In 2007, Recruit Holdings, Japan`s largest recruitment and staffing business, began to look at ways to increase service line and geographical expansion. They began a series of conversations with the co-founders of CDS, a
Tokyo- and Osaka-based executive search firm which had recently received private equity investments from NIF-SMBC ventures. CDS was a high-profile boutique search firm with western founders, with credibility and market awareness gained through high-profile assignments such as helping Google launch in Japan through their first 20 hires, including the CEO.
