Marine People

What Marine People does

Marine People Ltd. is a UK-based B2B recruitment agency founded in 2017 by James Martin, specializing in technical and leadership talent placement for the international shipbuilding and maritime sector. The firm operates from its headquarters in Fareham, Hampshire, with active job placements spanning the UK, Canada, Germany, and Australia, and a stated focus on Five Eyes countries. Service modules include 360 Recruitment Solutions, Temporary and Permanent Staffing, Executive Search, and a dedicated Five Eyes Recruitment offering for roles requiring security clearances. The firm serves enterprise clients including BAE Systems, Harland & Wolff, Seaspan Shipyards, and IMarEST, with a sister brand (STEM Returners) addressing career-returners and underrepresented groups.

The business model is professional services revenue based on permanent placement fees, contractor timesheet processing for temporary staffing, and executive search retainers, with no publicly disclosed pricing. GTM is primarily enterprise field sales supported by content marketing (blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram), industry event participation (Seawork, IMarEST events), and SEO. Technology is limited to a CRM database, online job board platform, and standard analytics tooling, with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

Strategic positioning is reinforced by a November 2024 investment from Intermarine UK aimed at expansion into marine, offshore wind, and nuclear sectors, the UK Armed Forces Covenant signed in September 2024, and partnerships with IMarEST, Wärtsilä, and MLA College. The firm is privately held with 12 employees and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

Marine People

Legal name

Marine People Ltd.

Website

https://marinepeople.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marine People is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency founded in 2017, placing technical and leadership talent into the international shipbuilding and maritime sector, with a focus on Five Eyes countries and enterprise clients such as BAE Systems and IMarEST.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fareham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recruitment Services - Permanent Placements: Marine People charges employers for successful placement of candidates in permanent positions. As a recruitment agency, they forward candidate CVs after gaining consent and facilitate the hiring process for technical and leadership roles in the shipbuilding industry.
2. Temporary & Contract Staffing: The company provides temporary staffing solutions where contractors submit timesheets online, Marine People processes these to invoice employers and pay contractors.
3. Executive Search: Specialized high-level recruitment service for executive and senior management positions in the maritime and shipbuilding sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Marine People is an international shipbuilding recruitment agency that connects highly skilled maritime and shipbuilding professionals (naval architects, marine engineers, project managers, structural engineers) with specialist shipbuilders, naval defence contractors, and maritime engineering firms. The agency delivers permanent placements, temporary and contract staffing, executive search, 360-degree recruitment solutions, and specialized Five Eyes country recruitment across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Product overview

Marine People is a premium international shipbuilding recruitment agency offering a unified recruitment service portfolio. The core offering consists of recruitment services for both job seekers and employers in the maritime and shipbuilding sectors. Service modules include 360 Recruitment Solutions (full-cycle recruitment), Temporary & Permanent Staffing, Executive Search for senior positions, and Five Eyes Recruitment targeting the intelligence alliance countries. A sister brand, STEM Returners, provides back-to-work programmes. The company was founded in 2017 and focuses on technical and leadership roles across the marine industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recruitment Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Since founding in 2017, Marine People has built a trusted reputation serving the shipbuilding industry with consultative approach
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• IMarEST (Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine People serves as the official Marine Partner and executive search partner for IMarEST, a leading international membership body and learned society for marine professionals. Marine People was appointed to conduct the search for IMarEST's new Chief Executive following David Loosley's nine-year tenure. This relationship demonstrates Marine People's standing as a trusted partner in the maritime industry.
• WärtsiläcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine People and Wärtsilä joined forces to provide graduate and entry-level opportunities in the maritime industry. This partnership focuses on creating pathways for early-career professionals to enter the shipbuilding and marine engineering sectors, addressing the industry's skills gap through collaborative recruitment initiatives.
• STEM ReturnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEM Returners is a sister brand of Marine People that provides back-to-work programmes for candidates who have taken career breaks. This initiative supports professionals returning to the workforce, aligning with Marine People's commitment to diversity and inclusion in the maritime industry.
• MLA CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated business of IMarEST, MLA College provides maritime education and training. Marine People maintains connections through the IMarEST partnership and shares expertise in supporting maritime professionals' career development and placement.
• 6 Regiment Army Air CorpsminorOthersMarine People attended an event hosted by 6 Regiment Army Air Corps at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop on September 25, 2024, where Founder and Director James Martin signed the Armed Forces Covenant. Event organized by Andrew Gibbs and Lt Col Alice Archer.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Wärtsilä: Marine technology and shipbuilding systems provider that is both a Marine People client and a partner. Relevant as a major employer/customer of maritime technical talent rather than a recruitment competitor; included to reflect the ecosystem overlap.

Direct peers

• Faststream Recruitment: Specialist maritime and shipping recruitment agency operating across the UK and international marine sector. Closely comparable to Marine People in its focus on technical and commercial maritime roles and its consultative B2B placement model.
• Navis Consulting: Executive search and recruitment firm specializing in the maritime, shipping, and offshore energy sectors. Overlaps with Marine People's Executive Search offering and its senior-level placement focus.
• Spinnaker Global: Maritime-focused recruitment specialist covering shore-based shipping, commercial, and operational roles. Comparable to Marine People in its maritime vertical focus and its mix of permanent and contract placements.
• Marine Resources: UK-based marine and maritime recruitment agency placing professionals across offshore, subsea, and shipbuilding. Directly comparable to Marine People in its UK base and maritime technical candidate focus.
• OSM Maritime: Global provider of maritime crewing and shore-based staffing services for ship operators. Comparable in its maritime-focused staffing model, though its center of gravity is crew management rather than shipbuilding recruitment.
• Orion Group: Workforce-solutions provider serving marine, offshore, and industrial sectors with both permanent and contract staffing. Comparable to Marine People in customer overlap (shipbuilders, offshore operators) and in offering both staffing and broader workforce solutions.

Broad incumbents

• Petroplan: Global recruitment firm focused on energy and marine sectors, including offshore and shipbuilding. Overlaps with Marine People in marine technical placements but serves a broader energy client base.
• Michael Page: Global professional staffing firm with a dedicated engineering and manufacturing practice covering marine and shipbuilding roles. Provides competition in mid-to-senior permanent placements but is a generalist versus Marine People's marine specialization.
• Hays: Large global staffing group with a dedicated engineering and maritime practice placing across permanent and contract roles. Competes with Marine People in shipbuilding and marine engineering placements but as part of a much broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100095151872483
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marine-people-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/marinepeople_careers

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Marine People