Right Talent. Right Role. Right Business Fit.
Hire the Right Talent

Executive Hiring · India & Global Markets

The Leaders Who Will Define Your Next Chapter

TRH is a retained executive search firm in India placing proven C-suite and senior leaders for high-growth companies. We don’t post jobs. We identify, engage, and place executives who aren’t looking because the best ones never are.
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TRH Performance
Placement data · 2024–25
0d
Avg. time to first qualified shortlist
Industry avg: 74 days
0%+
Passive placements
0:1
Interview-to-hire
0d
Replacement guarantee
0%
Completion rate
85%+ Passive candidates
4:1 Interview-to-hire ratio
✦ 74-day industry average vs. our 28-day shortlist ✦ 85% of senior leaders are passive candidates ✦ No public job postings in retained searches ✦ CFO placed in PE-backed consumer company · 28 days ✦ Confidential C-suite hiring · Bengaluru · Mumbai · Delhi-NCR ✦ US · UK · UAE · Singapore companies hiring India leadership ✦ 74-day industry average vs. our 28-day shortlist ✦ 85% of senior leaders are passive candidates ✦ No public job postings in retained searches ✦ CFO placed in PE-backed consumer company · 28 days ✦ Confidential C-suite hiring · Bengaluru · Mumbai · Delhi-NCR ✦ US · UK · UAE · Singapore companies hiring India leadership

Executive Talent Search · India & Global

Your next CRO is not on a job board.

The strongest leadership candidates are already employed, performing well, and not applying anywhere. Traditional recruitment competes for the visible 28%. TRH operates in the other 72% through direct outreach, executive relationships, and a confidential search process built for leaders who aren’t looking.
Active across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai — and for global companies building India leadership teams.
“If your search firm is posting on LinkedIn, they are not searching. They are waiting.”
— Founding Principle, TheRightHiring
85%+

Of executive placements from passive talent

The strongest leadership candidates rarely enter the open market. (TRH placement data, 2024–25)

4:1

Interview-to-hire ratio

Fewer interviews. Every candidate is deeply vetted before they reach your shortlist.

10K+

Leadership relationships across industries

CFOs, CTOs, COOs, and VPs across India's tech, consumer, and PE-backed sectors.

What We Cover

The Right Search Strategy for Every Leadership Role

From your first functional head to board-level placement each tier comes with its own methodology, candidate profile, and assessment depth. Our executive search consultants in India have placed leaders across all three tracks.

Functional Heads

Your first or replacement department leader. High stakes they own an entire function, set hiring direction, and build team culture. One wrong call sets you back 12 months.
Head of Engineering
Head of Product
Head of Marketing
Head of Sales
Head of Finance
Head of HR
Head of Operations
Head of Legal

VP & Senior Director Level

Leaders who manage large teams, own P&L or OKRs, and influence company direction. Strong CVs are not enough active search and confidential outreach are mandatory.
VP Engineering
VP Product
VP Sales
VP Marketing
BU Head
VP Operations
General Manager
Country Manager

C-Suite & Board Level

The highest-stakes hires you’ll make. Requires full confidentiality, deep leadership assessment, passive-only outreach, and a search methodology built for leaders who aren’t looking.
CEO / MD
CTO / CIO
CFO
COO
CMO
CRO
CHRO
Board Advisor
Roles placed across Bengaluru · Mumbai · Delhi-NCR · Hyderabad · Pune · Chennai and for global companies hiring MD India, Country Head, and GCC leadership roles.

Confidentiality by Design

Confidential Executive Search in India Your Search Stays Between Us

Leadership searches often involve succession planning, organisational change, or sensitive growth decisions. TRH conducts every executive search with full discretion protecting your company, your leadership team, and the candidates throughout.

No Public Job Postings

We never advertise executive roles without your explicit approval. Every search begins with targeted, confidential outreach invisible to the market.

Discreet Executive Outreach

All candidate engagement is personalised and confidential. We protect both your brand and the candidate's current employer relationship at every stage.

NDA-Protected Engagement

Every search is covered by mutual NDA. Client identity is disclosed to candidates only when mutually agreed upon never before.

Board & Investor-Level Searches

We handle mandates where only 1–2 people inside the company know the search is live. Succession planning, board-initiated CEO replacements, and PE-backed leadership transitions are our speciality.

100%
Confidential search engagements — not a single search posted publicly without client approval. (TRH, 2024–25)
85%+
Passive executive placements — not on the market, not applying — identified and approached by us.
28d
Average executive placement time vs. 90–120 days at legacy executive search firms globally.
4:1
Interview-to-hire ratio — you interview 4 vetted executives and hire 1. Industry standard is 8–12 profiles.
“The most important executive searches are often the ones nobody knows are happening.”
— TRH Executive Search Team

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

A wrong executive hire doesn't hurt. It restructures.

A wrong mid-level hire costs 3–5× salary and 90 days. A wrong CXO costs you strategy, team morale, market timing — and sometimes the company itself. India’s retained executive search market is growing at 15–20% year-on-year. The demand for right-fit senior leadership has never been higher.
“Most executive mis-hires are not skill failures. They are alignment failures. The leader was competent. They were just wrong for this company, this stage, this culture.”
— Research basis: Korn Ferry, CEB, Harvard Business Review
India-specific context: notice periods of 60–90 days are standard at the senior level, making bad hiring decisions even more expensive to reverse.
5–10×
Cost of a wrong CXO hire vs. their annual CTC — including lost productivity, team disruption, strategic delays, and re-hiring costs. Korn Ferry estimates avg. CXO mis-hire cost at $2.7M globally.
40%
Of new executives fail within 18 months Not because of skill — due to misaligned expectations, cultural mismatch, and inadequate onboarding context. (CEB / Gartner research, 2024)
72%
Of top executives are passive candidates They are not on job boards. They are not responding to LinkedIn InMail. They need to be approached confidentially by someone they trust.
4:1
Interview-to-hire ratio at TRH You review 4 executive profiles. You hire 1. Every profile is a serious contender. Industry standard is 8–12 profiles reviewed per hire.
TRH vs. Standard Recruitment
DimensionTRH Executive SearchStandard Agency
Candidate poolPassive — leaders not lookingActive — job seekers only
Search approachConfidential headhunting + outreachJob board posting + database
Profiles delivered3–5 deeply vetted, assessed10–40 CVs, minimal screening
Fee structureRetainer — staged milestonesContingency — paid on placement
Assessment depth6-dimension framework + cultureCV review + 1 screening call
Timeline21–45 days — thorough21 days — speed over depth
Guarantee90-day replacement guarantee60–90 days or none

Leadership Assessment Framework

We Assess Leaders. Not Just Candidates.

A strong resume doesn’t always translate into strong leadership. Every executive TRH presents is assessed across six dimensions in a 90-minute structured interview — scored against your specific success profile. Leadership failures at senior level are almost never technical. They are contextual, cultural, and motivational.

01 · Strategic Clarity

How does this leader think about complex business problems? Can they move between vision and execution without losing one or the other?

03 · Leadership Trajectory

Where is this leader in their career arc? Are they ascending, plateauing, or transitioning? Does the role fit their next chapter?

05 · Stakeholder Management

How do they handle board relationships, investor interactions, cross-functional conflict, and public accountability?

02 · Cultural Alignment

Does their working style, decision pace, and communication match your company’s culture — not just their CV narrative?

04 · Team-Building Track Record

Have they built and retained high-performing teams before? At what scale? What was the attrition in their last 2 organisations?

06 · Motivation & Longevity

Why do they want this role specifically? What would make them stay for 3+ years? What would make them leave in 12 months?
Only candidates scoring L4+ across at least 4 of 6 dimensions reach your shortlist. This is what separates a shortlist of 4 from a dump of 40.
See a Sample Profile

The Search Process

Eight Stages. Zero Ambiguity.

A structured, transparent process designed for high-stakes leadership searches in India and global markets. You know exactly what’s happening at every stage.

⏱ 21–45 days vs. industry avg. 74–90 days

1

Role Discovery & Search Strategy

Align on business goals, leadership requirements, compensation benchmarks, and culture. This session determines everything that follows.

2

Market Mapping & Longlist Build

Map the target candidate universe — direct competitors, adjacent industries, referral networks. Build a longlist of 40–80 potential profiles.

3

First-Pass Screening

Structured screening calls filtering for genuine interest, compensation alignment, and baseline fit. 80 names → 10–15 working shortlist.

4

Deep Assessment — 6-Dimension Framework

90-minute structured interviews using our proprietary framework. Behavioural, situational, and case-based evaluation. 15 → curated shortlist of 3–5.

5

Shortlist Delivery with Candidate Briefs

3–5 profiles, each with a full brief covering assessment scores, key highlights, potential concerns, compensation expectations, and our recommendation.

6

Interview Management & Coordination

We manage all scheduling, brief your interviewers, collect structured feedback, and keep candidates engaged — preventing drop-off at the most vulnerable stage.

7

Offer Negotiation & Closing

We handle compensation discussions, manage counter-offer scenarios, align expectations on both sides, and ensure the acceptance is firm.

8

Post-Join Follow-Up & Guarantee

Structured check-ins at 30 and 90 days. If your executive leaves within the guarantee period, we activate a replacement search immediately at no additional cost.

Transparent Pricing

A Retainer Model. Because We Share the Accountability.

Executive search is paid on retainer not contingency. This is the global standard for all serious executive search firms. Contingency creates the wrong incentive: we’d be paid to fill fast, not fill right. A retainer aligns our success with yours.
Stage 1

On Engagement

30% of Search Fee

  • Leadership success profile development
  • Talent landscape mapping (30–60 names)
  • Compensation benchmarking report
  • NDA signed before brief disclosure
  • Confidential search launch
Recommended
Stage 2

On Shortlist

30% of Search Fee

  • 3–5 assessed profiles delivered
  • Written 6-dimension assessment per candidate
  • Interview scheduling & candidate prep
  • Reference check initiation
  • Interview preparation support
Stage 3

On Placement

40% of Search Fee

  • Embedded hirOffer negotiation supporting team
  • Notice period management
  • 30/60/90/180-day check-ins
  • 90-day replacement guarantee activated
  • Candidate transition management
Every retained search includes confidential outreach, leadership assessment, market mapping, interview coordination, offer management, and post-placement support.

Who We Work With

Executive Search Built for High-Impact Leadership Hiring

Whether you’re scaling rapidly, navigating a leadership transition, or entering India as a new market TRH helps organisations identify and hire leaders who drive long-term business success.

Venture-Backed Startups

Post Series A/B companies hiring their first CTO, CFO, or VP Sales. The wrong choice sets the company back 18 months. We help founders hire the leaders who will scale what they’ve built.
Series A–C
First functional heads
ESOP structuring

Global Companies in India

US, UK, EU, UAE, Singapore, and Australia firms setting up India operations — hiring Country Head, MD India, Head of Engineering (GCC), and senior leadership requiring local expertise.
Country Head
GCC leadership
India MD / CEO
Cross-cultural fit

Family-Owned Businesses

Family businesses hiring their first professional CEO, CFO, or functional head. A uniquely sensitive search requiring both leadership capability and cultural alignment across generations.
Professionalisation
Non-family leadership
Culture alignment

Scale-Ups & Mid-Market

₹250–500Cr revenue companies upgrading leadership as they scale. Moving from “we hired fast” to “we need to hire right.” Often replacing an early leader who’s hit their ceiling.
Leadership upgrade
IPO-prep teams
Succession planning

PE & VC Portfolio Companies

Private equity-backed companies needing professional management. CEOs, CFOs, and functional heads who understand PE-backed governance, reporting cadence, and value creation mandates.
PE-backed mandates
Turnaround leaders
Board-level search

Boards & Investors

Board members and investors placing or replacing a CEO/MD without the management team knowing. Independent search partner for leadership transitions, succession planning, and pre-IPO team builds.
Board-initiated search
CEO transitions
Pre-IPO builds

Post-Placement Support

The First 90 Days Shape Long-Term Success

Hiring the right leader is only the beginning. The first 90 days determine whether an executive builds momentum or creates friction. TRH supports every placement with structured onboarding guidance — included at no additional cost. India-specific context: notice periods of 60–90 days at senior level mean transition planning must begin the moment an offer is signed.
Series A–C

Build Alignment

  • Context dump on business priorities, what's worked, what hasn't
  • Define decision rights explicitly in writing
  • Accelerate connections with key stakeholders
  • Map the informal power structure before making changes
Days 31–60

Drive Early Wins

  • Make one visible, reversible change to demonstrate judgment
  • Present a 90-day plan to the board
  • Founder publicly signals confidence
  • Review and update the decision rights document
Days 61–90

Create Momentum

  • Conduct a structured 90-day retrospective
  • Formally transfer ownership markers
  • Build their own hiring pipeline
  • Own the external narrative: investor calls, appearances
Included with every placement: Leadership transition support · Stakeholder alignment · 30/60/90-day framework · Post-placement check-ins · 90-day replacement guarantee

Client Voices

What Founders & CHROs Say About Us

Trusted by leaders building teams across India and global markets.

Sourabh M.

Director, E-commerce Company · Delhi NCR

“We were stuck in a 90-day hiring loop with no progress. TRH restructured the role brief, delivered three highly qualified candidates within a week, and one candidate joined within just 18 days, saving us considerable time and effort.”

Rahul S.

CEO, SaaS Startup · Bengaluru

“Instead of sending a large volume of resumes, TRH focused on candidate fit, intent, and capability. We filled a critical leadership role faster than expected, and the onboarding experience was smooth, professional, and hassle-free for our team.”

Neha R.

VP People, D2C Brand · Ahmedabad

“What impressed us most was TRH’s handling of the notice period gap. Candidates stayed engaged, counter-offer risks were mitigated, and they ensured a clean Day 1 join. Their professionalism made onboarding seamless and stress-free for our team.”

FAQ

Questions Founders & CHROs Ask First

Can’t find your question? Every serious inquiry gets a response within one business day.
Executive search in India identifies and engages senior leaders through confidential, targeted outreach — not job boards. It prioritises passive talent, rigorous 6-dimension leadership assessment, and retained engagement so the search firm is fully accountable for outcome quality, not just speed.
A retained search is paid in milestones regardless of who is ultimately hired, which means the firm is incentivised to find the right person — not just fill the role fast. A contingency search is paid only on placement, which creates pressure to close quickly. Retained search is the global standard for all C-suite and VP-level mandates.
Most TRH searches complete in 21–45 days from brief to offer acceptance, depending on seniority and market conditions. The industry average is 74–90 days. India-specific factors — including 60–90 day notice periods at senior level — are factored into every search timeline from day one.
Yes. Confidentiality is central to how we operate. We never post roles publicly without your explicit approval. All outreach is NDA-protected. Candidate identities are disclosed only when mutually agreed. We have conducted searches where only the board chair and CFO knew the CEO replacement was being initiated.
We place across the full leadership spectrum: C-suite (CEO, CFO, CTO, COO, CMO, CRO, CHRO, CPO), VP and Senior Director level, Functional Heads (Engineering, Product, Sales, Finance, HR, Operations, Legal), Country Managers, General Managers, Business Unit Heads, and Board Advisors — across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai.
Every shortlisted candidate is assessed across six dimensions in a 90-minute structured interview: Strategic Clarity, Cultural Alignment, Leadership Trajectory, Team-Building Track Record, Stakeholder Management, and Motivation & Longevity. Only candidates scoring L4+ across at least 4 of 6 dimensions reach your shortlist. You receive a full written scorecard per candidate.
Every TRH placement includes a 90-day replacement guarantee. If the executive leaves within the guarantee period for any reason attributable to fit or assessment, we initiate a replacement search immediately at no additional cost. The guarantee is activated on offer acceptance and confirmed joining.
Yes. We are a preferred executive search partner for US, UK, EU, UAE, Singapore, and Australia companies building India leadership teams. We place Country Heads, MD India, Head of Engineering (GCC), VP Operations, and other senior roles across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai — with the local market knowledge and candidate access that global search firms can’t match.
Yes. We support Indian enterprises and MNCs hiring global leadership — including roles based in Singapore, UAE, UK, and the US for India-origin companies building international operations. Speak with us about your specific geography and role requirements.

Ready to Find Your Next Leader?

The Leader Who Will Define Your Next Chapter Is Out There

They’re not applying. They’re not on job boards. But they’ll move — for the right opportunity, the right conversation, the right fit. TRH helps high-growth companies and global organisations find and hire proven C-suite and senior leaders through a structured, confidential executive search process in India.
Start a Confidential Search
Schedule a 30-Min Strategy Call
✓  100% confidential
✓  No public postings without approval
✓  90-day replacement guarantee
✓  Response within 4 business hours
✓  Bengaluru · Mumbai · Delhi-NCR · Hyderabad · Pune · Chennai