Our History
Since the beginning, we have envisioned a world of work in which everyone can find their ideal job, regardless of their educational background or experience. This revolutionary concept quickly gained traction amongst companies globally.
Since our inception in 1996, we have experienced tremendous growth and have maintained our commitment to providing cutting-edge staffing solutions to companies all over the world. Our dedication to excellence and customer service has made us a beacon in the human resources industry which will continue in the years to come.
1950-1970
In 1957, Adia is founded by Henri Lavanchy in Switzerland and quickly
expanded to other markets by the 1960s.
In 1964, Ecco is founded in France by Philippe Foriel-Destezet.
1970’s
Over the course of the 1970s, Adia went global, acquiring more than 85 companies in the process. Adia is also listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange.
1980’s
Ecco becomes France’s market leader. Adia continues to take huge leaps into new markets and saw sales top $1bn, becoming the European leader of temporary staffing.
1990’s
Eccos sales reach number 2 globally, beating out Adia.
In 1996. Adia and Ecco join forces, becoming Adecco, and place more than 250,000 people a day.
2000’s
Adecco continues to expand and becomes America’s largest recruitment
company with revenue topping $11.6bn. Adecco creates three distinct
business units to serve the different needs of the market
.
2020's and beyond
Adecco continues acquiring leading recruitment companies as well as
numerous technology-enabled training and recruitment platforms including
EZRA, QAPA, Vettery, General Assembly, and Hired
Sr. Director, Human Resources Passionate about building an organization that attracts and retains the best talent, Gary actively cultivates a culture that enables the achievement of strategic business plans and supports colleagues in achieving their career best. He brings over 25 years of management and executive human resource experience working with Fortune 1 companies, connecting people with purpose within organizations. As a mentor and coach, Gary engages talent to realize their full potential while driving results.
Having started her career with Adecco in the newly formed Centralized Payroll Team, Amy mastered our Associate Payroll and Client Billing functions. From there, she moved into a high-performing Branch servicing small, medium and our large clients with an emphasis on both Client and Candidate experience. In her current role leading the Operations department which includes our contract compliance, implementation, tools and reporting and Operation Excellence specialists, Amy has advanced experience in the testing and implementing of new tools and best practices and promotes continuous improvement with a people-first approach.
Vice President, Permanent Recruitment & RPOTori is a seasoned Sales Executive with over 25 years in sales and recruiting, specializing in exceeding growth targets by building top-tier teams. Her leadership is marked by earning trust and fostering collaboration to achieve objectives at all levels. Tori’s dynamic energy and growth mindset enhance organizational value, focusing on empowering and inspiring individuals to excel. Committed to the power of teamwork and strong relationships, she is poised to lead Adecco's permanent placement search team to new heights and oversee the RPO practice, merging her sales and operational expertise to deliver tailored, recruitment solutions for clients across Canada.
Anne-Marie is a dynamic professional with 26 years of sales and management experience in the staffing industry. Over her career span, Anne-Marie has led critical projects in enabling market growth and performance excellence and has won numerous awards for her performance.
A collaborative peer, mentor, and coach to many, she constantly seeks and infuses new ideas and approaches for the business with over 20+ years of sales and staffing experience, Andrea leads with empathy, ensuring her team's accountability and excellence. Her passion for sales methodology is inspiring and consistently reinforced throughout the sales process. With Adecco for 8 years, Andrea started as a National Sales Executive and became a top seller multiple years before being promoted to Director of Sales in 2020.
Eileen Gittens is an accomplished strategic and transformative leader with over 18 years in the Staffing Industry where she has extensive experience leading and inspiring purpose driven teams that deliver top talent and best in class workforce solutions to our clients. As an agile executive, she is known for her ability to build high performing teams, finding and implementing innovative strategies to attract talent to deliver on-time to our clients, and develop the markets that we are invested in.
Vice President and Associate General CounselNicolette, who specializes in employment law, skillfully manages three roles with our company: in-house counsel, HR team leader, and Privacy Officer. She is responsible for ensuring best practices in HR and representing Adecco in legal matters. She also conducts harassment and discrimination investigations, and advocates on behalf of the staffing industry regarding various legislative proposals. Before joining Adecco in 2005, Nicolette practiced in a top-tier law firm. She has a BA from the University of Western Ontario and a law degree from the University of Ottawa. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996.
Vice President, Onsite Managed ServicesJohn has worked within the Staffing and Recruiting industry for over 20 years and during that period has taken on numerous roles and responsibilities. Some of these include: Staffing Specialist, Permanent Recruitment Consultant, Branch Manager, Director of Operations and presently is the VP for the Onsite Managed Services Team. John thrives in high volume, fast paced engagements, and his vast and varied experience is bolstered by a commitment to his clients’ success and the value he can add to that end. John has received his CPC (Certified Personnel Consultant) from our governing body ACSESS, and complimented his operational experience by obtaining his CSSGB from Villanova University.
Doug has 20 years of accounting and finance leadership in the staffing industry. His portfolio includes accounting and finance, health and safety, and, real estate. Compliance, business controls, process improvement, and client support are his priorities for both Adecco and Roevin, our engineering and IT brand. Under his adept finance leadership, Adecco Canada has enjoyed a market leadership position of growth in sales and profitability. Doug is a Chartered Professional Accountant, has an MBA from Schulich School of Business and a B.Eng from Memorial University. He joined Adecco in 2005.
Vice President, MarketingWith 20+ years of digital marketing and recruitment experience, Christine is responsible for the end-to-end digital transformation of Adecco Canada. A born leader, her expertise lies at the intersection of delivering results via high-impact, creative marketing strategies and sustaining high-performance teams with a positive work culture. Since joining The Adecco Group in 2015, she has been instrumental in launching two brands and increasing website traffic and conversion rate while simultaneously minimizing cost. Christine was the 2020-2021 Ambassador of our global wellness program, Win4Youth.
Head of Centralized DeliveryTheresa Bell holds over 24 years of experience in the staffing industry and has progressed her career through various roles from recruiter to Strategic Services Delivery Manager in our Operations team prior to taking on her most recent role as Head of Centralized Delivery. A leader focused on providing solutions and efficiencies that benefit both our internal and external stakeholders Theresa takes pride in continuing to enhancing the candidate experience by exploring new ways of working.
Partnering for impact
To help advance our
diversity, equity and inclusion
goals, we’re partnering with some
of the country’s biggest drivers for
DEI—because we know that
we’re stronger together.