Sheffield was founded in 1961 by three organisational development psychologists, including Malcolm Sheffield, whose name the firm carries today. At a time when recruitment relied heavily on personal networks, instinct and reputation, Malcolm believed professional advisory work should be grounded in research, behavioural insight and enduring client relationships. With a Master’s degree in Psychology and experience in government departments where psychologists were already part of the workforce, he saw the opportunity to bring the same discipline into industry.
That conviction led to the creation of New Zealand’s first organisational psychology and executive recruitment practice. It also established the foundation for Sheffield’s leadership in the human resources sector. The firm developed one of the country’s first rigorous competency-based assessment models, defining what success in a role required and assessing candidates against those requirements. The approach reduced guesswork, improved fit and gave clients a more reliable way to make senior appointments that lasted.
The same applied to organisational development. Sheffield introduced workplace surveys and tools to assess chief executives and senior leadership teams well before such practices became mainstream. Search, remuneration and organisational development were not separate services so much as complementary ways of answering one critical business question: how do organisations put the right people in the right roles, then support them to perform?
This pattern of practical innovation has made Sheffield a business leader in New Zealand’s human resources sector for six and a half decades. “Knowing people” still captures the essence of the brand: deep networks, behavioural understanding and the ability to help clients navigate significant decisions in moments of change and evolution.