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For more information on our Flavor & Fragrance services, get in touch with
Oliver Kiddy
Managing Director
Hundreds of 'Excellent' reviews
Helping Flavor & Fragrance companies unlock their next stage of growth
Specialisms We Cover
The global Flavor and Fragrance market exceeds $30 billion in value and is expected to grow at a CAGR up to 7% driven by innovation and consumer demands.
Flavours and spices have been used for thousands of years globally. In ancient times simple herbs and seasonings were used to flavour food – now the industry is comprised of hundreds of manufacturers. Years of innovation has led to the products we see on our supermarket shelves today, and we’re excited to be in the position to support the continuous growth this industry sees. We recognise the importance of having a solid understanding of the industry whether that be through technical jargon, key industry relationships or simply the passion for what we do.Partnering with global giants alongside high paced innovators, the Flavors and Fragrance team has a proven track record supporting a plethora of functions globally. Bringing the best in class leaders across to key players in the industry, the Irving Knight Group has supported innovation from afar by elevating talent strategies in every corner of the globe.
5000 years of history and 8.3 billion peoples identity
The Flavors and Fragrances sector sits at the intersection of science, creativity, and consumer demand. As tastes evolve and brands respond to shifting preferences around naturality, health, sustainability, and sensory experience - innovation in formulation, ingredients, and processing is accelerating across the industry.We work with Flavors and Fragrances organisations operating across food, beverage, and consumer applications, supporting both established market leaders and high-growth specialists. Our understanding of this space spans R&D, Innovation, Manufacturing, Regulatory, and Commercial functions. By aligning specialist and leadership talent with product and growth strategies, we help our clients bring differentiated, market-ready solutions to consumers worldwide.
Finding a needle in the haystack
12 months of searching. 100 candidates reviewed. $35m territory vacant. No offers presented. This is the mandate that was presented to Oliver when working with a client for the first time. This client had exhausted all options and in a last ditch attempt to find the needle in a haystack, they approached Irving Knight directly through our website.
Case Study
Finding a needle in the haystack
Oliver discussed the requirements needed for the role but more importantly took the time to understand why the client had not found the right candidate for the position. It was not about sales acumen nor checking a box for 10 years’ experience in the F&F industry. This was about culture, reputation and the mentality to manage and generate growth in a prosperous territory after major changes to the clients organization for the first time in 20 years. As the gatekeeper and expert for the clients needs, we looked away from a CV or LinkedIn page. Understanding the candidates mentality and qualitative achievements allowed us to present a niche pool of unapproached candidates to our client with a time to fill of just under 5 weeks.
Did you know?
Hiring the wrong candidate costs more than just time—it can waste salary, training resources, and opportunities. The Department of Labour estimates a bad hire can cost up to 30% of the role’s first-year earnings.
We hire right
Organisations are
97% Placement Rate 11.78:1 CVs Sent to Interviews 2Avg. 32 Day Engagement to Placement 3
1. Based on all roles engaged on by a client on an exclusive basis from Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.
2. All CVs Sent from Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.
3. From Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.
Stats
1,908 placements made across 25 sectors
262,736 companies in our CRM
"At Irving Knight, we don't just fill positions; we build lasting partnerships. Our commitment to understanding your unique needs ensures that we deliver leaders who drive success and embody your company's values. When it comes to identifying the high-performers of tomorrow, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Our bespoke approach ensures every search is personal, diverse, and tailored from the ground up — delivering an individual, unrivalled experience for both clients and candidates. "
- Joe Davey, Group CEO of Irving Knight Group
Jeff Borchardt
Director of Planning, US
Mr. Clay was a wonderful recruiter. He was communicative and helped keep me informed through the process. He also fou...
Christopher Clay
Real Estate & Homebuilding
Nathan Radue
Channel Marketing Manager, US
Oliver is a thorough and effective recruiter, representing both sides with character and solid communication. He appr...
Oliver Kiddy
Flavors & Fragrances
Michel Cas
Sales Manager, France
Incredibly human oriented executive search, candidates handled with great care and respect, precise and concise infor...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Rania Metwall
Head of Sales, France
Would highly recommend working with Luca Dowdell. He helped me find the perfect job. Very professional, friendly and ...
Luca Dowdell
Lubricants and Oil & Gas
Valeria Pozzi
Procurement Category Manager, Italy
Working with Oliver has been a real pleasure!His highly professionalism and transparency made me comfortable to consi...
Oliver Kiddy
Flavors & Fragrances
Corinne Grice
Strategic Account Manager, US
Luca was an absolute gem to work with ! He reached out to me on linkedin with several different opportunities & was a...
Luca Dowdell
Lubricants and Oil & Gas
Todd McBroom
District Sales Mgr, US
Great Experience!! This was my first time dealing with a recuiter and could not have been a better experience. Jack ...
Jack Purnell
Heavy Equipment & Automation
Ashley Maclean
Systems Sales Engineer, South Carolina
Jack Purnell with Irving Knight was the best recruiter I’ve worked with - by far. He communicated clearly, was respec...
Jack Purnell
Heavy Equipment & Automation
Veronica Hagborg
Senior Director Global HR, Sweden
I have had the opportunity to co-operate with Joseph in a process and I found him very proactive in keeping me inform...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Andrew Coutts
Director Global Strategy, US
First Class Service Emma shared details of a relevant opportunity and did a great job helping to manage lengthy nego...
Emma Conlin
Animal Health
Tim Mitchell
Plant Manager, US
Stewart did an amazing job representing me for a new opportunity.
Stewart Boyd
Construction Materials
Anja Florbach
Digital & Commercial Excellence Manager
Thank you so much Joseph! You have given me a great support. It was really nice to be in contact with you and I thin...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Kerry Maye
Regional Sales Manager
Working with Joseph was a wonderfully positive experience from our first contact, through acceptance of my job offer....
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Brian Carpenter
VP Continous Improvement, US
Stewart was instrumental in helping me through this process and alleviating my concerns as I’ve been out of the workf...
Stewart Boyd
Construction Materials
Andreia Sa
Director, Italy
I would like to sincerely thank Evan Ball for all the support throughout the process. He provided assistance at diffe...
Ewan Ball
Food Ingredients & Biotechnology
Guillermo Leal
Global Director of Pricing, US
I've worked with a few recruiters in the past but Oliver surprised me not only for his professionalism, excellent com...
Oliver Kiddy
Flavors & Fragrances
Kay Witte
Global Director Performance Excellence
Joseph was instrumental in making my last professional opportunity happen. He was easy to work with, responsive, and ...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Keith Parvin
Automation Division Director
I found Joseph to be extremely professional in every way when going through a recent recruitment process, always doin...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Matt Engelbrecht
VP Industrial Ops, US
Working with Lily was a phenomenal experience. She was fully transparent, professional, and provided timely communica...
Lily Newton
Animal Health
Tim Staniels
Territory Sales Manager, US
Joseph was very easy to work with. He was motivated and attentive during his recruitment process, very responsive to ...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Jeff Borchardt
Director of Planning, US
Mr. Clay was a wonderful recruiter. He was communicative and helped keep me informed through the process. He also fou...
Christopher Clay
Real Estate & Homebuilding
Nathan Radue
Channel Marketing Manager, US
Oliver is a thorough and effective recruiter, representing both sides with character and solid communication. He appr...
Oliver Kiddy
Flavors & Fragrances
Michel Cas
Sales Manager, France
Incredibly human oriented executive search, candidates handled with great care and respect, precise and concise infor...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Rania Metwall
Head of Sales, France
Would highly recommend working with Luca Dowdell. He helped me find the perfect job. Very professional, friendly and ...
Luca Dowdell
Lubricants and Oil & Gas
Valeria Pozzi
Procurement Category Manager, Italy
Working with Oliver has been a real pleasure!His highly professionalism and transparency made me comfortable to consi...
Oliver Kiddy
Flavors & Fragrances
Corinne Grice
Strategic Account Manager, US
Luca was an absolute gem to work with ! He reached out to me on linkedin with several different opportunities & was a...
Luca Dowdell
Lubricants and Oil & Gas
Todd McBroom
District Sales Mgr, US
Great Experience!! This was my first time dealing with a recuiter and could not have been a better experience. Jack ...
Jack Purnell
Heavy Equipment & Automation
Ashley Maclean
Systems Sales Engineer, South Carolina
Jack Purnell with Irving Knight was the best recruiter I’ve worked with - by far. He communicated clearly, was respec...
Jack Purnell
Heavy Equipment & Automation
Veronica Hagborg
Senior Director Global HR, Sweden
I have had the opportunity to co-operate with Joseph in a process and I found him very proactive in keeping me inform...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Andrew Coutts
Director Global Strategy, US
First Class Service Emma shared details of a relevant opportunity and did a great job helping to manage lengthy nego...
Emma Conlin
Animal Health
Tim Mitchell
Plant Manager, US
Stewart did an amazing job representing me for a new opportunity.
Stewart Boyd
Construction Materials
Anja Florbach
Digital & Commercial Excellence Manager
Thank you so much Joseph! You have given me a great support. It was really nice to be in contact with you and I thin...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Kerry Maye
Regional Sales Manager
Working with Joseph was a wonderfully positive experience from our first contact, through acceptance of my job offer....
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Brian Carpenter
VP Continous Improvement, US
Stewart was instrumental in helping me through this process and alleviating my concerns as I’ve been out of the workf...
Stewart Boyd
Construction Materials
Andreia Sa
Director, Italy
I would like to sincerely thank Evan Ball for all the support throughout the process. He provided assistance at diffe...
Ewan Ball
Food Ingredients & Biotechnology
Guillermo Leal
Global Director of Pricing, US
I've worked with a few recruiters in the past but Oliver surprised me not only for his professionalism, excellent com...
Oliver Kiddy
Flavors & Fragrances
Kay Witte
Global Director Performance Excellence
Joseph was instrumental in making my last professional opportunity happen. He was easy to work with, responsive, and ...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Keith Parvin
Automation Division Director
I found Joseph to be extremely professional in every way when going through a recent recruitment process, always doin...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Matt Engelbrecht
VP Industrial Ops, US
Working with Lily was a phenomenal experience. She was fully transparent, professional, and provided timely communica...
Lily Newton
Animal Health
Tim Staniels
Territory Sales Manager, US
Joseph was very easy to work with. He was motivated and attentive during his recruitment process, very responsive to ...
