Native acquires strategic stake in RPO venture Woven

Mumbai: Native has acquired a strategic stake in India-focused recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) venture Woven as part of its plan to build an integrated, end-to-end talent solutions platform, the companies said on Thursday.

Over the past few years, Native has grown from one of India’s fast-growing executive search firms into a multi-platform talent enterprise. The latest investment marks its entry into the RPO segment, expanding its capabilities beyond leadership hiring into embedded, scalable, and tech-enabled talent-delivery models.

“Our 2030 Vision has always been clear—to build an integrated talent platform that supports enterprises across every stage of leadership and workforce build-out,” said Reuben Mistry, Native’s group chief executive officer. “The RPO segment represents a ₹5,000 crore+ opportunity in India and is becoming mission-critical for enterprises scaling at speed. With Woven, we are not just entering a new segment—we are strengthening our operating depth and expanding our ability to serve clients end-to-end.”

Led by founders Vinod Subramanian and Mithun Shetty with 25 years of collective experience in building and scaling multiple RPO programmes across India, the new venture will operate under the brand Woven. The two have held leadership backgrounds spanning global talent organizations and bring operating expertise in enterprise hiring transformation.

Woven will operate independently, with Native providing strategic oversight and enterprise integration support. “Woven is designed as a dedicated operating muscle for embedded and scalable hiring,” Subramanian said, adding the partnership signals a differentiated capability built for execution depth, process excellence, and long-term client partnerships.

Earlier this year, Native launched Northward, focused on retained C-suite and board-level mandates, and introduced AlterNatives to support private equity firms and corporates with advisory and independent board appointments. The structure reflects a broader shift within executive search—from transactional hiring to capability-building partnerships—particularly as companies and investors seek more specialized and flexible leadership solutions.

With the stake in Woven, Mistry added that this will result in the creation of a fully integrated talent ecosystem, offering a full stack of solutions spanning board, C-suite retained search, mid- to senior-level hiring, advisors-on-call, fractional and interim engagements, people consulting, and large-scale embedded solutions.