Search where the market is passive
We map target organisations and engage relevant leaders directly, rather than relying on the candidates already applying to a role.
Search Partnerships
Extend Your Search Capability Without Building Another Team
Specialist finance search support across India and the Gulf, with defined ownership and commercial terms agreed before delivery begins. Talfino already partners with boutique search and staffing firms in the USA.
The proposition
Your client. Our search capability. One team.
Some partners already own the client relationship and need a trusted search partner behind the scenes. Others need a senior search firm they can bring directly into a difficult mandate. Talfino is built for both.
Senior ownership
The founder takes the brief, challenges the mandate, owns the search and stays involved through assessment, offer and joining.
Market intelligence before outreach
The target map is built before approaches begin. Partners and clients can see the market being worked, not just the shortlist produced from it.
Flexible delivery
Use Talfino for co-search, split mandates, executive research, market mapping or full search delivery depending on the mandate and your operating model.
Where we add capacity
Built for difficult mandates, not recruitment volume.
Co-search / split mandates
You retain the client relationship. Talfino can own a defined market, function, geography or candidate segment and report back through an agreed operating rhythm.
Executive research
Need a named target market, company universe or longlist before you approach candidates? We can build the map and the research behind it.
Hard-to-fill leadership search
For CFO, Finance Head, Controller, CTO and VP Engineering mandates where the strongest candidates are already employed and not actively looking.
Cross-border search
USA, UK, Middle East and India mandates, including international businesses building or scaling India capability and leadership teams.
Founder expertise
Recruitment experience. Search discipline. Hiring-side perspective.
Arunkumar Murugesan brings 12+ years inside talent acquisition and executive hiring. His career includes hiring work at Capgemini and Citi, a vendor engagement supporting Deloitte, and search work across India, the Middle East, the USA and UK.
400+
Roles closed across the founder's career
12
Years in talent acquisition & executive hiring
4
Core markets: USA, UK, Middle East, India
The 400+ figure refers to roles closed across the founder's career and is not presented as Talfino's cumulative placement count. Past employers and vendor engagements are not Talfino clients or endorsements.
How a partnership runs
One visible process, with clear ownership.
Calibrate
Agree the mandate, ownership boundaries, target market, off-limits organisations, candidate profile and reporting rhythm.
Map
Build the target-company and candidate map for the agreed market. Where useful, the partner sees the map before outreach.
Engage
Approach relevant passive executives confidentially and assess motivation, context, capability and fit.
Report
Share calibrated candidates, market feedback, constraints and next steps through the agreed cadence — no silent weeks.
Close
Support interviews, references, compensation discussion, resignation, notice period and joining through the agreed handoff.
Protect the relationship
For co-search and split mandates, commercial ownership, candidate ownership, confidentiality and client communication are agreed before work starts.
A practical partnership model
Choose the role Talfino should play.
| Model | Best used when | Talfino contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Co-search | Both firms are actively delivering the same mandate. | Defined market / function ownership, mapping, outreach, assessment and shared reporting. |
| Split mandate | The search can be divided by geography, function or candidate pool. | Own an agreed workstream end to end and return calibrated candidates to the lead partner. |
| Research partner | You need deeper market intelligence before candidate engagement. | Target-company map, role calibration, market intelligence and research support. |
| Direct search partner | Your company needs a senior owner for a difficult leadership appointment. | Full Talfino search from brief through offer and joining. |
What partners should expect
Commercial clarity before delivery starts.
- Named ownership of the mandate and clear communication route.
- Agreed client, candidate and account ownership before outreach.
- Written target-market boundaries and off-limits rules.
- Confidential handling of client and candidate information.
- Clear fee split or delivery terms documented for the specific engagement.
- No representation of another firm's client relationship without agreement.
Commercial terms are agreed per partnership or mandate. Talfino does not publish a universal split percentage because ownership, geography, search scope and client relationship differ by engagement.
Let's talk
Have a mandate that needs another senior search partner?
Send the situation, not a polished proposal. We can discuss where Talfino should own the work, how the search would be mapped and how the partnership should operate.