EMA Partners India Debuts on NSE Emerge with Strong Investor Demand
March 11, 2025 – EMA Partners India Limited has become the first global executive search firm to publicly list its shares in India. The firm has listed on the NSE Emerge exchange. The public issue received solid investor interest and was oversubscribed by 200+ times. EMA Partners India Limited is a member firm of London-based EMA Partners International Limited. Before the issue, the company constituted a strong independent board of directors, including Arun Dasmahapatra, a retired partner from Heidrick & Struggles; Rajat Jain, an ex-managing director of Walt Disney India; and Archana Hingorani of venture capital fund Siana Capital.
Marquee institutional investors including Whiteoak Capital and Negen Undiscovered Value Fund were among the others who participated in the anchor round ahead of the issue. The Mumbai-headquartered company with subsidiaries in Singapore and Dubai intends to use the proceeds for augmenting its leadership team across markets. The funds will also be used for acquisitions. Shares of EMA Partners India Limited opened for trading at a 26 percent premium on the issue price on the NSE Emerge on January 24.
K Sudarshan, chairman and managing director of EMA Partners India Limited, said the listing is the result of “two decades of perseverance, resilience, innovation, and a strong commitment to building an institution focused on delivering value” to the firm’s longstanding clients.
“The trust and collaboration of our global colleagues have been instrumental in this journey, and we are grateful for their continued support,” he said. “As we celebrate this milestone, I want to thank everyone who has been part of this journey, including our teams in India, Dubai and Singapore, our stellar board, our colleagues, our families, our merchant bankers, NSE and our investors. With an ambitious strategy and a strong team, we are excited about the future and look forward to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders.”
Alberto Miranda, chairman of EMA Partners International Limited, welcomed the listing of the shares of EMA Partners India Limited and hailed it as a landmark moment in the history of executive search in India and an important milestone for the global organization.
Leadership Changes
Post-IPO, EMA Partners announced leadership changes across its consumer products group, pharma, healthcare & life sciences, retail & professional services sectors across India and Singapore.
Rohini Seth, partner, who joined EMA Partners last year, will now lead the consumer products group across India and Singapore. She is a seasoned, credible HR leader with a track record of delivering business transformation and impact via deep partnership skills. Ms. Seth has more than 25 years of experience in organizations including Unilever, GE, PepsiCo, Diageo, and Jubilant Group across CPG, services & life sciences sectors. In her last role was group CHRO with Jubilant and helped shape the strategic HR agenda for the life sciences group of businesses alongside supporting the Jubilant Foodworks business on a select basis.
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Shweta Sachdev will take over and lead the pharma, healthcare & life sciences practice from Ms. Seth. She comes on board with more than 20 years of experience in the executive search space, most of them serving clients in the pharma and healthcare sector. Ms. Seth comes to EMA from Korn Ferry, where she was sector leader for the firm’s global life sciences market. In this role, she was responsible for developing and growing its professional search practice through client acquisition, engagement and delivery.
AI Making Inroads Into Human Capital Sector, Jolting Investor Interest
A recent McKinsey & Company survey revealed a remarkable adoption of generative AI tools across various industries. Over one-third of respondents reported that their organizations were already leveraging artificial intelligence in at least one business function. What’s even more astonishing is that nearly a quarter of C-suite executives admitted to incorporating AI into their work processes, signifying a notable shift in how leaders are embracing cutting-edge technology.
S Subburaj, senior partner, takes over as group CHRO and head of corporate center for EMA Partners India. He will play a key role in identifying and onboarding senior resources to the platform, apart from leading initiatives across employee engagement and HR automation. Mr. Subburaj has over 20 years of experience in executive search, manufacturing and supply chain management. He has a track record of completing numerous C-level search assignments for clients across industry verticals. Prior to his move into executive search, Mr. Subburaj worked for TVS Suzuki and EPC in the oil and gas sector.
Utpal Das, client partner, who earlier served consumer markets, will now focus on the retail & services practice, while Shreya Jain, who joined the firm last year, will now focus on growing the firm’s professional services and private equity practice. Mr. Das has been with EMA Partners India since January 2011. He has closed several searches ranging from general management to technically niche roles in diverse sectors. Mr. Das focuses on the consumer, retail & services, energy & natural resources and industrial practices.
Ms. Jain has over 14 years of experience in the consulting industry. Based in Mumbai, she works for EMA Partners India as a client director in the consumer & retail practice. Ms. Jain works with the consumer & retail industry and has worked with several clients to find senior talent for clients across the sector.
The firm had earlier added Aditi Acharya, client partner, to lead the technology & GCC practice. She is responsible for developing and growing the search practice in technology, which includes products, services, and the outsourcing sector through client acquisition, engagement, and delivery.
Since 1988, EMA Partners has partnered with multinational corporations, governments, and not-for-profit organizations across a variety of industry sectors and functional areas. It has more than 40 offices on six continents, and the firm continues to expand globally.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
