Sanderson
Sanderson is a UK- and Ireland-based specialist recruitment and workforce solutions firm, delivering permanent, contract, executive search, RPO, and MSP services through five functional divisions to enterprise and public sector clients, with additional APAC presence.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sanderson does
Sanderson is a specialist talent and workforce solutions partner operating primarily across the UK and Ireland with established delivery capability in APAC markets. The firm delivers recruitment services through five specialist divisions — Accounting & Finance, HR, IT & Business Change, Sales & Marketing, and Supply Chain & Procurement — providing permanent placement, contract and temporary staffing, executive search, RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) including Enterprise and Project variants, and MSP (Managed Service Programme) for contingent workforce management. It engages enterprise and mid-market clients via direct sales with dedicated account management, targeting leadership teams in financial services, technology, public sector, semi-state bodies, and other professional services.
The company is privately held as Sanderson Recruitment (Ireland) Limited, a subsidiary of Sanderson Solutions Group plc, and operates from offices in Dublin, Bristol (UK HQ), Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, and India. Revenue is generated through contingency placement fees for permanent hires, transaction fees on contract/temporary placements, retained professional services fees for executive search, and managed services revenue from multi-year RPO and MSP engagements. No proprietary technology platform is disclosed; assessment capability is supported through a partnership with CEB SHL Talent Management Solutions, and standard ATS/CRM tooling is implicit in operations.
The firm markets primarily through thought-leadership content (blog, LinkedIn, Twitter), SEO-optimised job search, and events such as ESRI Economic Outlook briefings. Its senior leadership team — including Chairman Martin Griffiths and Managing Director Donal O'Donoghue (NRF/REC Fellow) — is publicly active on labour market trends, AI impact, and hiring complexity. Customer logos span Sky Ireland, BMW, KBC Bank, Tesco Mobile, Arup, UDG Healthcare, Evo Payments, Keywords International and The Delta Group, with industry recognition including Sunday Times Top Track 250, AA Dun & Bradstreet rating, and 2014 NRF Best in Practice (Accounting & Finance).
Sanderson firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sanderson
- Legal name
- Sanderson Recruitment (Ireland) Limited
- Website
- https://sanderson.ie
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Sanderson is a UK- and Ireland-based specialist recruitment and workforce solutions firm, delivering permanent, contract, executive search, RPO, and MSP services through five functional divisions to enterprise and public sector clients, with additional APAC presence.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sanderson industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recruitment and Staffing Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Vendor Management System (VMS) & MSP-Led Contractor Programs (BPACAGAF)
Keywords
Where Sanderson is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices11 records
Markets served
Sanderson business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Permanent Recruitment Placement Fees: Contingency-based placement fees for permanent hiring across specialist divisions including Accounting & Finance, HR, IT, Sales & Marketing, and Supply Chain & Procurement.
- RPO and MSP Solutions: Recruitment Process Outsourcing and Managed Service Provider solutions delivered as fully managed services to enterprise clients.
- Executive Search: Retained executive search engagements for senior leadership appointments.
- Contract and Temporary Staffing: Placement of professional contractors and temporary staffing solutions.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sanderson product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sanderson is a specialist talent and workforce solutions partner that delivers recruitment services across the UK, Ireland, and APAC markets. The company provides permanent hiring, contract and temporary staffing, executive search, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), and Managed Service Provider (MSP) solutions through five specialist divisions covering Accounting & Finance, HR, IT & Business Change, Sales & Marketing, and Supply Chain & Procurement.
Product overview
Sanderson is a specialist talent and workforce solutions partner offering a portfolio of recruitment services under the Sanderson Recruitment brand. The core offering comprises Executive Search for senior leadership appointments, RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) solutions (including Enterprise RPO and Project RPO variants), and MSP (Managed Service Programme) for contingent workforce management. These are delivered through five specialist divisions covering Accounting & Finance, HR, IT & Business Change, Sales & Marketing, and Supply Chain & Procurement. Services span permanent hiring, fixed term appointments, professional contractors, temporary staffing, and specialist project solutions. The company operates across the UK and Ireland with established capability in APAC markets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Executive Search Retained search service for senior leadership appointments, using a research-led, evidence-based approach to identify high-calibre candidates for business-critical roles. Targeted at enterprise clients requiring senior executive hires.
- Enterprise RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) Fully managed recruitment service acting as an extension of client business, managing the full recruitment lifecycle from talent attraction through onboarding and workforce planning for permanent hiring.
- Project RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) Short-term targeted recruitment solution designed to support businesses during periods of increased hiring demand, delivered as a fixed-term engagement.
- MSP (Managed Service Programme) Compliant, cost-controlled contingent workforce management solution for contractor and project-based talent models, designed for enterprise clients managing flexible workforces.
- Accounting & Finance Recruitment Specialist division recruiting finance professionals from mid to senior level across industry, commerce, and financial services, including Finance Director, Financial Controller, Commercial Finance Manager, Internal Audit, and newly qualified accountant roles.
- HR Recruitment Specialist division recruiting HR professionals at all levels across all sectors, including HR Director, Generalist HR, Business Partner, Talent, Organisational Development, HR Analytics, Compensation & Benefits, Employee Relations, and Recruitment roles.
- IT & Business Change Recruitment Specialist division recruiting IT and business transformation professionals at all levels across architecture, technical project management, software development, QA and testing, infrastructure, cyber security, programme management, analysis, PMO, and process improvement.
- Sales & Marketing Recruitment Specialist division recruiting experienced sales and marketing professionals into permanent, temporary and contract roles across retail banking, insurance, investment banking, retail, FMCG, pharmaceuticals, technology, media, telecoms and professional services.
- Supply Chain & Procurement Recruitment Specialist division recruiting supply chain and procurement professionals from mid to senior level for roles including procurement, category management, strategic sourcing, vendor relationship, contract management, supply chain, operations, warehouse, and production.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200+ hires annually for leadership team clients
Companies that use Sanderson
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sanderson technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sanderson partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.
- Economic Social Research Institute (ESRI)supportingAcademic partnership for Economic Outlook briefings, bringing research insights to Sanderson's client events.
- Prince's TrustsupportingRSG (Sanderson's parent group) sponsors Prince's Trust 'Young Ambassador Award' at South West Celebrate Success Awards. Supports youth employability initiatives.
- National Recruitment Federation (NRF)coreProfessional affiliation with Ireland's leading recruitment industry body. Sanderson directors hold fellowships and leadership positions within NRF.
- The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)coreUK industry body affiliation providing credibility and standards alignment for UK operations.
- British Irish Chamber of CommercesupportingCross-border business organisation supporting trade relationships between UK and Ireland.
- Irish Exporters AssociationsupportingIndustry association for Irish exporting companies.
- Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCO)supportingTrade association for staffing and recruitment companies.
- Association of Project ManagerssupportingProfessional body affiliation supporting project management recruitment expertise.
- CEB: SHL Talent Management SolutionssupportingTalent measurement and assessment solutions partner for candidate evaluation.
- The HR WorldsupportingContent partnership providing HR thought leadership and white papers to clients and candidates.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Sanderson competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Robert Half: Global staffing firm specialising in finance, accounting, IT, and administrative placements. Directly competes with Sanderson's Accounting & Finance and IT & Business Change divisions on permanent and contract engagements.
- Hays: UK-listed global recruitment firm with deep specialist divisions across accountancy, IT, HR, and procurement. Highly comparable to Sanderson in offering permanent, contract, RPO, and MSP solutions, with stronger scale but similar vertical specialisation.
- Reed: UK-founded global recruiter offering permanent, temporary, RPO, and MSP across professional disciplines. Overlaps directly with Sanderson's full-spectrum service portfolio and UK/Ireland market focus.
- Morgan McKinley: Ireland- and UK-focused recruitment firm specialising in finance, accounting, and professional services. Highly comparable vertically to Sanderson's Accounting & Finance division and Irish enterprise client base.
- Hudson Global: Global professional recruitment firm focused on specialist and mid-senior placements across finance, technology, and HR. Comparable to Sanderson in vertical specialisation and enterprise RPO delivery model.
- Michael Page: Global professional recruitment firm strong in finance, HR, IT, and marketing permanent placements. Directly comparable to Sanderson's specialist division model and enterprise client base across the UK and Ireland.
- Cpl Resources: Irish-headquartered professional recruitment group with permanent, contract, and talent solutions across Ireland, UK, and beyond. Direct domestic competitor to Sanderson in the Irish enterprise and SME recruitment market.
- Sigmar Recruitment: Irish recruitment firm operating across permanent, contract, and executive search across multiple professional disciplines. Direct domestic peer competing for the same Irish enterprise and SME client accounts as Sanderson.
Broad incumbents
- Adecco: Global staffing and workforce solutions major offering RPO, MSP, and professional recruitment as part of a much broader staffing portfolio. Competes with Sanderson at the enterprise MSP/RPO tier but operates across many more segments.
- ManpowerGroup: Global staffing and workforce solutions giant with RPO, MSP, and professional permanent placement offerings. Provides broader competition to Sanderson for enterprise workforce solutions mandates, with much larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sanderson social profiles
Digital presenceSanderson financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sanderson leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Sanderson funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sanderson 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 Sanderson
What does Sanderson do?
Sanderson is a specialist talent and workforce solutions partner that delivers recruitment services across the UK, Ireland, and APAC markets. The company provides permanent hiring, contract and temporary staffing, executive search, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), and Managed Service Provider (MSP) solutions through five specialist divisions covering Accounting & Finance, HR, IT & Business Change, Sales & Marketing, and Supply Chain & Procurement.
Is Sanderson a public or private company?
Sanderson is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Sanderson founded?
Sanderson was founded in 1975. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Sanderson based?
Sanderson is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Sanderson make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Permanent Recruitment Placement Fees are the primary driver. The others are RPO and MSP Solutions, executive Search and contract and Temporary Staffing.
Who are Sanderson's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Robert Half, Hays, Reed, Morgan McKinley, Hudson Global, Michael Page, Cpl Resources and Sigmar Recruitment. Broad incumbents are Adecco and ManpowerGroup.
Does Sanderson have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sanderson.
What industry is Sanderson in?
Sanderson's product category is Recruitment and Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAGAF, Vendor Management System (VMS) & MSP-Led Contractor Programs.