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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
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
Nika Kuchaidze
Senior Continuous Improvement Chemist, US
It was a pleasure working with Joseph on transitioning to a position with a new company. Communication was prompt,...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Tim Mitchell
Plant Manager, US
Stewart did an amazing job representing me for a new opportunity.
Stewart Boyd
Construction Materials & Mining
Kaitlin Lammers
Account Manager
Oliver made the hiring process smooth from start to finish. He was consistently responsive, understanding, and suppor...
Oliver Kiddy
Flavors & Fragrances
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
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
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
Jane Scates
Packaging Engineer, US
Henry was a true professional, perfect attention to detail at every step of the process. Would definitely recommend!
Henry Spooner
Packaging, Paper, Recycling
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
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
Jon Steele
CFO, US
Grace taught an old dog some new tricks! I had been in my previous position for 30 years. I loved my job for most of...
Grace Smith
Electronic Components & Products
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
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
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
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
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
Dipen Shah
Account Manager, Canada
I was assisted by Aiden Kerr on getting a new job in the chemical industry. He was fantastic in terms of timing, comm...
Aidan Kerr
Chemicals
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
Sara Benoit
Regional Account Manager, US
Irving Knight Group is a fantastic company. I was contacted by Aidan Kerr regarding a sales position opportunity in t...
Aidan Kerr
Chemicals
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
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
Nika Kuchaidze
Senior Continuous Improvement Chemist, US
It was a pleasure working with Joseph on transitioning to a position with a new company. Communication was prompt,...
Joseph Davey
Group CEO
Tim Mitchell
Plant Manager, US
Stewart did an amazing job representing me for a new opportunity.
Stewart Boyd
Construction Materials & Mining
Kaitlin Lammers
Account Manager
Oliver made the hiring process smooth from start to finish. He was consistently responsive, understanding, and suppor...
Oliver Kiddy
Flavors & Fragrances
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
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
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
Jane Scates
Packaging Engineer, US
Henry was a true professional, perfect attention to detail at every step of the process. Would definitely recommend!
Henry Spooner
Packaging, Paper, Recycling
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
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
Jon Steele
CFO, US
Grace taught an old dog some new tricks! I had been in my previous position for 30 years. I loved my job for most of...
Grace Smith
Electronic Components & Products
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
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
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
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
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
Dipen Shah
Account Manager, Canada
I was assisted by Aiden Kerr on getting a new job in the chemical industry. He was fantastic in terms of timing, comm...
Aidan Kerr
Chemicals
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
Sara Benoit
Regional Account Manager, US
Irving Knight Group is a fantastic company. I was contacted by Aidan Kerr regarding a sales position opportunity in t...
Aidan Kerr
Chemicals
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 ...
