What Optimum Consulting does

Optimum Consulting Group is a privately held Australian professional services firm founded in January 2003 in Brisbane by Brad McMahon, operating across recruitment, HR consulting, employment law, and proprietary workplace technology. The company delivers permanent, contract, and executive search services across verticals that include Engineering & Construction, Supply Chain & Manufacturing, Accounting & Finance, Financial Services, Superannuation, IT & Digital, Administration, and Professional Services. It is differentiated as a full-service HR platform-plus-services provider rather than a pure placement shop, with offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth, and remote resourcing teams in Indonesia and the Philippines.

The company's technology architecture consists of four proprietary web-based platforms: Employee Life (employee survey/pulse platform launched 2014), My Employee Life (real-time performance management platform launched 2017), Optimum Workplace (employer-branding/culture certification launched 2020), and Fllair (outplacement and career support portal launched 2020/2021). These are paired with a consulting methodology stack (Performance Framework, Optimum Business Success) and a wholly-owned employment law arm, Optimum Legal, established 2018. The company has IP-protected trademarks across all four platforms and is ISO 9001:2015 certified for Employment Services.

Revenue is generated through four streams: employer-paid placement fees for permanent and contract recruitment (transaction/take-rate model), professional services engagements for organizational consulting and outsourced HR (project and recurring subscriptions), SaaS/platform subscriptions for Employee Life and My Employee Life, and Optimum Legal fees. Customers include enterprise names such as Rio Tinto, RACQ, Hastings Deering, and Griffith University, alongside mid-market and government clients. Distribution is sales-led via direct consultant engagement (phone/email/portal) with national coverage from the three Australian offices. The firm reports 90%+ repeat business and 70%+ candidate referral rates, and remains wholly founder-owned with no institutional or VC/PE investment disclosed.

Name

Optimum Consulting

Legal name

Optimum Consulting Group

Website

https://ogroup.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Optimum Consulting is an Australian recruitment and HR consulting firm founded in 2003 in Brisbane, delivering permanent, contract, and executive search services across multiple industry verticals, complemented by proprietary HR technology platforms and employment law services through wholly-owned subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment and HR Consulting Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), 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

Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS) (BPACAPAD), Performance Management & Productivity Consulting (BPAHAGAL), People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting (BPAHAGAH), General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)

Keywords

• Permanent recruitment services
• Executive search services
• HR consulting
• Workplace performance consulting
• Employment law services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Recruitment Services: Placement fees for permanent, contract, and temporary staffing across multiple industry verticals. Services include executive search, permanent recruitment, and contract recruitment. Revenue generated from employers who pay placement fees with no charges to candidates.
2. HR Consulting Services: Organizational consulting including employee experience, workplace foundations, performance frameworks, and outsourced HR team services. Delivered through dedicated consulting division established in 2015.
3. Technology Platforms (SaaS): Employee Life survey platform available as a cost-effective online SaaS tool. My Employee Life performance platform provided as technology solution. Revenue from platform subscriptions.
4. Optimum Legal: Employment law services provided through Optimum Legal subsidiary, offering advice on job descriptions, employment contracts, redundancy, and termination matters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Optimum Consulting provides permanent, contract, and executive search recruitment services to Australian employers across engineering, mining, finance, IT, and professional services sectors, paid via placement fees. It also delivers HR consulting, outsourced HR teams, employment law services through Optimum Legal, and proprietary SaaS platforms for employee surveys, performance management, workplace certification, and career support.

Product overview

Optimum Consulting operates as a unified platform-plus-modules architecture, combining proprietary technology products with consulting services. Their core technology portfolio includes Employee Life (survey platform launched 2014), My Employee Life (performance management platform launched 2017), Optimum Workplace (workplace assessment launched 2020), and Fllair (career support portal). These platforms are integrated with their consulting services including Executive Search, Permanent and Contract Recruitment, HR Consulting, Capability Assessments, and Optimum Legal. The company serves as both a recruitment firm and HR technology provider, with operations in Australia (Brisbane and Melbourne) and remote teams in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Optimum Surveys: Employee Life survey platform - SAAS tool for organizational performance metrics, safety, risk and quality assurance, projects and change management, and learning and development effectiveness.
• Optimum Performance
• Optimum Workplace
• Optimum Business Success
• Optimum Legal
• Fllair
• Kinetic Innovative Staffing
• Clear Calm & Ready Program

Products and services

• Employee Life Employee survey platform that collects feedback through a 9-question pulse survey to measure engagement, culture satisfaction, and leadership effectiveness; also used for safety risk and quality assurance, projects and change management, and learning and development effectiveness.
• My Employee Life Real-time performance platform that helps workplaces ensure everyone is clear about performance goals and focused on weekly priorities; includes communication, goal-setting, work log, and pulse survey functions.
• Optimum Workplace Workplace assessment and certification solution that helps organisations prove what it is like to work there; evaluates trustworthy leaders, clear expectations, clear standards, adequate support, effective communication, and continuous improvement.
• Fllair Online career support platform providing job search, career development, leadership success and wellbeing at work resources; used for outplacement services and free membership for rejected job applicants.
• Executive Search Service Six-phase executive recruitment process covering Plan, Source, Assess, Select, Hire, and Contribute; includes comprehensive role assessment, technical competence evaluation, cultural fit evaluation, and reference checking.
• Permanent Recruitment Permanent placement services ensuring the right people are placed into the right roles for long-term success across multiple industry verticals.
• Contract Recruitment Temporary and contract staffing services with specialists in executive search, accounting and finance, IT and digital, engineering and technical services, office support, and professional services.
• Optimum Business Success Four-step consulting methodology (Discover, Feedback, Build, Refine) to help organisations attract best talent, retain top performers, and futureproof for growth.
• HR Consulting Organisational consulting covering employee experience, workplace foundations, performance frameworks, professional services, outsourced HR teams, and employment law.
• Optimum Legal Employment law services covering job descriptions, employment contracts, redundancy and termination of employment, and legal disputes.
• Capability Assessments Psychometric and skills assessments including personality, general aptitude, verbal/numerical/abstract reasoning, management potential, sales preference indicators, and vocational orientations.
• Downsizing & Outplacement Services Cost-effective downsizing and outplacement options with modern methodology combining technology and human touch approach across Change Barometer, Know Yourself, and Continue to Excel themes.
• Clear Calm & Ready Program Wellbeing and resilience program covering mind mechanics, perception, stress reduction, mindfulness and meditation tools; includes Mind Ambassador training for workplaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• At least 90% of business is repeat business
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kyte Financial RecruitmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Acquired in November 2022 to enhance superannuation and financial services expertise. Strengthened Optimum's capabilities in these specialized recruitment areas.
• Kinetic Innovative StaffingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Co-founded in 2013 with Peter Willson as a joint venture. Optimum became co-founder providing strategic advice and direction. Continues to show tremendous growth as an innovative staffing division. Brad McMahon serves as Non-Executive Director on the Board.
• APRGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquisition brought Bianca de Barros to Optimum Consulting Group as Corporate Services Consultant. Expanded capabilities through the acquisition.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves20 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hays (Australia): Global recruitment firm with a substantial Australian presence covering white-collar professional and technical roles across accounting, IT, engineering, and HR. Direct competitor to Optimum in multi-vertical mid-market and enterprise permanent and contract placement.
• Robert Half (Australia): Specialist in finance, accounting, technology, and administrative recruitment with strong Australian operations. Highly comparable to Optimum's professional/technical permanent and contract placement model.
• Michael Page Australia: Global white-collar recruiter with a large Australian footprint across multiple professional disciplines and an executive search practice. Competes with Optimum in mid-to-senior permanent placements and specialized verticals.
• Chandler Macleod: Established Australian recruitment and HR services firm offering permanent, contract, and RPO solutions across multiple sectors. Closely comparable in market positioning and breadth of services.
• Hudson Australia: Specialist recruitment and talent management firm operating across Australia in accounting, finance, IT, sales, and HR. Similar mix of permanent and contract recruitment plus HR consulting to Optimum.
• Peoplebank: Australian IT and digital recruitment specialist placing technology professionals across enterprise and government clients. Comparable to Optimum's IT & Digital vertical and Queensland enterprise customer base.
• Finite Recruitment: Australian technology, digital, and business transformation recruitment firm. Directly comparable in IT/digital vertical focus and mid-market enterprise client mix.
• Talent International: Australian-headquartered IT and digital recruitment firm with national coverage. Comparable in IT/digital vertical specialization and enterprise/government client focus.

Broad incumbents

• Randstad Australia: Global HR services leader with extensive Australian operations across staffing, recruitment, and HR solutions including RPO and MSP. A larger incumbent competing for the same enterprise accounts.

Emerging players

• Xpand Recruitment: Australian technology and digital transformation recruitment firm with national reach. Comparable in IT vertical focus and emerging mid-market enterprise positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/optimum-consulting-group
• Xx.com/OptimumRecruit
• Facebookfacebook.com/Optimum.Group.AU

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Optimum Consulting