Recruitment Specialist
About the job
- A bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Supply Chain, or a related field.
- Seven to ten years of recruitment experience in APAC, ideally in specialty chemicals or distribution, including experience hiring senior leaders, commercial managers, and supply-chain profiles.
- Experience with competency-based interviewing aligned with Skills Frameworks.
- Demonstrated ability to shift recruitment from agency-driven to internal sourcing.
- Strong analytical capability using recruitment metrics.
- Stakeholder management experience in matrix environments.
- Ability to lead selected recruitment for global leadership profiles.
- Proficiency with HR systems such as Workday.
- Fluency in English and Malay.
- Lead end-to-end recruitment for senior leadership, commercial, supply-chain, Finance, and IT roles across APAC, identifying, attracting, assessing, and securing talent for critical and hard-to-fill positions.
- Build proactive talent pipelines for critical and hard-to-fill roles through networking, market mapping, and targeted sourcing.
- Generate talent intelligence and market insights, including talent availability, market mapping, and competitor benchmarking, to inform hiring strategies and business decisions.
- Support succession planning and future workforce needs by identifying, engaging, and building relationships with talent ahead of confirmed vacancies.
- Champion skills-based hiring by assessing candidates against the Skills Framework and role-specific competencies rather than relying solely on job titles or tenure.
- Advise regional leaders and hiring managers on recruitment strategy, market conditions, and hiring decisions.
- Reduce reliance on external agencies by strengthening internal recruitment capability.
- Localise and activate the employee value proposition across APAC and embed diversity, equity, and inclusion principles in sourcing and selection.
- Ensure a high-quality and consistent candidate experience throughout the recruitment lifecycle while maintaining robust assessment and selection standards.
- Drive data-informed decisions through recruitment dashboards, talent market insights, and key hiring metrics, ensuring data accuracy, governance, and compliance within Workday.
- Use AI and digital tools, including Workday and sourcing and screening technology, to improve recruitment efficiency, decision-making, and candidate engagement.
- Manage relationships with approved recruitment agencies, sourcing partners, and talent vendors, monitoring performance against service levels, quality standards, diversity expectations, and cost targets as part of a blended internal and external sourcing model.
- Lead, coach, develop, and performance-manage one Sourcing Specialist; build capability, drive continuous improvement, prioritize workload, and align delivery with Talent Acquisition standards while fostering a collaborative and accountable team culture.
- Additional Asian-language proficiency.
- Recruitment experience in specialty chemicals or distribution.
About the company
Azelis is a global distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients, connecting about 2,800 suppliers with over 63,000 customers across Life Sciences and Industrial Chemicals. Its asset-light model focuses on sourcing, logistics, regulatory support, and value-added services, backed by more than 70 application laboratories that offer formulation development, testing, and technical/regulatory assistance. The company stands out through its large supplier network and extensive technical services, supported by an aggressive growth and M&A strategy that expanded its multinational footprint. Its goal is to provide reliable sourcing and practical technical support worldwide to help customers develop new products and grow.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Antwerp, Belgium
Founded
2001
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- H1 2026 revenue rose 3.2%; Q2 organic growth returned at 3.9%.
- Azelis won Imerys, SUSONITY, and Ashland expansions across Europe and Thailand in 2026.
- Structural savings reached €11 million in H1 2026 toward a €20 million target.
What critics are saying
- Leverage stayed 3.4x at June 2026; deleveraging depends on sustained EBITDA growth.
- Middle East volatility already hit H1 2026 trading, risking 2026 margin volatility.
- Suppliers can bypass distributors through direct sales and digital channels, eroding Azelis' intermediary moat.
What makes Azelis unique
- Azelis couples distribution with 70-plus labs, turning ingredients into customer-ready formulations.
- Anna Bertona's 2024 leadership pairs deep chemical-industry experience with sustainability execution.
- Azelis' 2,800 principals and 63,000 customers create sticky cross-selling across geographies and applications.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Paid Holidays
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Professional Development Budget
Conference Attendance Budget
Performance Bonus
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
23%1 year growth
23%2 year growth
22%Azelis brings cleaning and personal care innovation together at SEPAWA 2026. 8 October 2026 Azelis, the reference innovation service provider in the speciality chemicals and food ingredients industry, is pleased to announce its participation at SEPAWA 2026, taking place from 14 to 16 October at the Estrel Congress Centre in Berlin, Germany. Across stands A121, A122, A131 and A132, Azelis will bring together its Home Care & Industrial Cleaning and Personal Care expertise, presenting two complementary concepts: The Green Bathroom and Designed to feel. For the first time, SEPAWA will serve as a key annual showcase for Azelis's Home Care & Industrial Cleaning business, reflecting the event's importance as a platform for customer engagement, formulation expertise and innovation in this market. This enhanced Home Care & Industrial Cleaning focus sits alongside a strong Personal Care presence, ensuring visitors can experience the breadth and complementary value of both market segments. * Customers can explore practical formulation concepts across Home Care & Industrial Cleaning and Personal Care, with solutions addressing sustainability, performance and sensorial expectations. * Principals benefit from application-focused showcases that demonstrate ingredient functionality, performance, sustainability credentials and sensorial possibilities in finished product concepts. * Azelis brings together technical expertise and formulation capabilities from two market segments, helping customers explore new product concepts and ingredient applications. The Green Bathroom is Azelis's dedicated Home Care & Industrial Cleaning concept, demonstrating how green chemistry and biotechnology can support a more circular approach to cleaning. Taking visitors on a guided tour through a sustainable bathroom, the concept shows how bio-based, renewable and circular technologies can deliver effective cleaning, hygiene and freshness while helping to reduce environmental impact. The showcase spans bathroom and toilet care, glass and floor cleaning, air care, disinfection and laundry applications. Designed to feel, its Personal Care concept highlights the growing importance of texture and sensoriality in personal care product development. The showcase demonstrates how advanced formulation approaches can create a wide range of oil-rich, transformative textures while addressing demand for more sustainable and silicone-free solutions. Through a collection of innovative formulations, visitors will discover how ingredient technologies can tailor sensory profiles, support performance and enable differentiated consumer experiences. Evy Hellinckx, CEO Azelis EMEA, comments: "SEPAWA is a key event for Azelis and, for the first time, our principal annual showcase in EMEA for Home Care & Industrial Cleaning. It also provides an important opportunity to bring together two areas of formulation innovation that respond to changing customer and consumer expectations. Through The Green Bathroom, our teams demonstrate practical approaches to cleaning performance and sustainability. Designed to feel shows how texture, sensoriality and functionality can be combined to create distinctive personal care experiences. By bringing these concepts together at SEPAWA, we can help customers explore how these trends translate into practical formulation opportunities for their own product development." Azelis's Personal Care team will also contribute to the scientific conference programme with a presentation titled 'Designing Next-Generation Textures: Oil Structuring Strategies for Sensory Innovation and Silicone Replacement', taking place on 16 October 2026 from 11:15-11:30 in Room 12 + 13 as part of the Forum for Innovation. The session will explore how advanced oil structuring technologies can be used to create innovative textures, support silicone replacement strategies and deliver premium sensory experiences in more sustainable personal care formulations. Visitors can explore both showcases and meet Azelis's Home Care & Industrial Cleaning and Personal Care experts at stands A121, A122, A131 and A132 at the Estrel Congress Centre in Berlin from 14 to 16 October 2026.
Azelis brings global formulation expertise to CPHI 2026. 1 October 2026 Azelis, the reference innovation service provider in the speciality chemicals and food ingredients industry, is pleased to announce its participation at CPHI 2026, taking place from 6 to 8 October in Milan, Italy. At booth 1B74, Azelis will showcase formulation concepts from its Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare application laboratories worldwide, demonstrating how its global technical network supports customers in addressing pharmaceutical formulation challenges. This year's Formulation Bar brings together ten physical formulation prototypes spanning a broad range of delivery formats, including creams, capsules, soft chews, tablets, gummies and eye drops. Further formulation concepts will be available in a digital booklet, providing visitors with additional examples of Azelis's technical and application expertise. * Customers can explore formulation concepts at its booth, addressing challenges, including sustained and targeted release, taste masking, ophthalmic delivery and the processing of heat-sensitive active ingredients * Principals benefit from Azelis's global network of application laboratories, which helps demonstrate ingredient functionality through relevant formulations and supports their application across local markets * Azelis brings together pharmaceutical formulation expertise from around the world, strengthening knowledge sharing and supporting the continued development of its Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare market segment Visitors will be able to explore a range of formulation concepts, including: * an in situ gelling ophthalmic platform for peptide delivery; * a colon-targeted prednisolone-coated tablet; * taste-masked Diphenhydramine HCl chewable softgels; * extended-release platforms for Metformin and Diclofenac Sodium; * Azelis's Hydrocortisone Silicone elastomer topical drug delivery system; and * a sustained-release capsule-in-capsule formulation combining Metformin and Sitagliptin. Through its global network of application laboratories and local Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare teams, Azelis combines technical expertise, formulation support and market knowledge to help customers move from formulation challenges towards practical product concepts. Visitors can meet the Azelis Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare team at CPHI 2026, booth 1B74, from 6 to 8 October 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Azelis expands partnership with SUSONITY through new UK and Ireland distribution agreement for industrial applications. 24 September 2026 Azelis, the reference innovation service provider in the speciality chemicals and food ingredients industry, is pleased to announce an extension of its distribution partnership with SUSONITY, a leading company in effect pigments, functional materials, and cosmetic actives. Effective 1 October 2026, Azelis will distribute SUSONITY's portfolio in the UK and Ireland across the CASE, Advanced Materials & Additives, Home Care & Industrial Cleaning and Performance Chemicals market segments. The agreement gives Azelis customers in the UK and Ireland access to SUSONITY's effect pigments and advanced functional technologies for laser marking, heat reflection, and conductive or protective coatings, amongst others. The portfolio complements Azelis's existing offering, enabling customers to consolidate more of their speciality material requirements with one distribution partner. * Customers benefit from a broader product offering from Azelis, supported by an experienced local team with strong market knowledge and technical expertise. * SUSONITY streamlines its local setup while consolidating its distribution network through one partner serving multiple industries. * Azelis strengthens its offering in key subsegments with additional effect pigments and functional materials, while extending its relationship with an established principal. The agreement builds on Azelis's existing collaboration with SUSONITY for PC and industrial markets across EMEA and APAC. Azelis's strong focus in these markets, together with its established UK and Ireland team and penetration of key subsegments, supported SUSONITY's decision to extend the partnership. Christian Pflesser, Market Segment Director Advanced Materials & Additives and CASE at Azelis EMEA, comments: "SUSONITY brings valuable technologies to our customers in the UK and Ireland, particularly in effect pigments, laser marking and heat-reflective solutions. The portfolio complements our existing offering and enables our teams to support customers across a broader range of applications. Building on our strong collaboration with SUSONITY in other markets, we look forward to growing the partnership in the UK and Ireland." Frédéric Daumard, Commercial Head CEE/MEA/Distributor Management EMEA, at SUSONITY, says: "Azelis has demonstrated its ability to develop our business across our existing markets together. Extending our collaboration to the UK and Ireland gives us access to an established team with broad industrial market coverage, while simplifying how we serve customers across different applications. We look forward to building on the results of our existing partnership." Azelis combines market knowledge with technical expertise and formulation capabilities to support customers throughout the product development journey. Through its local teams and application laboratories, the company helps customers develop innovative solutions while creating growth opportunities for its principals.
Azelis and Imerys expand distribution partnership. September 23, 2026 Azelis recently announced the expansion of its partnership with Imerys, a leader in mineral-based specialties. Effective December 1, 2026, Azelis will extend its distribution agreement with Imerys for its plastics, adhesives and sealants, and paints and coatings products across Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Building on a successful partnership in the UK, Türkiye, and parts of the Middle East and Africa over the past five years, this agreement broadens the collaboration into new territories. It strengthens Azelis's portfolio in the region and provides customers with access to a broader range of formulation solutions, supported by local technical expertise. Looking for a reprint of this article? From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today! JOIN TODAY to unlock your recommendations. Already have an account? Sign In
Azelis wins two inaugural Lubricant Expo Innovation Awards. 21 September 2026 Azelis, the reference innovation service provider in the speciality chemicals and food ingredients industry, is pleased to announce that it has won two awards at the inaugural Lubricant Expo Innovation Awards, held during Lubricant Expo Europe 2026 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Azelis received the Lubricant Component Innovation of the Year for its Multifunctional Extreme Pressure & Antiwear Additive Package and the Metalworking & Process Fluid Innovation of the Year for its Water-based Corrosion Inhibitor. The awards recognise technologies developed to help lubricant and metalworking fluid manufacturers address performance, formulation and sustainability requirements. * Customers benefit from formulation solutions designed to enhance equipment protection, operational reliability and performance across lubricant and metalworking fluid applications. * Principals benefit from Azelis's technical and application expertise, helping translate product technologies into solutions that address specific market needs. * Azelis strengthens its ability to support customers with formulation expertise and application knowledge across the lubricants and metalworking fluids market. The Multifunctional Extreme Pressure & Antiwear Additive Package combines wear protection, oxidation stability and copper corrosion inhibition in a single solution. This helps lubricant manufacturers develop high-performing oils and greases while simplifying formulation design. The Water-based Corrosion Inhibitor provides temporary corrosion protection while remaining easy to remove with water. Based on a vegetable-derived film-forming polymer, the technology helps customers balance performance with evolving environmental and operational requirements. Dmitriy Tarasov, Regional Market Segment Director Lubricants & Metalworking Fluids at Azelis, comments: 'Receiving two awards at the inaugural Lubricant Expo Innovation Awards reflects the technical expertise of our Lubricants & Metalworking Fluids teams and our focus on solving practical formulation challenges. These technologies show how we combine ingredient knowledge, application expertise and close collaboration with our principals and customers to develop solutions that address changing performance and sustainability requirements.' Across its network of application laboratories, Azelis combines local market knowledge, technical expertise and formulation support to help customers address product development challenges. Its Lubricants & Metalworking Fluids teams work closely with customers and principals to explore product performance and develop formulations that respond to evolving technical, operational and sustainability requirements.