Global Highland
Global Highland is an Inverness-based independent recruitment agency founded in 1991, providing permanent, temporary, contract, and executive search services across the Highlands & Islands, Moray, and Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire to private, public, and voluntary sector clients in commercial, construction, industrial, and hospitality verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersInverness, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Global Highland does
Global Highland is a privately held, Inverness-based specialist recruitment agency founded in 1991, serving private, public, and voluntary sector clients across the Scottish Highlands & Islands, Moray, and Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire. The company delivers three core services: permanent recruitment, temporary and contract staffing, and executive headhunting, operating across four primary verticals: commercial, construction, industrial, and hospitality. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven and insight-led, leveraging over 80 years of combined specialist recruitment experience within a small senior team, supported by a self-service website job portal and organic social channels for candidate engagement.
The business model is a traditional recruitment services model augmented by AI search technology rather than proprietary software. Revenue is generated through one-time placement fees on permanent roles (with visible salary ranges from £27,500 to £72,000 across job listings), professional services fees for temporary and contract placements (hourly rates of £12.96–£20.04 and day rates of £150 observed), and executive search engagements for senior leadership appointments. Distribution is predominantly direct: specialist consultants handle sourcing, screening, and placement end-to-end, complemented by an Inverness-based in-person consultation channel and a website job portal for candidate self-registration.
Global Highland remains independently and locally owned with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or external funding. The company holds a Company Licences Certificate and maintains documented policies on privacy, modern slavery, health and safety, equality, diversity and inclusion, and environmental compliance. In 2024 it was named Best Recruitment Business (National) by Scotland's Business Awards, and in 2026 it announced headcount investment, geographic expansion into Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire, and expanded Talent Acquisition and Executive Search capabilities.
Global Highland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Global Highland
- Legal name
- Global Highland
- Website
- https://globalhighland.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Global Highland is an Inverness-based independent recruitment agency founded in 1991, providing permanent, temporary, contract, and executive search services across the Highlands & Islands, Moray, and Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire to private, public, and voluntary sector clients in commercial, construction, industrial, and hospitality verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Global Highland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recruitment Services
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hospitality, Travel & Events Direct Hire (BPACAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Government & Public Sector Direct Hire (BPACAFAK), Public Sector, Education & Nonprofit Leadership Search (BPACAAAI)
Keywords
Where Global Highland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Inverness
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Global Highland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Permanent Recruitment: Placement of permanent staff positions, matching candidates to permanent roles with focus on cultural fit and long-term placements
- Temporary and Contract Recruitment: Flexible staffing solutions providing temporary and contract workers to cover short-term gaps, manage peak demand, and deliver specialist project support
- Executive Headhunting: Discreet, strategic, and highly targeted search service for senior leadership positions, directly approaching passive candidates within defined markets
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hourly placement positions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Professional/salaried positions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Global Highland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Global Highland is an Inverness-based specialist recruitment partner providing fully integrated hiring solutions across Temporary, Contract, Permanent, and Executive Headhunting appointments. Services span commercial, construction, industrial, and hospitality sectors, serving private, public, and voluntary sector clients across the Highlands & Islands, Moray, Aberdeen, and Aberdeenshire regions of Scotland.
Product overview
Global Highland is a recruitment services company offering three core service offerings: Permanent Recruitment, Temporary and Contract Recruitment, and Head Hunting/Executive Search. Founded in 1991 and based in Inverness, Scotland, the company operates across the Highlands & Islands, Moray, Aberdeen, and Aberdeenshire. Their services span multiple sectors including Commercial, Construction, Industrial, and Hospitality, serving private, public, and voluntary sector clients. The company is not a software or technology product but rather a human resources and staffing agency.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Permanent Recruitment
Quantifiable outcome
- 34+ years of continuous operation as Highlands' leading recruitment partner
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Global Highland
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Global Highland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Global Highland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Global Highland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Pertemps: Major UK recruitment network offering temporary, permanent, and contract staffing with strong regional branch presence - directly comparable to Global Highland's relationship-driven local-office model.
- Reed: UK's largest domestic recruitment agency offering permanent, temporary, and executive search across all sectors including construction and industrial - directly overlapping Global Highland's service portfolio with national scale.
- ManpowerGroup: Global workforce solutions company with UK staffing operations across temporary, permanent, and executive recruitment - competes for the same multi-sector client base as Global Highland.
- Michael Page: UK professional recruitment leader specializing in commercial and white-collar placements including senior advisory roles - overlaps with Global Highland's Business Advisory Manager/Senior Manager placements up to £72k.
- Adecco: Global staffing leader with UK operations covering temporary, contract, and permanent placements across industrial, hospitality, and commercial verticals - broad incumbent with overlapping service portfolio.
- Hays: Global recruitment firm with strong UK presence across commercial, construction, and industrial sectors - similar vertical segmentation and includes executive search capability comparable to Global Highland's senior recruitment offering.
Direct peers
- Search Consultancy: UK-focused multi-sector recruitment agency offering permanent, temporary, and contract staffing across commercial and industrial verticals - direct comparable in scale and service mix.
- Blue Arrow: UK recruitment agency focused on temporary, contract, and permanent placements across industrial, hospitality, and commercial sectors - highly comparable service mix and customer base to Global Highland.
- Brook Street UK: UK recruitment agency offering temporary, contract, and permanent staffing across commercial, industrial, and hospitality sectors - directly comparable mid-size UK recruitment peer.
- Cammach: Specialist recruitment firm also led by Iona Currie alongside Global Highland, focused on similar sectors in Scotland. Most directly comparable peer because of shared leadership and operational overlap.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Global Highland social profiles
Digital presenceGlobal Highland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Global Highland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Global Highland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Global Highland 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 Global Highland
What does Global Highland do?
Global Highland is an Inverness-based specialist recruitment partner providing fully integrated hiring solutions across Temporary, Contract, Permanent, and Executive Headhunting appointments. Services span commercial, construction, industrial, and hospitality sectors, serving private, public, and voluntary sector clients across the Highlands & Islands, Moray, Aberdeen, and Aberdeenshire regions of Scotland.
Is Global Highland a public or private company?
Global Highland is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Global Highland founded?
Global Highland was founded in 1991. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Global Highland based?
Global Highland is headquartered in Inverness, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Global Highland make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Permanent Recruitment is the primary driver. The others are temporary and Contract Recruitment and executive Headhunting.
Who are Global Highland's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Pertemps, Reed, ManpowerGroup, Michael Page, Adecco and Hays. Direct peers are Search Consultancy, Blue Arrow, Brook Street UK and Cammach.
Does Global Highland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Global Highland.
What industry is Global Highland in?
Global Highland's product category is Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAL, Hospitality, Travel & Events Direct Hire, with a secondary code of BPACAFAK, Government & Public Sector Direct Hire. Its SIC code is 7361.