What MDE Group does

MDE Group is a Norway-headquartered, privately held staffing and workforce solutions provider founded in 2007 in Stavanger. The company originally served the Norwegian oil and gas industry and has since grown into a multinational operation with 21 offices across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, South America, and the United States, employing 501-1,000 internal staff and placing 2,870-3,000 contractors at client sites. MDE generates revenue (group turnover reported at $160M+ USD) through professional services fees on permanent placements and managed-services margins on temporary staffing, MSP, and RPO engagements, with global mobility services (visa, payroll, insurance, relocation) layered on as an add-on capability for internationally deployed contractors.

The company's service portfolio spans consultancy, temporary manpower, permanent recruitment, Managed Service Provider (MSP), Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Master Vendor Service (MVS), Executive Search, HR and workforce consulting, restructuring and outplacement, accounting services, and global mobility. Operationally, MDE runs a B2B, sales-led go-to-market with industry-specialist recruitment teams and direct enterprise engagement through its global office network; pricing is negotiated per engagement and is not publicly disclosed. The firm maintains ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications and is an approved supplier in the Achilles Joint Qualification System (ID 26370) for Norwegian and Danish continental shelf operators.

MDE's customer base is concentrated in oil and gas (Equinor, Vår Energi, Ørsted, EnQuest, TotalEnergies, COSL) and adjacent energy/industrial sectors (ABB, Nexans, Semco, Sembcorp, Altera), with additional exposure to maritime (DSME), construction/infrastructure (HS2), and support services (Compass Group). Recent strategic activity has centered on long-dated framework agreements in 2024 with Vår Energi ASA (5-year), Equinor ASA, ABB Norge, and Nexans G&T, alongside leadership additions in Norway and the MENA region. The group is founder/management-controlled, with no disclosed external funding or institutional investors.

Name

MDE Group

Legal name

MDE Group

Website

https://mde-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

MDE Group is a Norway-headquartered global staffing and workforce solutions provider, founded in 2007, operating 21 offices worldwide. It offers recruitment, MSP, RPO, and global mobility services to enterprise clients in oil & gas, renewable energy, maritime, and construction sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stavanger

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recruitment and Permanent Placement: MDE provides permanent recruitment services where they match candidates with suitable positions. The company earns placement fees typically structured as a percentage of the hired candidate's annual salary.
2. Manpower/Temporary Staffing: MDE provides flexible workforce solutions with skilled and unskilled workers available on a temporary basis. Revenue is generated through markup on worker wages and service fees.
3. Managed Service Provider (MSP): MDE takes responsibility for administration of hired labor and/or management of service providers and contracts. This includes workforce management, vendor management, and administrative services.
4. Global Mobility Services: Comprehensive relocation services including visa processing, payroll management, insurance, accommodation, travel, and other expatriate support services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MDE Group is a global staffing and workforce solutions provider offering consultancy, temporary manpower, permanent recruitment, Managed Service Provider (MSP), global mobility (visa, payroll, relocation), HR consulting, restructuring/outplacement, and accounting services. The company connects businesses with highly skilled professionals across oil and gas, renewable energy, maritime, construction, banking/finance, and IT sectors through 21 offices worldwide.

Product overview

MDE Group operates as a unified global recruitment and workforce management services platform, not a traditional software product company. The company offers an integrated portfolio of human resources and manpower services including Recruitment and Staffing (temporary manpower, permanent placement, and consultancy), Managed Service Provider (MSP) solutions for contractor management, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Master Vendor Service (MVS), Global Mobility Services (visa, relocation, payroll, insurance), HR and Workforce Consulting, Restructuring and Outplacement, and Accounting Services. These services work together to provide end-to-end workforce solutions—MDE identifies and sources talent, manages contractor administration through MSP, handles international relocation through Global Mobility, and provides ongoing HR advisory support. The company operates across multiple global offices serving clients in oil and gas, renewable energy, maritime, construction, banking/finance, IT, and other sectors throughout Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and South America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consultancy Advisory and consultancy services matching highly skilled professionals with organizations, providing technical expertise and HR advisory support across multiple industries.
• Manpower (Temporary Staffing) Flexible workforce solutions providing skilled and unskilled workers on a temporary basis, with revenue generated through markup on worker wages and service fees.
• Recruitment for Permanent Positions Permanent placement services matching candidates with full-time positions, earning placement fees typically structured as a percentage of the hired candidate's annual salary.
• Restructuring Process and Outplacement
• Accounting Services and Consulting
• Managed Service Provider (MSP)
• Global Mobility Services End-to-end international relocation support including visa arrangements, payroll management, insurance, accommodation, travel coordination, and family support services for expatriate workers deployed across borders.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Outsourced recruitment process management leveraging innovative technology and global reach for tailored end-to-end talent acquisition solutions.
• Master Vendor Service (MVS) Strategic vendor management service for coordinating multiple staffing suppliers within a unified framework to streamline contingent workforce management.
• Executive Search Discrete and targeted recruitment strategy including industry research, market mapping, professional headhunting, and candidate profiling for senior leadership and executive positions.
• HR and Workforce Consulting Advisory services including change management, talent mapping, market research, TUPE advisory, strategic workforce planning, and legislative compliance guidance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2870 contractors appointed globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Vår Energi ASAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024MDE entered into a 5-year framework agreement with Vår Energi ASA for recruitment services. This is a significant strategic partnership providing consistent staffing solutions for the energy company's projects.
• Equinor ASAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024MDE entered into a framework agreement with Equinor ASA (announced April 2024) for recruitment services in the Norwegian energy sector.
• ABB NorgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024MDE entered into a framework agreement with ABB Norge for recruitment services.
• Nexans G&TcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024MDE entered into a framework agreement with Nexans G&T for recruitment services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hays:
• Adecco Group: Global staffing and workforce solutions giant operating across general staffing, professional staffing, and LHH career transition services. Highly comparable to MDE's end-to-end recruitment, MSP, and outplacement portfolio, but at materially greater scale and with proprietary digital platforms.
• ManpowerGroup: World's largest staffing firm by revenue, offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, RPO, and talent management globally. Directly comparable to MDE's broad workforce solutions offering across multiple geographies and verticals.
• Randstad: Major global staffing and HR services company with deep presence in Europe. Operates across staffing, in-house services (MSP), and digital talent solutions — overlapping significantly with MDE's service portfolio, especially in Northern Europe.
• Robert Half International: Global specialised staffing firm placing finance, technology, and office professionals. Comparable in business model (professional staffing with MSP/RPO capabilities) and multinational enterprise focus, though less concentrated in energy verticals.

Direct peers

• Brunel International: Amsterdam-based specialist staffing firm focused on energy, oil & gas, mining, and infrastructure with global project mobilisation. Closest pure-play peer to MDE — same oil & gas heritage, same energy transition pivot, similar end-to-end mobility and project staffing model.
• Airswift: Houston-based specialist recruitment and workforce solutions provider for the energy, process, and infrastructure sectors. Directly comparable to MDE on energy-focused technical staffing, MSP, and global mobility offerings.
• NES Global Talent (NES Fircroft): Specialist technical staffing and workforce solutions company focused on oil & gas, energy, and infrastructure. Directly comparable to MDE's energy vertical expertise and global project mobilisation model.

Emerging players

• Headway Workforce Solutions: US-based MSP and RPO provider focused on high-volume staffing programme management. Comparable to MDE's MSP offering and to its US expansion (San Diego office) for clients seeking managed contingent workforce programmes.

Regional players

• Wtsenergy (now Pangea Global Technologies): Specialist energy and oil & gas recruitment firm with strong European and Middle East presence. Closely comparable to MDE in energy-vertical specialisation, project-based workforce model, and geographic coverage including MENA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mde-group

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 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 MDE Group