Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has hired AZB & Partners’ Mumbai HR head Kiran Patheja for its HR function, as head of talent acquisition, reported Bar & Bench.

Patheja, who is a 2007 Bachelor Social Legal Sciences graduate from ILS Law College, also holds a masters of science in HR from the University of Sheffield, and before joining AZB has previously worked at Khaitan & Co as HR manager between November 2014 and October 2015, and BDO India from 2012 to 2014.

Patheja will be taking over the role from Akanksha Antil, who had joined Amarchand Mangaldas, as it then was, from legal recruiter Vahura - Amarchand Mumbai was one of the first law firms in India to hire an in-house head-hunter. However, Antil had left Cyril Amarchand around 5 months ago to start on her own.

Managing partner Cyril Shroff confirmed Patheja’s joining to us, and had told Bar & Bench: “We are delighted to welcome Kiran to the firm in this role. Her past experience in the legal sector will be most useful.”

Shroff said that the current HR head continued to be Anupriya Anand. She had joined in February 2014 from Hirco Developments, where she was a senior manager HR.

The previous HR head at Cyril Amarchand, Jayanarayanan NR, who had been at Amarchand since 2010, had left in February 2016 to join Link Legal India Law Services.

We have reached out to AZB Mumbai managing partner Zia Mody for comment.