Our history

Same work, three names, one continuous track record

2001

Founded as Compandben International

Started in Cambridge, building international HR advice, payroll, and Employer of Record services from scratch.

2021

Compandben sold to a larger group

The majority of the business was acquired — but the independent, personal approach to international HR didn't disappear with it.

2024

Le Cheminant International launched

A new, independent company set up from 1 March 2024 to continue the same work — international HR advice, payroll setup, and EOR services — under a new name.

Today

120+ countries, still genuinely independent

No parent group, no product to upsell — just two decades of accumulated cases, partners, and country-specific knowledge.

Who's behind it

John Tinsley, Director

John Tinsley, Director of Le Cheminant International

John Tinsley

Director, Le Cheminant International · University of Cambridge

John has spent over two decades building and running international HR, payroll, and Employer of Record services — first through Compandben International, now through Le Cheminant International. Along the way that's meant arranging payroll in Turkmenistan, helping a South African company put staff in India, negotiating an EOR agreement in Libya, and managing an 11-person employment arrangement in Timor-Leste on behalf of a client.

Clients who've worked with him over the years describe the same thing: fast, hands-on problem solving, and a habit of finding a workable answer even in jurisdictions most providers won't touch.

Further afield than most

Recent work has reached

TurkmenistanTimor-LesteLibyaMali Ascension IslandFalkland IslandsBruneiIndia

Want to know if we've worked in your country already?

There's a good chance we have — and if we haven't, we'll say so before recommending anything.

Ask us directly