Lignum Group

What Lignum Group does

Lignum Group is a private UK-headquartered executive recruitment consultancy founded in 2015 by Tom Wood (CEO) and Max Walker (Managing Director), specializing exclusively in niche sub-sectors of the construction industry. The firm places senior leaders and board-level directors for building-products manufacturers, facades and cladding contractors, modular construction firms, interiors and fit-out specialists, construction manufacturing, and compliance/regulatory teams. Its core technology is not software but a proprietary "proven methodology" — a structured, rigorous search process that pairs elite global talent networks (spanning 25+ countries across the UK, Europe, North America, and South Africa) with deep vertical specialization in under-served construction niches where generalist recruiters underperform.

The company monetizes through five interconnected engagement models: retained executive search (its flagship), contingency recruitment, project-based hiring for time-bound assignments, dedicated search engagements, and Managed Service Provider (MSP) partnerships for ongoing talent acquisition. Fees are quote-based and consistent with senior-level retained search norms (typically expressed as a percentage of first-year compensation), paid out over multi-year engagements. Its go-to-market is purely direct enterprise field sales — account growth managers and delivery teams engage named enterprise clients (Kingspan, Vicwest, BrandSafway, Steico, Kawneer, BB7) and generate a 75% repeat-placement rate, complemented by thought-leadership content (podcasts, newsletters, blog, conferences) and founder-led LinkedIn distribution.

Lignum operates from three office locations (Warrington HQ, Cape Town, and a New York sales presence) and has approximately 13 named professionals across executive search, commercial, operations, people, and marketing functions. The firm is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding or parent ownership; 2024 was stated as a record-profit year with a public target of 80% headcount growth over the subsequent 18 months.

Name

Lignum Group

Legal name

Lignum Group

Website

https://lignumgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lignum Group is a UK-headquartered executive recruitment consultancy founded in 2015 that places senior leaders and board-level talent exclusively into niche construction sub-sectors including facades, modular construction, building products manufacturing, and compliance across the UK, Europe, North America, and South Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Recruitment and Search Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive & Leadership Direct Hire (BPACAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)

Keywords

• Executive recruitment services
• Construction industry hiring
• Retained executive search
• Building envelope recruitment
• Facade sector staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Retained and contingency-based executive recruitment services for placing senior leaders and board-level directors in construction and building product companies across North America, UK, and Europe.
2. Project-Based Recruitment: Engagements for specific project hires across contingency, retained, project, and managed service models.
3. Managed Service Provider (MSP) Model: Collaborative recruitment approach through MSP partnerships for clients requiring ongoing talent acquisition support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lignum Group is a recruitment consultancy that places senior leaders and specialised professionals across niche sectors of the construction industry. It delivers executive search, retained, contingency, project, and managed service provider (MSP) recruitment engagements for contractors and manufacturers operating in exteriors/facades, interiors, compliance, modular construction, manufacturing, and senior talent segments across North America, UK, Europe, and South Africa.

Product overview

Lignum Group is a premier recruitment specialist serving the construction industry's niche markets. The company operates as a unified service portfolio offering five interconnected recruitment models: Executive Search (boardroom-focused senior placements), Retained Recruitment (exclusive dedicated searches), Contingency Recruitment (success-based placements), Project Recruitment (time-bound project staffing), and Managed Service Provider (MSP) services for comprehensive talent partnerships. These core offerings are supplemented by sector-specific specializations covering Exteriors (facades, landscaping, structural roles), Interiors (interior design and fit-out), Compliance (regulatory experts), Modular Construction, Manufacturing, and Senior Talent/Executive placements. The company leverages international talent networks across North America, UK, Europe, and South Africa to deliver placements from operational to board-level positions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Services Specialist executive recruitment service for identifying and placing top-tier industry leaders in niche construction sectors, providing boardroom-focused, discreet, and results-driven placements for senior-level positions from operational to board-level director roles.
• Retained Recruitment Support Exclusive retained search engagement where clients commission Lignum to conduct dedicated executive searches, ensuring focused resources on critical senior placements across niche construction sectors in North America, UK, and Europe.
• Contingency Recruitment Contingency-based recruitment service where fees are contingent on successful placement, operating within international talent networks across North America, UK, and Europe for niche construction industry roles.
• Project Recruitment Time-bound recruitment service for project-specific hiring needs, supporting contractors and manufacturers with skilled professionals for construction-related projects across niche sectors.
• Managed Service Provider (MSP) Model Collaborative recruitment approach through MSP partnerships, providing end-to-end managed recruitment services for clients seeking comprehensive ongoing talent acquisition support across niche construction verticals.
• Niche Construction Sector Recruitment Sector-specialised recruitment spanning exteriors (facades, cladding, curtain walling, landscaping, structural roles), interiors (design and fit-out), compliance and regulatory experts, modular construction, and construction-related manufacturing, delivering skilled professional placements across these construction verticals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 900+ candidates placed successfully
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hays Construction: Hays is a global generalist recruiter with a large dedicated construction and property division. It competes with Lignum on senior construction placements but operates across many industries at much greater scale.
• Michael Page Construction: Michael Page is a major international recruitment firm with a strong construction and property practice placing mid-to-senior professionals, overlapping directly with Lignum's project and retained recruitment services.

Direct peers

• Fircroft: Fircroft is a specialist engineering and construction recruitment firm with global reach, very comparable to Lignum's niche construction focus, executive search, and managed service offerings.
• ATA Recruitment: ATA Recruitment is a UK-based construction and built-environment specialist recruiter operating across permanent, temporary, and executive search mandates, directly comparable to Lignum's UK construction vertical focus.
• Skilled Careers: Skilled Careers (formerly RHL) is a UK construction and property recruitment specialist offering permanent and executive placements, competing head-to-head with Lignum in construction white-collar search.
• Daniel Owen: Daniel Owen is a UK construction recruitment specialist operating across permanent and temporary placements in construction trades and professional roles, with comparable vertical specialization to Lignum.
• Sphere Solutions: Sphere Solutions is a Wales/UK-headquartered construction and property recruiter placing professionals at all levels, a direct peer for Lignum's UK construction white-collar search business.
• Maxim Recruitment: Maxim Recruitment is a UK-based construction recruitment firm specializing in quantity surveyors, project managers, and senior construction professionals, overlapping with Lignum's project and senior talent verticals.

Emerging players

• Whitehouse Search: Whitehouse Search is a smaller UK executive search boutique focused on construction, real estate, and infrastructure leadership, an emerging peer with comparable niche executive search positioning.

Regional players

• O'Neill & Brennan: O'Neill & Brennan is a UK and Ireland construction staffing specialist with strong blue-collar and white-collar capability, a regional peer whose construction vertical focus parallels Lignum.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lignum-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Lignum Group