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Learn more about our services, approach and the sectors we operate in.
For more information on our Lubricants, Oil & Gas services, get in touch with
Luca Dowdell
Principal Consultant
Hundreds of 'Excellent' reviews
Helping Lubricants, Oil & Gas companies unlock their next stage of growth
Specialisms We Cover
The global lubricants market is valued at approximately USD 150–180 billion and is projected to grow steadily toward USD 220–270 billion by 2035. Specialty oilfield chemicals are forecast to expand from roughly USD 16.8 billion in 2025 to over USD 26 billion by 2035, reflecting sustained investment in production efficiency and advanced chemical technologies.
Lubricants and oil & gas remain fundamental to global industrial output, transportation and energy security. From upstream exploration and drilling through to refining, fuels production and industrial lubrication, this is a market built on chemistry, capital intensity and operational resilience.Performance is non-negotiable. Products must function under extreme temperature, pressure and mechanical stress while meeting increasingly stringent regulatory and environmental standards.
Leadership success requires a blend of chemical expertise, operational understanding and strategic commercial capability.
Growth in synthetic formulations, electrified mobility fluids, industrial automation and efficiency-driven maintenance programmes continues to reshape the competitive landscape. Technical leadership and innovation pipelines are central to market differentiation.Despite ongoing energy transition discussions, hydrocarbons continue to support global transport, petrochemicals and industrial demand. Investment remains concentrated in efficiency, asset life extension and lower-emission fuel technologies.
Recruiting within lubricants and oil & gas demands more than functional alignment. It requires sector fluency, understanding of OEM approval frameworks, awareness of commodity cycles and access to technically credible leadership talent.
We partner with integrated energy companies, independent producers, refiners, specialty chemical manufacturers and additive technology providers to secure senior leaders and technical specialists who can drive innovation, operational efficiency and commercial growth in complex, performance-critical environments.
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
Sandeep Kulshrestha
Formulation Director, US
Oliver is very good in matching skills of the candidates with the company’s requirements. I personally got benefits o...
Oliver Kiddy
Flavors & Fragrances
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 & Mining
Christoph Snaga
Investment Manager, Germany
Christopher from Irving Knight handled the overall process well and we managed to get to a successful completion smoo...
Christopher Clay
Real Estate & Homebuilding
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
Eduardo Valle
Development Mgr, US
This opportunity fell on my lap at the perfect time and the overall process with Christopher was great. It was a very...
Christopher Clay
Real Estate & Homebuilding
Franz-Leo Nedo
Territory Sales Manager
Joseph is an expert in recruting people. He has in-depth practical knowledge and helpful by solving potential issues....
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
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
Tim Mitchell
Plant Manager, US
Stewart did an amazing job representing me for a new opportunity.
Stewart Boyd
Construction Materials & Mining
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
Material Handling & Automation
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
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, Oil & Gas
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
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
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
Vincent Dehousse
Head of Sales & Marketing, Netherlands
Great experience working with Cian from Irving Knight—professional, responsive, and genuinely supportive. Highly reco...
Cian ODonnell
CDMO & CRO
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, Oil & Gas
Daniel Villanueva
Key Account Manager
Joseph is a dedicated professional and a stand up person to work with. His patience and his understanding certainly s...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
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
Material Handling & Automation
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
Sandeep Kulshrestha
Formulation Director, US
Oliver is very good in matching skills of the candidates with the company’s requirements. I personally got benefits o...
Oliver Kiddy
Flavors & Fragrances
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 & Mining
Christoph Snaga
Investment Manager, Germany
Christopher from Irving Knight handled the overall process well and we managed to get to a successful completion smoo...
Christopher Clay
Real Estate & Homebuilding
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
Eduardo Valle
Development Mgr, US
This opportunity fell on my lap at the perfect time and the overall process with Christopher was great. It was a very...
Christopher Clay
Real Estate & Homebuilding
Franz-Leo Nedo
Territory Sales Manager
Joseph is an expert in recruting people. He has in-depth practical knowledge and helpful by solving potential issues....
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
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
Tim Mitchell
Plant Manager, US
Stewart did an amazing job representing me for a new opportunity.
Stewart Boyd
Construction Materials & Mining
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
Material Handling & Automation
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
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, Oil & Gas
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
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
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
Vincent Dehousse
Head of Sales & Marketing, Netherlands
Great experience working with Cian from Irving Knight—professional, responsive, and genuinely supportive. Highly reco...
Cian ODonnell
CDMO & CRO
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, Oil & Gas
Daniel Villanueva
Key Account Manager
Joseph is a dedicated professional and a stand up person to work with. His patience and his understanding certainly s...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
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
Material Handling & Automation
Andreia Sa
Director, Italy
I would like to sincerely thank Evan Ball for all the support throughout the process. He provided assistance at diffe...
