EMA Partners India

What EMA Partners India does

EMA Partners India is an executive search and leadership advisory firm that was founded in 2003 by K. Sudarshan and S. Krishnaprakash and completed its IPO on the National Stock Exchange in January 2025 (ticker: EMAPARTNER), becoming the first listed executive search company in India. The firm assesses, recruits, and develops leaders at the Board, C-Suite, and Senior Executive levels for global corporations, local Indian companies, and not-for-profit institutions, with delivery offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurugram, and Chennai, plus regional hubs in Singapore and Dubai as part of the broader EMA Partners International network.

The group operates a multi-brand "house of brands" architecture: EMA Partners Executive Search (flagship 20-year-old retained search brand), James Douglas Professional Search (mid/senior-level search), Leadership Advisory (validated assessment backed by 40+ years of research), and Reccloud Technologies (AI/ML-driven recruitment marketplace and SaaS platform). In June 2026, the listed entity acquired 100% of Talent Hired-The Job Store Private Limited (Taggd) for ₹113 crore in an all-cash transaction, adding what is described as India's largest homegrown Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) business — Taggd reported audited FY 2024-25 turnover of ₹9,302.08 lakhs (≈₹93 crore), runs the proprietary TARA AI platform (currently supporting ~20% of its recruitment delivery, with a 12–14 month plan to take it to full scale), and facilitates 55,000+ permanent hires annually across 100+ enterprise clients in 14+ industries.

Revenue is generated through professional-services fees: retained and contingency executive search engagements, leadership assessment/advisory mandates, and RPO contracts typically priced on a multi-year, quote-driven basis against role seniority and scope. Customer segments span global and local corporations, government and non-profit institutions, private equity investors building portfolio leadership teams, and large enterprises buying high-volume RPO — the geographic footprint covers India, the UAE, and Singapore, with access to wider markets via the EMA Partners International member-firm network.

Name

EMA Partners India

Legal name

EMA Partners India Limited

Website

https://emapartners.in

Company type

Public

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Ipo

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Leadership Advisory

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive RPO (Leadership Hiring Programs) (BPACABAI)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Leadership advisory
• Recruitment process outsourcing
• Professional search
• Talent acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

Vile Parle

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Retained and contingency search engagements for C-suite, Board and Senior Executive level placements across industries. Core revenue driver with global reach through EMA Partners International network.
2. Leadership Advisory: Assessment and advisory services helping organizations make smart people decisions resulting in superior performance.
3. RPO Services (via Taggd): Recruitment Process Outsourcing services at scale through AI-powered platform, facilitating over 55,000 permanent hires annually across enterprise clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EMA Partners India is an executive search and leadership advisory firm that helps corporations, non-profits and government agencies recruit leaders at Board, C-Suite and Senior Executive levels across all industry sectors. Following its June 2026 acquisition of Taggd, the firm also offers AI-powered Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) at scale through its proprietary TARA platform, delivering over 55,000 permanent hires annually across 100+ enterprises.

Product overview

EMA Partners India operates as a comprehensive talent recruitment platform offering a multi-brand portfolio of services. The core offerings include EMA Partners Executive Search (flagship executive search brand with 20+ years expertise at Board/C-Suite levels), Professional Search (mid and senior level talent acquisition), and Leadership Advisory (assessment and consulting services). Following the June 2026 acquisition of Taggd for ₹113 crore, the portfolio now includes Taggd's AI-powered RPO services powered by the proprietary TARA AI platform, enabling over 55,000 permanent placements annually. Additional sub-brands include Reccloud Technologies (AI/ML-driven recruitment SaaS marketplace) and James Douglas Professional Search. The combined entity positions itself as one of India's largest integrated talent recruitment companies offering executive search, professional search, and AI-powered RPO at scale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reccloud Technologies: Tech-driven recruitment marketplace and SaaS platform providing end-to-end recruitment solutions at scale using advanced AI and ML algorithms
• James Douglas
• Taggd
• EMA Executive Search

Products and services

• Executive Search Retained and contingency executive search engagements for Board, C-Suite and Senior Executive level placements across all industry sectors for global and local corporations, leveraging over 20 years of experience and the EMA Partners International global network.
• Leadership Advisory Leadership assessment and advisory services backed by more than 40 years of validated research that help organizations and leaders make smart people decisions, resulting in superior performance.
• Consulting Services Consulting engagements providing deep industry and business research to clients through the firm's experience and wide network of industry relationships.
• Professional Search (James Douglas) Talent acquisition solutions for mid and senior level roles aided by technology and internally developed proprietary processes, delivered through the James Douglas sub-brand in India and UAE.
• Taggd AI-Powered RPO Recruitment Process Outsourcing services delivered via Taggd's proprietary TARA AI platform, facilitating over 55,000 permanent hires annually across more than 100 enterprises in 14+ industries.
• Reccloud Technologies Tech-driven recruitment marketplace and SaaS platform that provides end-to-end recruitment solutions at scale across geographies using advanced AI and ML algorithms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 55,000 permanent hires facilitated annually through RPO operations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Taggd (Talent Hired-The Job Store Private Limited)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMA Partners India acquired 100% of Taggd, India's largest homegrown RPO company, for ₹113 crore in an all-cash transaction. The acquisition combines EMA's C-suite and board-level executive search capabilities with Taggd's AI-powered RPO operations. Taggd operates as a subsidiary under EMA Partners' house of brands, advancing Taggd's 2030 vision to enable one million jobs through agentic AI-powered talent solutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a large executive search division alongside broader talent management, RPO, and consulting offerings. Comparable to EMA's combined search plus Taggd RPO portfolio, though much larger and more diversified.
• TeamLease Services: One of India's largest listed staffing, HR services, and RPO companies with broad enterprise coverage. Comparable to the combined EMA + Taggd platform on RPO and recruitment outsourcing dimensions, though operating at materially larger scale.
• Adecco India: Subsidiary of global staffing leader Adecco Group, providing staffing, RPO, and recruitment solutions across India. Comparable to the Taggd RPO business in scale and enterprise client base, though primarily focused on volume hiring rather than executive search.

Direct peers

• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search leader operating a premium Board and C-Suite practice with deep coverage in India and Asia-Pacific. Directly comparable to EMA's flagship executive search and leadership advisory offering, though operating at significantly larger global scale.
• Egon Zehnder: Privately-held global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a strong presence across emerging markets including India. Directly comparable to EMA on senior executive search, leadership assessment, and advisory services.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the world's largest privately-held executive search firms with a strong Board and CEO practice globally, including India. Competes head-to-head with EMA on senior executive and Board mandates across multinational and Indian clients.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm focused on Board, CEO, and senior executive placements across industries including in India. Closely comparable to EMA's core executive search value proposition with similar client profiles and engagement economics.

Emerging players

• CIEL HR Services: Indian staffing and RPO services provider with growing AI-enabled recruitment capabilities and enterprise clients across multiple industries. Comparable to the Taggd RPO operations that EMA acquired.

Regional players

• Michael Page India: Global professional recruitment firm operating in India with a strong mid-to-senior level professional search practice. Comparable to EMA's Professional Search sub-brand (James Douglas) for mid and senior management placements rather than Board/C-Suite mandates.

Others

• Taggd (Talent Hired-The Job Store): Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of EMA Partners India following the June 2026 ₹113 crore acquisition, but listed here as a reference for the RPO business model that EMA is integrating. Comparable as India's largest homegrown RPO company.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/emapartners
• Facebookfacebook.com/emapartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ema-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EMA Partners India