Our company history and accolades

Founded in 1948, Robert Half pioneered the idea of professional talent solutions to connect opportunities at great companies with highly skilled jobseekers. As business needs changed, we evolved to offer specialised talent solutions for finance and accounting, technology, financial services, administrative and customer support fields. In 2002 we introduced our partner Protiviti, a global independent risk consulting and internal audit service, to support companies as they faced more strategic business challenges.

Explore Robert Half’s history, learn about our leadership and accolades and see how we have found opportunity in innovation to create a $6 billion professional services organisation.

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September: TIME Magazine's World's Best Companies

Our global company history and accolades

2020s

2024 October: Forbes' World's Top Companies for Women 2024

2024 October: Fortune® Best Workplaces for Women™ 2024

2024 Robert Half recognised by Forbes as one of the World’s Best Employers for the fourth consecutive year.

2024 Robert Half has been named a Fortune® World’s Most Admired Company™ in 2024. Robert Half is among an elite group of companies — and the only in its industry — to be honoured as a Fortune® Most Admired Company™ for 27 consecutive years.

2023 Robert Half named to TIME Magazine’s World’s Best Companies.

2022 Robert Half named to Forbes' list of World's Top Female-Friendly Companies.

2022 Robert Half named to Best Workplaces for Parents™ List by Great Place To Work.

2022 Robert Half named to Forbes' list of World's Best Employers for the second consecutive year.

2022 Robert Half named to FORTUNE's Best Workplaces for Women™ list.

2022 Robert Half named one of FORTUNE's Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services™ for the second consecutive year.

2022 Robert Half recognised by Forbes as one of America's Best Employers for Women for the fourth consecutive year.

2022 Robert Half ranked first on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms and America’s Best Temporary Staffing Firms; Robert Half also took the top spot on the annual ranking of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms.

2022 Robert Half named to Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for Diversity for the fourth consecutive year.

2022 Chief executive officer M. Keith Waddell and president and CEO of talent solutions Paul F. Gentzkow named to Staffing Industry Analysts’ North America Staffing 100 list.

2022 Robert Half named one of Barron’s Most Sustainable Companies for the fifth consecutive year.

2022 Robert Half included on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Large Employers for the second consecutive year and is the top-ranked staffing firm.

2022 Robert Half named to FORTUNE’s “Most Admired Companies” list for the 25th consecutive year, and is the only staffing firm included on the “World’s Most Admired Companies®” list (February 2022).

2022 Robert Half, including Protiviti, was named one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality™ by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for the sixth consecutive year.

2022 For the fourth year in a row, Robert Half and Protiviti have been named to the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index.

2021 Robert Half named to Forbes’ list of World’s Best Employers.

2021 Robert Half and Protiviti named to the PEOPLE Companies That Care® list.

2021 Robert Half recognised by Forbes as one of America’s Best Employers for Women for the third consecutive year.

2021 Robert Half named America’s Best Temporary Staffing Firm by Forbes.

2021 Robert Half named one of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms by Forbes for the fifth consecutive year.

2021 Robert Half named America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firm by Forbes for the fourth consecutive year.

2021 Robert Half named to Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for Diversity for the third year in a row.

2021 Robert Half and Protiviti named to FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For® list.

2021 Chief Executive Officer M. Keith Waddell and President and CEO of Staffing Services Paul F. Gentzkow were named to the Staffing Industry Analysts’ list of the North America Staffing 100.

2021 Robert Half was recognised by The Wall Street Journal as one of the World’s Most Sustainably Managed Companies.

2021 Robert Half is proud to be named one of Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies for the fourth year, ranking in the top 10 on the list.

2021 Robert Half has once again been named to FORTUNE’s “World’s Most Admired Companies®” list and remains the top-ranked staffing firm (February 2021).

2021 For the third year, Robert Half was selected for the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index.

2020 Robert Half was named to Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s Best Temporary Staffing Firms.

2020 Robert Half was placed fourth on the list of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms.

2020 Robert Half was No. 1 on Forbes’ annual ranking of America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms.

2020 Robert Half is honoured to be named one of Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity 2020.

2020 For the second year, Robert Half was named to Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for Women.

2010s

2017 Chairman and CEO Max Messmer was named to Staffing Industry Review’s Staffing 100 Hall of Fame.

2016 Chairman and CEO Max Messmer is inducted by the American Staffing Association into the ASA Leadership Hall of Fame.

2016 Robert Half is named to Forbes list of “America’s Best Large Employers.”

2015 Chairman and CEO Max Messmer is named one of FORTUNE® magazine’s Businesspersons of the Year.

2014 Launch of the “Find Your Bob®” campaign, a revival of the widely recognised “Bob® From Accountemps” radio ads from the 1990s.

2011 Chairman and CEO Max Messmer receives two leadership awards. He’s named the Bay Area’s Most Admired CEO in the large public company category by the San Francisco Business Times and receives the Staffing Innovator Award from Staffing Industry Analysts.

2000s: Leadership and recognition

2008 First listed on the FTSE4Good Responsible Investment Index.

2002 Protiviti launches, growing to become a global leader in internal audit, risk, business and technology consulting.

2000 First staffing firm to be added to the S&P 500 Index.

1990s: Growth and expansion

1999 The Creative Group launches, focusing on creative and design staffing.

1997 Robert Half Management Resources launches, focusing on interim management and project-based financial staffing.

1997 Robert Half surpasses $1 billion in annual revenues for the first time.

1994 Robert Half Technology launches, focusing on technology staffing.

1993 Robert Half Legal launches, focusing on legal staffing.

1991 OfficeTeam launches, focusing on administrative staffing.

1990 Robert Half is accepted into the New York Stock Exchange.

1980s: New leadership

1986 Max Messmer negotiates the purchase of the Robert Half business from founder Bob Half. Once finalised, this transaction sets the company on a new course, paving the way for the repurchase of the Robert Half franchises and the creation of a centralised corporate support infrastructure.

1970s: A decade of firsts

1973 Robert Half opens its first international location in London.

1973 Accountemps, the first of many professional staffing divisions, is launched, thus beginning Robert Half’s specialised approach to temporary staffing.

1960s: High ethical standards become a cornerstone

1963 Bob Half speaks out against discriminatory recruiting and staffing practices in a letter to the Association of Personnel Agencies of New York.

1940s: The beginning

1948 Robert Half founded by Bob and Maxine Half.

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