For more information on our Animal Nutrition services, get in touch with

Syeef Sharif

Principal Consultant

Hundreds of 'Excellent' reviews

Animal Nutrition Executive Search

Helping Animal Nutrition companies unlock their next stage of growth

Specialisms We Cover

Amino Acids Antibiotic Reduction Aquaculture Carotenoids Commerical Strategy Dairy EFSA Enzymes Eubiotics Feed Additives Feed Efficiency Feed Formulation Feed Safety Insect Alternative Proteins Lipids Livestock Feed Minerals Pet Food Poultry Precision Nutrition Regulatory Compliance Ruminant Speciality Feed Ingredients Swine Vitamins

The global animal nutrition and feed market is valued at over $400 billion and continues to grow, driven by demand for sustainable protein, feed efficiency, and nutritional innovation.

Animal nutrition sits at the heart of food security, animal health, and sustainable protein production. As global demand for meat, dairy, and alternative proteins increases, the industry faces growing pressure to improve feed efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and meet evolving regulatory and consumer expectations. Innovation in ingredients, formulation, and digital nutrition technologies continues to reshape the sector.

Our commitment to the animal nutrition market sets us apart from traditional executive search firms. We continuously refine our approach, combining technology with deep market insight to deliver fast, thorough, and effective search solutions. By aligning sector expertise with a forward-looking mindset, we help clients secure the talent required to drive performance, innovation, and long-term growth.

Animal nutrition is critical to performance and sustainability across livestock and pet food markets, with regulation, ingredient volatility, and consumer expectations driving rapid change.

Innovation in feed additives, functional ingredients, precision formulation, and data-led nutrition is changing how performance, health, and sustainability are balanced. From gut health and alternative proteins to emission-reducing solutions and digital rationing tools, the animal nutrition market is increasingly driven by science, outcomes, and measurable impact.

This is where our expertise adds value. Through ongoing engagement with technical leaders, commercial decision-makers, and R&D specialists, we maintain a nuanced understanding of how the animal nutrition market is evolving. This insight allows us to align specialist talent with organizations at critical points of growth, supporting businesses as they translate nutritional innovation into commercial success.

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Learn more about our services, approach and the sectors we operate in.

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 often reluctant to use external recruiters due the percieved cost. Think about it like this - what financial benefit could a top candidate bring to your business unit? You could make a 100x return on your investment.

97% Placement Rate 1
1.78:1 CVs Sent to Interviews 2
Avg. 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

387 active opportunities

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lucas Quadflieg

Sales Manager, Netherlands

Good vibes on finding a new opportunity... I was contacted by Aidan Kerr for a position of Sales Manager Benelux. Af...

Aidan Kerr

Chemicals

Michael Wilson

Senior Account Manager

Working with Joseph was a seamless and positive experience from our first contact along with the various steps of the...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joerg Schlagmann

Senior Global Manager

Great expert: supportive, challenging and always empowered for his customers and his work! Not more to say: just exce...

Joseph Davey

Group CEO

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