Talent Lead

What Talent Lead does

Talent Lead is a Shanghai-headquartered executive search and talent acquisition firm founded in 2011 by Daisy Qiu. The company provides professional recruiting services centered on contingency recruitment, headhunting, employer branding consultation, and recruitment process management, with an additional M&A post-merger integration (PMI) talent advisory offering. Its core differentiator is vertical specialization across five industry segments: Chemical/Materials/Buildings, Mechanical/Engineering/Equipment, Medical/Pharm/Biotech, Software/High-Tech/Game, and Internet/Media/Marketing. The firm markets KPI-based recruitment tracking and 24-hour service availability as primary value propositions, suggesting a relationship-driven, human-delivered model rather than a technology-mediated one.

The business operates on a professional services revenue model, where fees are derived from successful placements (likely a mix of contingency and retained search depending on role seniority) and complementary advisory engagements for employer branding and PMI. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct: consultants engage corporate hiring managers and HR leadership across its five verticals on a domestic, single-country basis. All operations are run from a single Shanghai office at Room 15N, Cross Region Plaza, No.899 Lingling Road, with reported headcount of 51-100 employees.

The firm presents as a privately held, independent boutique with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, acquisitions, patents, awards, or technology platform. No API, SDK, mobile app, or third-party integrations are referenced, and the business is not described as a SaaS or technology-enabled play. The competitive position rests on specialized industry knowledge, consultant relationships, and process discipline rather than proprietary technology or scale advantages, placing it in the traditional mid-market executive search category typical of China's domestic recruiting sector.

Name

Talent Lead

Legal name

Talent Lead

Website

https://talentlead.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Talent Lead is a Shanghai-based executive search firm founded in 2011 by Daisy Qiu, providing contingency recruitment, headhunting, employer branding, and M&A PMI talent services to corporate clients across five verticals including chemical, engineering, medical/biotech, software/tech, and internet/media sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search and Recruiting Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive & Leadership Direct Hire (BPACAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technology & Product Leadership Search (CIO/CTO/CDO/CPO) (BPACAAAC), Industrial & Engineering Leadership Search (BPACAAAD)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Headhunting services
• Professional recruiting
• Employer branding
• Talent acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Recruiting and Executive Search Services: Professional services revenue derived from providing recruiting, headhunting, and executive search services to corporate clients. The company likely charges fees based on successful placements (contingency or retained search model), typical in the recruiting industry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Talent Lead is an executive search and headhunting firm in Shanghai, China, founded in 2011. The firm provides recruiting services across five verticals (Chemical/Materials/Buildings, Mechanical/Engineering/Equipment, Medical/Pharm/Biotech, Software/High-Tech/Game, and Internet/Media/Marketing), supplemented by employer branding, recruitment management, and M&A post-merger integration (PMI) talent services with 24-hour recruiting and KPI-based tracking.

Product overview

Talent Lead is a recruiting and talent acquisition firm providing comprehensive staffing and headhunting services. The company offers a portfolio of talent solutions including executive search, employer branding services, and recruitment management across multiple industry verticals including Chemical/Materials/Buildings, Mechanical/Engineering/Equipment, Medical/Pharm/Biotech, Software/High-Tech/Game, and Internet/Media/Marketing sectors. Their service offerings include 24-hour recruiting support, KPI-based recruitment tracking, headhunting services, employer branding, recruitment management, and M&A-related talent services (MA/PMI).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search / Headhunting Recruiting services for mid-to-senior and executive-level roles across five industry verticals (Chemical/Materials/Buildings, Mechanical/Engineering/Equipment, Medical/Pharm/Biotech, Software/High-Tech/Game, and Internet/Media/Marketing), with 24-hour recruiting turnaround.
• Employer Branding Services Services designed to help client companies attract talent through employer brand development and positioning.
• Recruitment Management Recruitment management services using KPI-based tracking to measure hiring outcomes against defined metrics.
• M&A Post-Merger Integration (PMI) Talent Services Talent acquisition and integration support for clients during and after mergers and acquisitions.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with Asia-Pacific operations. Direct overlap in senior executive search engagements across industrial, technology, and healthcare verticals served by Talent Lead.
• Randstad China: Global HR services firm with established China footprint offering executive search, staffing, and HR solutions. Comparable in serving multiple industry verticals with professional services model.
• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm with significant Asia-Pacific operations. Competes for senior mandates across the same vertical industries Talent Lead serves, but with broader service portfolio and cross-border reach.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm competing for CEO and board-level mandates in China. Comparable in serving cross-industry executive search needs but with a much larger international footprint.
• Robert Half China: Global specialized staffing firm with China operations, focused on finance, technology, and administrative placements. Overlaps with Talent Lead on professional and executive search mandates in similar industries.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with established China presence, particularly strong in technology, healthcare, and industrial sectors that overlap with Talent Lead's verticals. Operates at the senior end of the same search market.

Direct peers

• Michael Page China: Global recruiter with strong China presence serving professional and mid-management roles in technology, healthcare, and industrial sectors. Comparable in vertical segmentation and B2B client base.
• Career International: Leading China-based HR services and executive search firm, comparable in its domestic-China focus and multi-vertical talent acquisition model. Career International is a direct competitor for mid-to-senior level mandates in similar industries.
• CGL Group: Asia-focused executive search and talent advisory firm, particularly active in China and Greater Southeast Asia. Comparable in targeting senior-level and cross-functional executive mandates across technology, industrial, and consumer sectors.
• Hays China: Global recruitment firm with deep China operations covering technology, life sciences, and industrial sectors. Comparable mid-to-senior level contingent and permanent placement focus in the same verticals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/talent-lead

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Talent Lead