Scottish-founded recruitment business Solutions Driven has announced its acquisition by international firm Groupe Adéquat, significantly strengthening its position in the UK market and on the global stage.
Groupe Adéquat is the 46th largest recruitment firm in the world, bringing incredible scale and depth to Solutions Driven, and allowing its people and clients to benefit from greater resources, knowledge sharing and international experience in executive search and talent solutions.
The move brings together two family-owned companies that share a long-term vision built on expertise, close client relationships, and strong local leadership.
Solutions Driven is a UK-based specialist operating globally in senior and executive recruitment and embedded talent solutions within engineering and STEM. Founded by 1998 by Walter Speirs and today operated by his son Gavin Speirs (CEO), Solutions Driven employs over 50 people worldwide, servicing more than 150 clients globally.
It is a well-established, successful recruitment business with strong expertise in search services for critical and executive roles, embedded recruitment for longer-term projects, on-demand RPO, and bespoke talent solutions within the engineering sector worldwide.
Solutions Driven will continue to operate under its own brand, with its management team remaining in place. Its retained recruitment approach, senior-level networks and specialist expertise, which delivers 97% ‘right first time’ hiring, will strengthen Groupe Adéquat’s executive recruitment offering and create opportunities for collaboration across the Group’s international footprint.
Already established across France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, UK and Canada, Groupe Adéquat continues to build its international presence through targeted acquisitions of expert-led staffing businesses.
This strategy is guided by evolving client needs and the importance of geographic diversification, supporting the Group’s ambition to continue expanding internationally, with the objective of entering one new country per year. The acquisition follows the recent opening of Groupe Adéquat’s London office, reinforcing its long-term commitment to the UK market, and supports the firm’s ambitions to strengthen its position in and senior-level recruitment in Engineering and STEM.
Gavin Speirs, CEO of Solutions Driven, said:
“This is a really special moment for Solutions Driven. After 25 years of building the business around integrity, partnership and right-first-time outcomes, joining Groupe Adéquat marks an exciting new chapter. Their values, ethics and approach to partnership made this a natural fit, and I’m excited about what we can achieve together globally.
“Both my dad and I remain fully committed to the business, and will remain central to the operations and the leadership of our firm. Groupe Adéquat invest in and empower local teams, and this creates broader visibility and opportunity for our people over time. This is very much about strengthening Solutions Driven, not changing who we are.”
Arnaud Brun, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Groupe Adéquat, said:
“This acquisition reflects our long-term vision of building an international staffing group driven by expertise, specialization and strong local leadership. Solutions Driven brings outstanding executive recruitment know-how in engineering and STEM, while offering new opportunities to develop our core staffing activities in the UK and beyond.”
Olivier Hémar, Chief International Operations Officer at Groupe Adéquat, said:
“The UK is a key market for our Group. Solutions Driven shares our values, our international outlook and our focus on specialist recruitment.”
Gaëlle Blake, Country Head of the UK for Groupe Adéquat, added:
“This acquisition provides a strong foundation for our continued UK growth, and we intend to continue to welcome and pursue further acquisition opportunities.”
About Groupe Adéquat
Groupe Adéquat is a privately owned family company founded in Lyon in 1987. Now operating in eight countries, the Group provides permanent and temporary recruitment services across a wide range of sectors, including construction, logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, environmental services and aerospace.
The Group comprises of several specialist brands: Adéquat Intérim & Recrutement (France), Adsearch (France, Spainand Switzerland), Totem (Canada), Sigmar Recruitment (Ireland), Skillflex (Belgium), AxL Group (Italy), Groupe Adéquat UK (UK) and Solutions Driven (UK).
Key figures
- Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2027
- 2024 revenue: €1.4 billion
- 2,100 employees
- 420 branches and offices
- 200,000 hires each year
- 16,000 clients
- 46th Largest Staffing Company in the world (Source: Staffing Industry Analysts 2025)
For more information on Groupe Adéquat: https://www.groupeadequat.com/
For additional enquiries, please reach out to Robert Gillespie at rgillespie@solutionsdriven.com
