What Wade Macdonald does

Wade Macdonald Limited is a specialist UK recruitment agency founded in 1991 and headquartered in Winnersh Triangle, Reading, Berkshire. The firm focuses on permanent, interim, and temporary placements across three core business units — Accountancy & Finance, Human Resources, and Business Support — serving SMEs, national organisations, multinational corporations, and non-for-profit organisations primarily in the Thames Valley and broader South East England, with growing coverage across the UK and Ireland.

The company's service portfolio spans nine recruitment specialisms including Senior Finance, Interim & Temporary Appointments, Payroll, Tax & Treasury, Credit Control, and Executive Search. Its underlying technology is built around the Firefish recruitment CRM and applicant tracking system, used to manage a candidate database of 15,000+ historical placements supplemented by 300+ new monthly registrations. The firm also publishes an annual Salary & Benefits Guide and operates an 8-hour working interview process for temporary placements.

Wade Macdonald is an independent, owner-managed private limited company with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or subsidiaries. Revenue is generated through transaction-based permanent placement fees (typically a percentage of placed candidate salary) and usage-based billing for temporary/interim assignments at hourly or daily rates. The business runs without public funding rounds or disclosed M&A activity, retaining full operational independence since founding.

Name

Wade Macdonald

Legal name

Wade Macdonald Limited

Website

https://wademacdonald.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wade Macdonald is an owner-managed UK recruitment agency founded in 1991 that places permanent and interim Accountancy & Finance, Human Resources, and Business Support professionals for SMEs, corporates, and non-profits across the Thames Valley and wider UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

Keywords

• Accountancy finance recruitment
• Human resources staffing
• Interim temporary staffing
• Executive search services
• Payroll recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Permanent Placement Fees: Fee-based recruitment service placing candidates in permanent positions. Fees typically calculated as a percentage of the placed candidate's annual salary.
2. Temporary/Interim Staffing: Supply of temporary and contract finance and HR professionals to clients. Charged at hourly/daily rates for the duration of assignments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wade Macdonald is a specialist B2B recruitment agency placing Accountancy & Finance, Human Resources, and Business Support professionals into SMEs, national, multinational, and non-for-profit organisations. The firm delivers permanent placements, interim management, and temporary/contract staffing across all seniority levels from entry-level to CFO, supported by consultant-led engagement and a CRM-managed candidate database.

Product overview

Wade Macdonald is a specialist recruitment agency providing staffing solutions across Accountancy & Finance, Human Resources, and Business Support sectors. Established in 1991, the firm operates a portfolio of recruitment services including Accountancy & Finance Recruitment (the original and largest specialism), Human Resources Recruitment, Senior Finance Recruitment, Interim & Temporary Appointments, Payroll Recruitment, Tax & Treasury Recruitment, Credit Control Recruitment, Business Support Recruitment, and Executive Search. The offering also includes supporting services such as the annual 2026 Salary & Benefits Guide for salary benchmarking, Candidate Resources (CV guides, interview preparation), and an innovative 8-Hour Working Interview process for temporary staffing placements. The core service model connects employers with finance and HR professionals across the Thames Valley and wider UK regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accountancy & Finance Recruitment Permanent and temporary recruitment services for non-qualified and part-qualified finance professionals covering accounts payable, credit control, payroll, financial and management accounting, supporting SMEs, national, multi-national, and non-for-profit organisations in the Thames Valley.
• Human Resources Recruitment Recruitment services for People and Culture professionals across all sectors, covering permanent and interim placements from entry-level HR Assistants through to HR Directors.
• Senior Finance Recruitment Specialist permanent and interim recruitment for senior finance roles from newly qualified through to CFO level, drawing on over 100 years of combined team experience in placing finance leaders.
• Interim & Temporary Appointments Contract and temporary staffing solutions for finance and HR professionals, providing cover during busy periods, transformation projects, or where specific skills are needed on a flexible basis.
• Payroll Recruitment Specialist recruitment for payroll professionals at all levels, from payroll administrators to payroll managers and heads of payroll, serving both SME and enterprise clients.
• Tax & Treasury Recruitment Recruitment services for tax and treasury professionals, covering corporate tax, personal tax, treasury management, and related finance disciplines.
• Credit Control Recruitment Specialist recruitment for credit control and accounts receivable professionals, from entry-level clerks through to credit management positions.
• Business Support Recruitment Recruitment for executive support, office management, and administrative roles launched in response to client demand for wider business-critical positions beyond finance and HR.
• Executive Search Senior-level executive recruitment service for identifying and placing high-level leadership positions within organisations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000 professionals successfully placed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Frazer Jones: Frazer Jones is a niche HR recruitment specialist operating in the UK and internationally. It overlaps with Wade Macdonald's HR division and executive search offerings for HR leadership roles.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half: Robert Half is a global specialist in finance, accounting, and HR recruitment with significant UK operations. It serves many of the same finance hiring use cases as Wade Macdonald and is a key competitor in the Thames Valley market.
• Michael Page: Michael Page is a leading UK and international specialist recruiter with strong accountancy, finance, and HR practices. It competes directly for permanent finance and HR placements across the South East, though at a larger scale.
• Reed Specialist Recruitment: Reed is one of the UK's largest generalist and specialist recruitment firms with deep accountancy & finance and HR desks. It competes with Wade Macdonald for SME and mid-market finance/HR placements but operates nationally with a far broader portfolio.
• Adecco: Adecco is a global staffing group with UK finance, accounting, and HR recruitment operations. While much broader in scope, it overlaps with Wade Macdonald on temporary/interim staffing of finance and HR professionals.
• Hays: Hays is a global recruitment group with established Accounting & Finance and HR specialisms in the UK. It targets the same finance/HR hiring manager buyer but offers a wider geographic and sector footprint than Wade Macdonald.

Direct peers

• Morgan McKinley: Morgan McKinley is a specialist financial services and accountancy recruitment firm with strong UK coverage. It directly competes with Wade Macdonald on accountancy & finance and HR placements for SMEs and mid-market clients.
• Badenoch + Clark: Badenoch + Clark is a UK specialist recruiter with finance, accounting, and HR practices. It targets a comparable buyer and candidate profile and is a head-to-head competitor for permanent and interim finance roles.
• Marks Sattin: Marks Sattin is a UK specialist recruiter for finance, accounting, and HR professionals across all levels. It competes directly with Wade Macdonald for mid-market and SME finance mandates in London and the South East.
• Goodman Masson: Goodman Masson is a London-based specialist recruiter focused on finance, accounting, and HR roles. It targets a similar buyer profile to Wade Macdonald and is a direct competitor for permanent and interim finance placements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WadeMacDon
• Facebookfacebook.com/WadeMacdonaldRecruitment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wade-macdonald

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Wade Macdonald