recruitment brands with a dedicated Property, Construction & Housing practice. It serves overlapping clients and candidates, but at broader scope and lower specialist depth than Macdonald & Company.
- Michael Page (Property & Construction division): Michael Page is a large global generalist recruiter with a dedicated Property & Construction practice that places into real estate roles. It competes on volume and brand rather than specialist depth, but overlaps with Macdonald & Company in target candidates and clients.
- Hays (Property division): Hays is a global listed recruitment firm with a UK Property and Real Estate practice that recruits into development, investment, and surveying roles. It is broader and less specialist than Macdonald & Company but addresses overlapping candidate pools and clients.
Others
- Savills (real estate services): Savills is a global real estate services firm that is also a frequent client and sector context for Macdonald & Company. While not a recruiter, Savills operates in the same real estate ecosystem and overlaps in target talent pools and buyer relationships.
- Knight Frank (real estate services): Knight Frank is a global real estate advisory and consultancy firm. As a major real estate employer and frequent client of recruitment partners, Knight Frank represents both a peer buyer of real estate talent and an adjacent sector participant.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Macdonald & Company social profiles
Digital presenceMacdonald & Company compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Macdonald & Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Macdonald & Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Macdonald & Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Macdonald & Company M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Macdonald & Company
What does Macdonald & Company do?
Macdonald & Company is a specialist recruitment consultancy placing professionals across the global real estate and built environment sector. It sells four service lines — Permanent Recruitment, Interim & Contract Recruitment, Executive Search, and Talent Advisory & Market Intelligence — to employers including institutional investors, developers, advisory firms, corporate real estate teams, and public-sector property bodies, while providing candidates with career resources, salary insights, and job access.
Is Macdonald & Company a public or private company?
Macdonald & Company is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Macdonald & Company founded?
Macdonald & Company was founded in 1994. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Macdonald & Company based?
Macdonald & Company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Macdonald & Company make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Permanent Recruitment Fees are the primary driver. The others are interim & Contract Recruitment and talent Advisory & Market Intelligence.
Who are Macdonald & Company's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cobalt Recruitment, Oyster Partnership, Deverell Smith and Healy Hunt. Broad incumbents are Robert Walters (Property & Construction), Reed (Property & Construction), Michael Page (Property & Construction division) and Hays (Property division). Others are Savills (real estate services) and Knight Frank (real estate services).
Does Macdonald & Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Macdonald & Company.
What industry is Macdonald & Company in?
Macdonald & Company's product category is Real Estate Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAC, Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare), with a secondary code of BPACAAAA, C-Suite & Board Search. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.