Direct HR

What Direct HR does

Direct HR is a China-focused executive search and talent recruitment firm founded in 2008, headquartered in Shanghai with operational offices in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Ningbo. The firm serves over 1,500 German, American, and Chinese clients — ranging from multinational corporations such as thyssenkrupp, Werfen, Lindberg, Baumann, and Aspect to SMEs — placing leadership and professional talent across vertical specializations including Industrial Automation, Manufacturing, Machinery, Consumer Goods, Electronics, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Energy, and Technology. Its core offering is retained and contingency executive search, delivered through a partner-led model where senior consultants serve as Client Advisors and Project Managers, supplemented by HR consulting services covering management assessment, change management, interim management, and organizational development.

The firm has built a proprietary technology stack around its core search services, including a Talent Insights Platform that maps talent pools by industry and role across China, a Salary Calculator that computes gross-to-net compensation across 90+ Chinese regions, and a China Salary Insights Database aggregating compensation data from foreign and Chinese employers. These tools function as data/analytics layers rather than AI-driven systems. The company's go-to-market is enterprise field sales through account managers in each city, complemented by content marketing vehicles (HR in China eBook, annual foreign-talent report, YouTube thought leadership, LinkedIn presence) and strategic partnerships with Rödl & Partner (German professional services) and the German Chamber of Commerce in China. Direct HR also operates wholly-owned subsidiaries branded Direct HR Thailand and Direct HR Vietnam, extending its executive search model into Southeast Asia under the same brand umbrella. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the firm is privately held with no evidence of venture capital, private equity, or institutional investor backing.

Name

Direct HR

Legal name

Direct HR Ltd.

Website

https://directhr.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Direct HR is a China-focused executive search and talent recruitment firm, founded in 2008, serving over 1,500 German, American, and Chinese multinational and SME clients from offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Ningbo, with extensions into Thailand and Vietnam.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Recruitment Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive & Leadership Direct Hire (BPACAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire (BPACAFAO), Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Talent recruitment
• HR consulting
• Salary benchmarking
• Workforce analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Shangrao Shi

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 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 and Recruitment Services: Retained and contingency-based executive search services for placing leadership and professional talent in China. Services include targeted searches for leadership team positions managed by Partners, who serve as Client Advisors and Project Managers.
2. HR Consulting and Assessment Services: Additional services including management assessment, change management, interim managers, diagnostic tools, and organizational development interventions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Direct HR provides executive search and talent recruitment services for leadership and professional positions in China, serving over 1,500 multinational and SME clients. Services are delivered through a team of 50 professionals across four Chinese cities, with Partners acting as Client Advisors and Project Managers for executive mandates. The firm supplements its recruitment services with proprietary intelligence tools including the Talent Insights platform, Salary Calculator, and China Salary Insights database.

Product overview

Direct HR operates as a multi-service HR solutions provider offering a unified portfolio centered on executive search and talent recruitment services for the China market. The core offering consists of executive search and recruitment, supported by complementary analytical tools including the Talent Insights platform for market intelligence, the Salary Calculator for cost projections, and China Salary Insights for benchmarking data. Additionally, the company provides the HR in China eBook (Human Resources in China: The Technical Guide) as an educational resource covering regulatory compliance, employment law, and best practices. These products work together to serve the full recruitment lifecycle from talent discovery through hiring decision support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Talent Insights: A platform that monitors and analyzes the talent landscape in China, allowing users to understand where talent can be found for various job roles within specific industries.

Products and services

• Executive Search & Talent Recruitment Retained and contingency-based executive search and professional recruitment services for placing leadership and professional talent in China. Partners serve as Client Advisors and Project Managers for senior mandates.
• HR Consulting and Assessment Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of candidates introduced by Direct HR qualified for second round interview with client line managers

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Rödl & PartnercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional services partnership for the HR in China eBook/technical guide. Rödl & Partner is a German professional services firm with 111 offices in 50 countries, providing legal, tax, accounting, and audit services. The partnership produced a comprehensive guide covering labor contracts, social security, IIT, termination, and recruitment best practices in China.
• German Chamber of Commerce in ChinacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDirect HR is an Official Survey Partner of the German Chamber of Commerce in China (GCC China). This partnership provides market intelligence and validates Direct HR's expertise in serving German companies operating in China.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Morgan Philips Executive Search: Morgan Philips is an international executive search and professional recruitment firm with Asia-Pacific operations serving multinational clients. Its retained and contingency leadership mandates overlap with Direct HR's core offering.
• Robert Walters China: Robert Walters is a UK-listed international recruitment firm operating dedicated China offices with executive search and professional permanent placement across multiple functions. It overlaps directly with Direct HR on cross-border retained and contingency search for multinational clients hiring into China.
• Spring Professional China: Spring Professional is the professional recruitment arm of Adecco and operates dedicated China offices placing mid-to-senior professionals into multinational and local firms. Its function-by-function placement model aligns with Direct HR's engineering, sales/marketing, and finance coverage.
• RGF Professional Recruitment China: RGF Professional is the Asian permanent recruitment brand of Recruit Holdings, running direct-hire search across China for multinational and Chinese clients. Its professional and mid-managerial focus and Asian network parallel Direct HR's positioning.
• Michael Page China: Michael Page operates a substantial China business placing professional and managerial talent on a permanent basis, frequently targeting foreign-invested enterprises. Its multi-office China footprint and customer overlap with European and American MNCs make it a direct competitive analog.
• Antal International China: Antal International runs a large executive search and professional recruitment network with China offices serving multinational and domestic clients. Its mid-market search focus and cross-border mandate flow make it a direct comparable to Direct HR.
• Hays China: Hays is a global recruitment specialist with deep China presence focused on professional and technical permanent and contract placement. Like Direct HR, it serves multinational and local clients across functions and has comparable mid-management and technical-placement positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a top-tier global executive search firm that places C-suite and senior leadership in China and across Asia. It competes for the same high-end leadership mandates Direct HR pursues but operates as a much larger, multi-region incumbent.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm whose executive search and talent acquisition practice serves China-based leadership mandates. It is a broader incumbent offering retained executive search as part of a wider consulting portfolio rather than a China-only specialist.

Emerging players

• Cielo Talent (China/APAC RPO): Cielo is a global RPO and talent acquisition partner expanding APAC delivery from regional hubs. It addresses enterprise hiring needs with a technology-led, process-driven model that is adjacent to—but not identical with—Direct HR's high-touch executive search approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MiriamWickertsheim
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/direct-hr-china

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Direct HR