What RETHIC does

RETHIC is a French recruitment and HR consulting firm founded in 2009 and headquartered in Rambouillet, with regional offices in Lyon and Marseille. The company is organized around two core expertise poles — Pôle Transition Énergétique (covering wind, solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal, environmental studies, and energy efficiency) and Pôle Mobilité Durable & Smart City (covering intelligent transport systems, public transit, rail, autonomous vehicles, and IRVE) — with a third Digital Transformation pole added in 2023. It serves major international groups and specialized mid-sized companies (ETIs) executing energy transition and sustainable mobility projects in France and internationally.

The firm's core service offering is direct-approach executive and technical recruitment, delivered through a senior-consultant plus specialized-recruiter pairing model. Technology stack consists of the proprietary Admen job portal (rethic.admen.fr) for listings and applications, a proprietary candidate database maintained since 2009 for re-engagement of pre-qualified candidates, and the third-party Performanse psychometric personality assessment integrated into a documented 3-step placement process. Sourcing channels combine job boards, the Admen platform, confidential direct approach, and co-optation/referrals.

RETHIC monetizes through two revenue streams: success-based recruitment fees (honoraires au succès) structured as exclusive or non-exclusive mandates with optional replacement guarantees, and longer-cycle technical assistance missions (managed staffing) where clients may convert consultants to permanent hires at mission end. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct consultant engagement, supported by trade show participation (ENERGAIA, ENVIROPRO, Forum Biodiversité et Economie), LinkedIn presence, industry association membership, and school partnerships. Pricing is non-public and quote-based, with public salary bands on listed roles indicating market positioning rather than firm-level pricing.

Name

RETHIC

Legal name

Rethic

Website

https://rethic.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RETHIC is a French specialized recruitment and HR consulting firm founded in 2009, placing technical and executive talent into renewable energy, sustainable mobility, smart city, and digital transformation projects for major international groups and ETIs across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialized Recruitment Services

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Capital & Workforce Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Career Transition & Reemployment Services (Job Search Support) (BPACAOAD)

Keywords

• Specialized recruitment services
• Executive search consulting
• Energy transition staffing
• Sustainable mobility recruitment
• HR advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rambouillet

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Success-Based Recruitment Fees: Traditional contingency-based recruitment where fees are charged upon successful placement of a candidate. Options include exclusive or non-exclusive mandates, with or without guarantee of replacement.
2. Technical Assistance / Long-term Missions: Long-term staff augmentation missions where consultants are placed at client sites. Clients may choose to hire the consultant at the end of the mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RETHIC is a French recruitment and HR consulting firm providing specialized talent acquisition for the energy transition and sustainable mobility/smart city sectors. The firm offers direct approach and headhunting recruitment, long-term technical assistance missions, and personalized HR consulting, supported by a proprietary candidate database and the Performanse personality assessment tool. It operates through two expert poles covering renewable energies (wind, solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal) and intelligent transport systems.

Product overview

RETHIC operates as a specialized HR consulting and recruitment firm organized around two core poles: the Energy Transition Pole (Pôle Transition Énergétique) and the Sustainable Mobility & Smart City Pole (Pôle Mobilité Durable & Smart City). The company offers recruitment services through direct approach and success-based fee structures, complemented by technical assistance missions for longer-term staffing needs. HR consulting services include personalized career coaching and the use of Performanse personality assessments to ensure optimal candidate-company matching. The two specialization poles cover distinct but complementary sectors: renewable energies (wind, solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal), environmental services, and energy efficiency on one hand; and intelligent transport systems, public transit infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, and industrial digitalization on the other. All services are delivered through a network-based model with headquarters in Rambouillet and coverage across France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recrutement / Approche directe Specialized recruitment services using direct approach and headhunting methods to identify and place candidates in technical and expert positions within the energy transition and sustainable mobility sectors. Offered as success-fee based mandates with optional exclusivity and replacement guarantee.
• Assistance Technique Long-term technical assistance missions providing specialized personnel for project-based or pre-hire evaluation needs, allowing clients to assess candidates on assignment before potentially converting them to permanent employment.
• Conseil RH Personnalisé Personalized HR consulting and career coaching services, including long-term candidate support, skills matching, and ongoing guidance throughout professional transitions for both candidates and client companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Long-term placement success through 3-step process including behavioral assessment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• UniLaSalle Institute Polytechnique de RennesminorOthers · 1 January 2023Career day partnership with UniLaSalle for student recruitment and employer branding. Lydie Prioton represented RETHIC at the 2023 edition, conducting mock interview simulations with students.
• France AgrivoltaïsmecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022RETHIC is a member of France Agrivoltaïsme since 2022. Participated in the 1st edition of Rencontres de l'Agrivoltaïsme, an event bringing together agricultural and energy transition stakeholders to discuss agrivoltaic project development and regulation.
• ENVIROPRO Grand-OuestminorOthersExhibitor at ENVIROPRO trade show in Angers (June 2022), first time as exhibitor. Full Energy Transition team participated at Stand E20.
• Office Français de la BiodiversitéminorOthersAttended Forum Biodiversité et Economie (FBE) 2022 at Cité des Sciences de Paris, organized by the French Biodiversity Office.
• ENERGAIAminorOthersExhibitor at ENERGAIA trade show at Montpellier Parc des Expositions (December 2022), Stand F02 Hall B2.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Randstad France: French subsidiary of the global staffing leader with dedicated engineering and energy practices. Major incumbent competitor for large enterprise recruitment mandates in RETHIC's verticals.
• ManpowerGroup France: French arm of the global staffing leader with broad sector coverage including engineering and energy. Larger incumbent offering competing services including permanent placement and staff augmentation.
• Adecco France: France's largest general staffing provider with broad recruitment and work-force solutions coverage. Represents the scaled, multi-vertical incumbent against which RETHIC's niche positioning must compete.

Direct peers

• BetterPlaced: UK-based specialist recruitment firm focused on sustainability, clean-tech, and renewable energy. Mirrors RETHIC's vertical-specialist positioning and serves the same European renewable-energy employer base.
• Michael Page: Global specialist recruitment firm, part of PageGroup, with industry-specialized consultants in engineering and energy in the French market. Direct competitor for specialist mid-market roles in RETHIC's verticals.
• Spring Professional: Robert Walters' mid-level specialist recruitment brand operating in France covering engineering and technical profiles. Competes for the same technical renewable-energy and smart-city placements.
• Spencer Ogden: UK-headquartered recruitment firm specializing in the energy, engineering, and infrastructure sectors. Closest non-French direct peer in core renewable-energy and clean-tech hiring.
• Robert Walters: International professional recruitment firm with energy, engineering, and technology sector coverage in France. Competes for the same mid-to-senior renewable-energy and smart-mobility mandates.
• Approach People Recruitment: French-headquartered international recruitment firm with engineering, IT, and renewable-energy specializations. Direct French-market competitor for technical and bilingual profiles in energy transition.
• Hays: Global professional recruitment firm with a dedicated Energy Transition/Engineering practice across France. Most directly comparable larger peer in the same renewable-energy and infrastructure hiring niche RETHIC serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInfr.linkedin.com/company/rethic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 RETHIC