The Adecco Group
The Adecco Group, based in Zurich, Switzerland, is the world's second largest Human Resources provider and temporary staffing firm, and a Fortune Global 500 company.
With more than 34,000 FTE employees and around 5,200 branches in over 60 countries and territories around the world, The Adecco Group offers a wide variety of services that include temporary staffing, permanent placement, career transition, re-skilling and talent development, as well as outsourcing and consulting. The Adecco Group's key markets are France, North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Japan, Germany, Austria, Italy, Benelux, Nordics, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
They directly employ 700,000 people a day, and with the expansion of its operations to China, the number of people working under them totals up to 3.5 million.
The company was formed in 1996 as a result of the merger of the French company Ecco and the Swiss company Adia Interim, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Adia was established in 1957 in Lausanne by Henri Lavanchy. Ecco was founded in Lyon at the initiative of Philippe Foriel Destezet. In 2000 The Adecco Group acquired Olsten Staffing, in the US, becoming the number one recruitment company in that country. In 2010, it acquired MPS Group and thus became the number one company worldwide.
The Adecco Group is the parent company of various brands including Adecco Staffing, Euro Engineering, Modis, Spring Professional, Badenoch & Clark, Pontoon, General Assembly, Vettery, YOSS, Adia and Lee Hecht Harrison.
The Adecco Group is the 11th most attractive company in the world to work for, according to the 2019 ranking of The World's Best Workplaces.
Services
The Adecco Group provides services covering temporary staffing, permanent placement, career transition and talent development as well as business process outsourcing and consulting.As for staffing, The Adecco Group covers many sectors, including office, industrial, technical, financial and legal, amongst others.
History
- 1957: Adia is founded by Henri Lavanchy in Lausanne, Switzerland
- 1964: Ecco is founded in Lyon, France by Philippe Foriel-Destezet
- 1996: Personnel services firms Ecco and Adia Interim merged to form a global company with annualised revenues of €5.4 billion. Operations were combined to form a network of 2,500 branches and 250,000 staff.
- 2000: The Adecco Group acquired Olsten Staffing. The merged company generated combined revenues of €11.6 billion.
- 2002: The Adecco Group consolidated its businesses and created divisions to manage its business.
- 2005: The Adecco Group expanded across six professional business lines.
- 2006: Following the acquisition of DIS AG, Germany, Dieter Scheiff assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer of The Adecco Group. Dominik de Daniel became Chief Financial Officer.
- 2007: The annual shareholders' meeting approved the nomination of Jürgen Dormann, former Vice Chairman, as Chairman of the Board. Rolf Dörig became Vice-Chairman. Klaus J. Jacobs, the co-founder of Adecco, handed back his mandate, having reached the statutory retirement age.
- 2008: On 11 September, Klaus J. Jacobs, founder and Honorary President of The Adecco Group, died. Jürgen Dormann stepped down at year end, as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
- 2009: Rolf Dörig started as Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Adecco Group. On 1 June, Patrick De Maeseneire took over as Chief Executive Officer of The Adecco Group from Dieter Scheiff. The Adecco Group acquires Spring Group in the UK, and tabled an offer for MPS Group.
- 2010: The acquisition of MPS Group officially closed. The Adecco Group set up a joint venture in Shanghai with Chinese HR services company Fesco.
- 2011: FESCO Adecco began operations on 1 January. The Adecco Group announced the acquisition of US-based Drake Beam Morin, Inc.
- 2012: The Adecco Group acquired VSN Inc., a provider of professional staffing services in Japan. Henri-Ferdinand Lavanchy, the founder of Adia, died.
- 2014: The Adecco Group acquired OnForce to expand its Beeline service offering, creating a unique integrated solution for managing contingent workforces. The Jacobs Group sold the majority of its 18% stake in the Adecco Group.
- 2015: On 11 March, The Adecco Group acquired Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions, a Canadian company offering career transition, talent and leadership development and recruitment services. On 1 September, Alain Dehaze took over as Chief Executive Officer of The Adecco Group from Patrick De Maeseneire.
- 2016: On 10 May, The Adecco Group closed the acquisition of Penna Consulting Plc, a UK company providing career transition and talent development services, as well as recruitment services.
- 2018: The Adecco Group acquired General Assembly and Vettery
- 2019: The Adecco Group announced the divestment
of Soliant Health in the US. The healthcare staffing business was sold to Olympus Partners for a cash consideration of USD 612 million. - 2020: The Adecco Group UK and Ireland announced
partnership with video interviewing specialist Odro. Adecco signed a contract to roll out Odro's video interviewing software across seven of its leading recruitment agency brands. In May 2020, The Adecco Group formed an alliance with Randstad BV and ManpowerGroup, launching new guidance for a safe return to work after the COVID-19 outbreak. Global brands
- Adecco
- ADIA
- Modis
- Spring Professional
- Badenoch & Clark
- Pontoon
- Lee Hecht Harrison
- General Assembly
- YOSS
- Vettery
Sponsorships
The agreement started with the 2015 Davis Cup World Group semifinals and play-offs and continues through to 2019.
Adecco also sponsored the Norwegian First Division from 2005 until 2013.
Modis, one of the Adecco Group's brands dedicated to professional services for IT, engineering and life sciences, becomes the Official Innovation Partner of electric racing championship Formula E, announcing it during the Formula E Rome E-prix in 2018.
Litigation
Adecco UK Ltd v. Adecco UK Recruitment Ltd
On 10 December 2008, Adecco UK Ltd applied to the Company Names Tribunal under s.69 Companies Act 2006 for a change of name of Adecco UK Recruitment Ltd, which had been registered at Companies House since 14 October 2008.The application went undefended by the respondent and the adjudicator ordered on 3 March 2009 that Adecco UK Recruitment Ltd must change their name within one month. Additionally the respondent was ordered not to cause or permit any steps to be taken to register another company with an offending name which could interfere, due to its similarity, with the goodwill of the applicant.
Adecco UK Recruitment Ltd was also ordered to pay a contribution towards Adecco UK Ltd's costs.