EMA Partners acquires Taggd to strengthen AI-powered hiring capabilities

EMA Partners India Limited has acquired Taggd, India's largest homegrown recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) provider, in an all-cash transaction aimed at expanding its presence across the talent acquisition value chain and strengthening its AI-powered recruitment capabilities.

The deal combines two established players in the recruitment market and creates one of India's largest integrated talent recruitment platforms, spanning executive search, professional search and enterprise-scale AI-powered RPO services.

Devashish Sharma, Co-founder and CEO of Taggd, said the acquisition strengthens both companies' ability to serve employers across the talent acquisition spectrum.

"The all-cash transaction at a company equity value of INR 113 crore brings together two complementary talent businesses to create one of India's largest integrated talent recruitment companies, offering solutions spanning executive search, professional search and AI-powered RPO at scale. For EMA, the acquisition furthers its position across the wider talent acquisition value chain by adding Taggd's enterprise-scale RPO and agentic AI-led delivery innovation to its existing expertise. For Taggd, the partnership advances its 2030 vision to fulfil one million jobs and expands access to EMA Partners' global market presence," Sharma said.

The companies said the acquisition reflects growing demand among employers for talent partners capable of delivering hiring solutions across multiple stages of the recruitment lifecycle.

Taggd has increasingly positioned itself as an AI-enabled hiring partner, combining recruitment outsourcing expertise with talent intelligence and technology-driven delivery models.

A move to broaden recruitment capabilities

For EMA Partners India, the acquisition adds Taggd's enterprise-scale recruitment outsourcing expertise and agentic AI-led delivery capabilities to its existing executive search and leadership advisory business.

Founded in 1988, EMA Partners operates globally and specialises in board-level, C-suite and senior leadership recruitment.

The acquisition extends its reach beyond executive hiring into high-volume enterprise recruitment and talent fulfilment.

According to the companies, the combined platform will offer services across:

• Executive search
• Leadership advisory
• Professional search
• Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO)
• AI-powered talent fulfilment
• Enterprise-scale hiring solutions

Taggd to retain independent operations

Despite the acquisition, Taggd will continue operating independently within EMA Partners India's portfolio of brands.

The company will retain:

• Its existing brand identity
• Leadership team
• Operational structure
• Client relationships
• Delivery commitments

The arrangement is designed to allow Taggd to continue executing its growth strategy while benefiting from EMA Partners' broader market access and international presence.

Supporting a long-term growth vision

Commenting on the transaction, Pankaj Bansal, Co-founder of Taggd and Caret Capital, and Sharma said the partnership represents an important milestone in the company's next phase of growth.

The executives said access to EMA Partners' international footprint would help accelerate Taggd's expansion while supporting its long-term objective of enabling one million jobs by 2030 through agentic AI-powered talent fulfilment solutions.

Taggd has increasingly positioned itself as an AI-enabled hiring partner, combining recruitment outsourcing expertise with talent intelligence and technology-driven delivery models.

Focus on AI and recruitment technology

K Sudarshan, Chairman and Managing Director of EMA Partners India Limited, said the acquisition would strengthen the company's ability to invest in advanced recruitment technologies and AI-driven solutions.

According to Sudarshan, the combined platform will broaden client offerings and support future growth.

The transaction also highlights how recruitment firms are increasingly investing in AI tools designed to improve hiring efficiency, candidate matching and workforce planning.

Scale of the combined platform

Taggd enters the partnership with significant scale in India's recruitment market.

According to company data, Taggd currently:

• Serves more than 100 enterprise clients
• Operates across 14+ industries
• Facilitates more than 55,000 permanent hires annually
• Maintains a talent network of over 1.7 million active candidates
• Has enabled more than 700,000 permanent hires since inception

The company has also been recognised as a Star Performer on Everest Group's Global PEAK Matrix for Recruitment Process Outsourcing and holds Great Place to Work certification.

Consolidation gathers pace in talent acquisition

The acquisition comes as recruitment firms face growing pressure to combine scale, technology and specialised expertise to meet increasingly complex hiring requirements.

Organisations are seeking talent partners capable of delivering leadership hiring, professional recruitment and large-scale workforce fulfilment through a single platform.

At the same time, AI is becoming a central component of recruitment strategy, influencing sourcing, screening, talent intelligence and hiring operations.

Against this backdrop, the EMA Partners-Taggd deal signals how the recruitment industry is evolving beyond traditional search and staffing models towards technology-enabled talent ecosystems.

As employers continue to prioritise speed, scale and precision in hiring, integrated platforms combining human expertise with AI-driven capabilities are likely to play an increasingly prominent role in the future of talent acquisition.

New leaders, fresh capital, workforce shifts and unfiltered conversations — the story of work unfolds here.