Gorilla Glue and Integrated EOR and Recruiting Solutions

Client overview and EOR foundation

In 2023, Gorilla Glue Europe launched its expansion with an initial focus on Europe and Asia Pacific. To facilitate compliant international hiring, the company partnered with Safeguard Global for employer of record (EOR) services. This included support in Spain, the Nordics, and Hong Kong, allowing Gorilla Glue to grow quickly without the need to set up local legal entities.

The new challenge: Scaling talent

As Gorilla Glue’s footprint grew, so did the complexity of its talent acquisition needs. The company sought to build out regional sales leadership in strategic international markets but faced hurdles with in-market sourcing — particularly in regions where they lacked internal recruiting capacity or market insight. The need to fill high-impact roles quickly in APAC and EMEA prompted the company to turn to a trusted partner: Safeguard Global Recruitment.

The recruiting solution

Given the urgency and scope of the hiring need, Safeguard Global Recruitment recommended a contingent search model with no upfront retainer — providing the flexibility Gorilla Glue needed to move quickly while maintaining low initial risk. This recruiting engagement was designed to complement their existing EOR setup, making the most of Safeguard Global’s ability to act as a one-stop shop for international workforce expansion.

Execution and success

Safeguard Global’s in-house recruiting team got to work sourcing and filling several strategic roles. These included:

• Regional sales director – APAC

• Regional sales manager – Nordics

• Regional sales manager – Iberia

• 3PL manager – Netherlands

The recruiting team operated across multiple time zones and markets, using localized strategies to identify candidates with the right commercial experience and market knowledge. The contingent model allowed Gorilla Glue to tap into hard-to-reach, passive talent pools, especially in notoriously challenging markets like Japan and Australia.

Impact and results

The results spoke for themselves. In Q4 2023, Safeguard Global sourced a regional sales manager in the Nordics — an individual who has since performed well and contributed positively to the business. Safeguard Global's in-house recruitment team also placed a second regional sales manager in Iberia, a sales director in APAC, and a 3PL manager in the Netherlands. The Safeguard Global recruiting team learned that the client was satisfied with both the recruiting outcomes and the seamless integration between EOR and recruiting services.

“Our EOR workforce has shared really positive feedback. They feel they have the best of both worlds — support from local-language contacts while still feeling part of the Gorilla Glue family. The addition of specialist HR support in Asia Pacific has been especially valuable, giving us access to critical local knowledge and expertise.

From recruitment to account support, the Safeguard Global team has been incredibly responsive and helpful. Whenever issues have come up, multiple team members have stepped in quickly to resolve them. It’s clear we’re working with a partner that truly understands the needs of a growing international business.”

Claire Birks, UK HR Director, Gorilla Glue Europe

Looking ahead

Gorilla Glue continues to view Safeguard Global as a strategic partner in its international growth journey. The success of this engagement has opened the door to potential future placements as the company explores new markets and refines its distributor model in Europe and Asia.