In distribution, the value doesn't sit in the product. It sits in the person who knows which formulator needs which grade, at which volume, before the enquiry arrives.
That makes hiring in distribution unlike hiring anywhere else in chemicals. You aren't buying a skill set. You're buying a book, a network and a reputation, and the only way to assess those is to already be inside the market.
Who we place across the value chain
Commercial
Territory and key account sales, business development, national and regional sales management, commercial directors and general managers.
Product & supply
Product managers, category and portfolio leads, procurement and sourcing, supplier relationship management.
Technical
Technical sales and technical service, application labs, and the formulation-adjacent roles that make a distributor more than a reseller.
Operations & leadership
Site and warehouse leadership, logistics, EHS and regulatory, through to Managing Director and country lead appointments.
What we understand about distribution hiring
A book doesn't always travel
Some accounts follow the person. Some follow the principal agreement. Some follow neither. Working out which is which, before you make an offer priced on the assumption they all move, is the single highest-value thing a specialist recruiter does in this sector.
Principal relationships cut both ways
A candidate who is exceptional at one distributor may be structurally blocked at yours because of who you do and don't represent. That conversation needs to happen at shortlist, not at offer.
Non-competes and customer non-solicits are the norm
They vary enormously by geography, and enforceability in Texas is not enforceability in Germany. We surface this at briefing so it doesn't surface at resignation.
Consolidation never stops
Every acquisition in distribution creates a period where good commercial people are deciding whether they like their new employer. Those windows are short. We watch them.
Distributors and principals, US and Europe
We work both ends of the relationship: the distributors, and the manufacturers who appoint them. Coast-to-coast across national, regional and specialty distributors in the US; and from London across the UK, DACH, Benelux and the wider European chemical corridor.
Because we work the same market from both sides, we can tell you not only who's available but why they're available, and what the market thinks of the business they're leaving.
Three ways to engage
Retained for confidential and business-critical hires: country leads, commercial directors, and any search where you can't afford competitors to know you're looking.
Contingent for commercial and technical roles. Pre-mapped talent pools mean qualified shortlists quickly, and you pay only on success.
RPO when you're standing up a new territory or integrating an acquisition and need volume without permanent headcount.
Questions we get asked
Can you run a search confidentially while the incumbent is still in post?
Yes. That is a large part of what retained search exists for: the role isn't advertised and your business isn't named until a candidate is qualified and under equivalent discretion.
Do you place across both distributors and chemical manufacturers?
Both. Working both sides of the relationship is what keeps the market map accurate.
How do you assess whether a candidate's accounts will follow them?
By referencing into the market rather than relying on the CV, and by telling you honestly when the answer is that they won't.
How do non-compete clauses affect hiring in chemical distribution?
Heavily, and inconsistently. Customer non-solicits and non-competes are standard in distribution contracts, but their enforceability varies significantly between US states and European jurisdictions. We raise a candidate's restrictions at briefing stage rather than at offer stage.
Hiring in chemical distribution?
Tell us about the role. A distribution specialist will come back to you within one business day.
Book a Confidential Briefing →