Recruitment - Executive Search

    Executive Search & Leadership Hiring in India

    Retained search for CXO, country head, function head and board-level roles - mapped-market research, confidential outreach and structured assessment.

    45 days

    Median search closure

    100%

    Confidential mandates

    12 months

    Replacement guarantee

    CXO+

    Board & C-suite

    A leadership hire is the most expensive decision your organisation makes. We treat it like one - with mapped-market research, structured assessment, deep referencing and a confidential process that protects both client and candidate.

    Why retained executive search

    Leadership roles - CEO, COO, CTO, CFO, country head, business head, function head - cannot be filled through database matching or job board postings. Top candidates are passive, well-compensated and only move for the right narrative.

    NeoIntelli's executive search practice runs every mandate as a dedicated retained search led by a senior consultant. We benchmark against the established India firms - EMA Partners, Heidrick & Struggles India, Egon Zehnder India, Spencer Stuart, ABC Consultants Executive Search - on research depth, while bringing a sharper, faster and more transparent process.

    What we deliver on a retained search

    01

    Mandate brief & success profile

    Co-created role specification, success profile, scorecard and target company map - signed off in week one.

    02

    Mapped-market research

    Comprehensive long-list of 80-120 leaders across target companies, with current title, tenure, comp band and reachability.

    03

    Confidential approach

    Senior-consultant-led outreach with a calibrated narrative - no client name in market until shortlist stage.

    04

    Structured assessment

    Behavioural interviews, leadership psychometrics and case-based deep-dives aligned to the success profile.

    05

    360-degree referencing

    Multi-level references across managers, peers and reports - on the record and back-channel.

    06

    Offer & onboarding support

    Comp benchmarking, counter-offer management, joining narrative and 90-day onboarding check-ins.

    Our retained search process

    01

    Define

    Detailed brief with the chair, CEO or hiring sponsor - role context, success profile, scorecard, target companies and timeline.

    02

    Research

    Mapped market across target and adjacent companies - long-list of 80-120 leaders with full profiling.

    03

    Approach

    Calibrated outreach by senior consultants, qualifying conversations and confidential narrative.

    04

    Assess

    Structured behavioural interviews, psychometrics, case discussions and on-the-record references.

    05

    Present

    Written shortlist of 3 to 5 with full assessment, references and comp positioning - panel interviews coordinated.

    06

    Close

    Offer negotiation, counter-offer management, joining support and 90-day onboarding check-ins.

    Leadership-hiring traps to avoid

    Hiring on resume, not scorecard

    Leadership impact is contextual. A CTO who scaled a 200-person team may struggle at 20 - and vice versa. We assess against your context, not their last title.

    Skipping back-channel references

    On-the-record references are curated. The decisive signal comes from back-channel references via the consultant's own network.

    Comp without total-rewards view

    Cash, ESOP, joining bonus, retention pool and exit clauses all decide whether a leader joins and stays. We benchmark the full package.

    Underestimating counter-offers

    60% of senior counter-offers happen in the final week. Without a structured closing process, you lose the best candidates at the buzzer.

    What success looks like

    Mapped market and long-list within 14 days of mandate signoff

    Calibrated shortlist of 3 to 5 within 30 days

    Median search closure under 45 days

    100% confidentiality maintained through shortlist stage

    12-month replacement guarantee on every retained search

    Quarterly check-ins with the hired leader for the first year

    Frequently asked questions

    How are you different from Heidrick, Egon Zehnder or EMA Partners?

    Same research-led methodology, comparable senior-consultant attention, but a sharper timeline (45-day median vs 90+), more transparent communication and competitive fee structures - especially for GCC and tech-leadership mandates where we have deep India networks.

    What is the fee model?

    Retained, with a 3-stage milestone structure (engagement, shortlist, joining). Typically a percentage of first-year total compensation - shared upfront with no hidden costs.

    What is your replacement guarantee?

    12 months from join date. If the leader leaves voluntarily or is exited for performance, we re-execute the search at no additional fee.

    Can you run confidential searches?

    Yes - 100% of our retained searches maintain confidentiality through shortlist stage. Client name is shared only with consented shortlisted candidates.

    Do you handle India and global mandates?

    We focus on India-based roles - including India MD, GCC head and India-based CXO roles for global parent companies.

    How long does a typical search take?

    30 days to shortlist, 45 days median to signed offer. Complex or highly confidential searches may extend to 60-90 days.