Leadership hires shape a company for years, and the people you most want are rarely looking. Good executive search firms in India start from that fact. Kintra maps the market, approaches leaders quietly and assesses them against a success profile your stakeholders have signed off. Then we stay close through the long senior notice period, because a leadership offer is not safe until the person walks in.
How is an executive search firm different from an agency?
An executive search firm researches and approaches senior leaders for one specific role, usually on a retainer. According to the AESC, retained executive search "focuses strictly on placing candidates in executive and senior-level positions", while contingency recruiters "receive service payments after a candidate has been identified and hired". The incentive models differ, so the work differs.
An agency on contingency competes to be first with a CV. A retained search firm is paid to map the whole market, including people who would never apply, and to tell you plainly when the brief is unrealistic. For you, that means a shortlist drawn from the whole market rather than from whoever replied first. Our guide to executive search vs a recruitment agency explains when each model makes sense.
How does Kintra run an executive search?
Every search runs through the same eight stages, from stakeholder alignment to onboarding support. Search firms typically quote about three to six months for a senior role, and in India the notice period comes on top. Most of the market works on a retainer: Mordor Intelligence estimates retained search held a 62.88% share of the global executive search market in 2025 (a market-research estimate).
- Stakeholder alignment: we speak with the CEO, board members, the HR lead and future peers. Better that disagreements about the role come out now than at the final interview.
- Success profile: the outcomes the leader must deliver, the experience that predicts them, and the deal-breakers. It replaces a generic job description.
- Longlist research: who holds comparable roles, in which companies, at what pay, with what notice terms. You see the map before we approach anyone.
- Discreet approach: personal outreach, without naming the client until the person is interested and has agreed to confidentiality.
- Assessment: structured interviews against the success profile, with a written assessment of each shortlisted candidate.
- Referencing beyond the reference list: with consent, we speak to former managers, peers and team members as well as the referees a candidate names.
- Offer negotiation: compensation structure, joining bonus, notice buyout and counter-offer preparation.
- Onboarding support: check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days with the leader and the sponsor.
How do you keep a leadership search confidential?
Confidentiality is built in from the first day. The search gets a code name, the circle on your side stays small, and nothing is advertised. A candidate hears the company's name only after showing interest and agreeing to keep it private. Quiet work is slower work, and it is part of what the retainer charged at the start pays for, in the AESC's description of retained search.
Replacing a leader who is still in seat
Replacement searches need extra care. The incumbent may be underperforming, retiring or unaware of the change. All communication runs through one named sponsor. Candidate meetings happen away from your offices. We also agree in advance what to say if word gets out, because in a small senior market, it sometimes does.
Which leadership roles do we search for?
We search for roles where one hire changes the direction of a business or a function. Demand in this part of the world is rising: Mordor Intelligence projects Asia-Pacific to be the fastest-growing region for executive search, at a 10.71% CAGR (a market-research estimate). In India it comes from startups, family-run businesses and multinationals alike. Typical searches include:
- CXO roles: CEO, CFO, CTO, COO, CHRO and chief business officers.
- VPs and directors in engineering, product, sales, finance and operations.
- Business heads and P&L owners for a region, product line or vertical.
- GCC site leaders who set up and run a global capability centre in India.
- Board advisors and independent directors, where the client wants a researched shortlist.
For senior roles in sales, finance, BFSI and operations below leadership level, our non-IT recruitment team runs a faster process.
What do executive search firms in India charge?
According to search firms, retained fees are commonly around one-third of first-year cash compensation, billed in stages across the search. The model you choose decides when you pay and how much research you get for it. Mordor Intelligence sizes the global market at USD 58.13 billion in 2025, heading for USD 103.54 billion by 2031 (market-research estimates), so expect plenty of firms to choose from.
| Model | How the firm is paid | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retained search | A retainer at the start, then staged payments | CXO, VP and confidential searches | You pay for the work, whether or not you hire |
| Contingency | Only when a candidate is hired, according to the AESC | Mid-senior roles with an active candidate market | Less research, and the firm may prioritise easier roles |
| Engaged or hybrid | A smaller fee up front, balance on hire | Director roles where commitment matters but scope is narrower | Terms vary, so read them carefully |
Ask any firm what counts as compensation for the fee, how stages are triggered, and what happens if the search is cancelled or the hire leaves early. A vague answer to any of these is a warning sign.
What makes senior hiring in India different?
Notice periods are the biggest difference. Indian notice periods are set by the contract and usually run one to three months, according to Nyaaya. An Analytics India Magazine analysis (2022) found 43% of IT roles needing 14 or more years of experience carry a 90-day notice period. Leadership hires often wait longer still.
Garden leave, buyouts and counter-offers
Some employers put departing leaders on garden leave, which keeps them on payroll but away from work until the notice ends. Others will negotiate a notice buyout. Counter-offers at senior level are common and can be generous, so we discuss the likely counter-offer with each finalist before the offer goes out. Our article on notice periods and offer dropouts covers the tactics.
Non-compete clauses
Enforceability of post-employment non-compete clauses is limited in India. Even so, do not assume either way. Ask your legal adviser to review the candidate's current contract and your offer terms before anyone signs.
How do you build diverse leadership shortlists?
A diverse shortlist is decided when the search is designed. Adding two names at the end does not produce one. We write the success profile around capabilities rather than the last incumbent's career path, which keeps in people a pedigree filter would have dropped.
We then research adjacent sectors, returning professionals and leaders outside the big metros. We report on the make-up of the longlist and shortlist, so you can see who was considered and why each person progressed.
When is executive search not the right fit?
Retained search is the wrong tool for roles that an active candidate market can fill quickly. If the role is mid-level, the pool is large, and confidentiality does not matter, a permanent recruitment process will be faster and cheaper. Search also struggles when stakeholders cannot agree on the role. Settle that first.
Planning a leadership hire? Share your hiring brief with the role, the people who will sign off on it and when you need the leader in seat. A recruiter reads it first, then books a 30 to 45 minute brief call with you to start the stakeholder alignment. After that call you receive a written search plan and our terms, and nothing is committed until you have read both. When you compare executive search firms in India, ask each one to show you that first step before you sign.