Sourcing the Operators and Planners Who Keep India's Supply Chains Moving
The professionals who design hub-and-spoke distribution networks, manage 10,000-pallet cold chain warehouses, and optimise last-mile delivery across 19,000 pin codes are not found on job boards. A Head of Cold Chain Operations who has maintained unbroken temperature compliance across a national pharma distribution network, a Customs & Trade Compliance Lead who has managed DFIA and advance authorisation schemes across 15 product chapters — these specialists are identified through CSCMP alumni networks, CII logistics councils, APICS-certified professional communities, and years of built relationships. That is the practice Gladwin brings to every logistics mandate.
800+
Logistics & supply chain professionals mapped
16+
Specialist logistics mandates placed in 36 months
42
Distribution and fulfilment hubs covered across India
The Challenge
Why Logistics Talent Is Uniquely Difficult to Source
India's logistics sector is vast but fragmented. The best operators are buried deep inside organisations, managing physical networks — not updating LinkedIn profiles or attending industry conferences.
Operations talent lives on the ground, not on platforms
A Head of Fleet Operations managing 2,000 vehicles across 12 states spends their day in control towers and at hub docks — not browsing job boards. These professionals are practically invisible to digital sourcing methods. Reaching them requires physical logistics-community networks, referrals from terminal managers, and relationships built at regional transport hubs.
Deep fragmentation creates narrow, non-transferable expertise
A cold chain logistics head from pharma distribution cannot simply step into FMCG cold chain without understanding chiller vs. freezer temperature protocols, SKU velocity differences, and retail replenishment cycles. Assessing cross-segment portability requires domain researchers who understand warehousing physics, not just org charts.
Customs and trade compliance is a closed regulatory world
Professionals managing customs classification, FTA utilisation, DGFT licensing, and bonded warehouse compliance are a niche community of fewer than 300 senior specialists across India. They are known within Customs Brokers' Association circles but entirely invisible to generalist search firms.
Coverage
Roles We Place — Across the Full Supply Chain
Our logistics practice covers every domain-specific role — from warehouse design and fleet management to cold chain operations, customs compliance, and supply chain technology.
Warehouse & Fulfillment Operations
- Head of Warehousing Operations
- VP — Fulfilment & Distribution
- Warehouse Design & Automation Lead
- Hub Operations Manager — E-commerce
- Inventory Planning & Control Head
- Sortation Centre Head
- WMS Implementation Lead
- Head of Returns & Reverse Logistics
- Pick-Pack-Ship Process Engineer
Fleet & Transport Management
- Head of Fleet Operations
- VP — Transportation & Line Haul
- Route Optimisation & Planning Lead
- Last-Mile Delivery Head
- Fleet Maintenance & Safety Head
- FTL/LTL Network Design Manager
- Driver Management & Compliance Lead
- Head of Mid-Mile Operations
- Transport Control Tower Lead
Cold Chain & Perishables
- Head of Cold Chain Operations
- VP — Temperature-Controlled Logistics
- Cold Storage Design & Engineering Lead
- Pharma Cold Chain Compliance Head
- Reefer Fleet Operations Manager
- Cold Chain Quality Assurance Lead
- Perishable Supply Chain Planner
- GDP & WHO Compliance Manager — Pharma Logistics
Customs, Trade & Freight
- Head of Customs & Trade Compliance
- VP — International Freight
- Customs Classification Specialist
- DGFT Licensing & FTA Utilisation Lead
- Ocean Freight Procurement Head
- Air Cargo Operations Manager
- Bonded Warehouse & FTWZ Manager
- Trade Finance & LC Documentation Head
Supply Chain Technology & Analytics
- Head of Supply Chain Analytics
- TMS Implementation & Product Lead
- Supply Chain Digital Transformation Head
- Demand Sensing & Forecasting Lead
- Control Tower & Visibility Platform Head
- IoT & Telematics Programme Manager
- Supply Chain Data Science Lead
- S&OP Process Head
- Network Modelling & Simulation Lead
Access
How We Reach Logistics Talent That Cannot Be Found by Search
Our logistics network is built through years of engagement with operations professionals, trade compliance communities, and supply chain planning councils — not sourced from databases.
CII Supply Chain Council
Active relationships with members of CII's Institute of Logistics — covering supply chain heads, logistics directors, and VP-level operations leaders from India's largest manufacturing and retail companies.
CSCMP India & APICS/ASCM Network
Deep engagement with Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) India Roundtable participants and APICS/ASCM-certified professionals (CSCP, CPIM, CLTD) — the credentialed core of India's planning community.
IATA Cargo & FIATA India
Relationships with IATA Cargo certified agents and FIATA India members — providing access to air freight, ocean freight, and multimodal logistics leadership across India's forwarding ecosystem.
Customs Brokers' Association Network
Direct connections with senior members of the Custom Brokers' Association and licensed customs house agents — the closed community managing India's trade compliance at every major port and ICD.
E-commerce & 3PL Alumni Circles
Maintained alumni networks from Flipkart Supply Chain, Amazon Transportation, Delhivery, Blue Dart, and DHL — the five ecosystems that have trained India's most capable fulfilment and last-mile operations leaders.
Methodology
How We Validate Operational Depth — Not Just Titles
A logistics title confirms a person held a role. Our methodology confirms they can manage the scale, complexity, and physical realities the mandate demands.
Throughput and scale validation
For every operations mandate, we validate actual throughput managed: pallets per day, vehicles dispatched, orders fulfilled, and geographic reach. A Head of Warehousing who managed a 50,000 sq ft facility is assessed very differently from one who ran a 500,000 sq ft multi-client hub with automated sortation.
Process design and SOP depth assessment
We probe whether candidates have designed processes from scratch or merely inherited them. For warehouse mandates, we assess layout design capability, slotting logic, pick-path optimisation experience, and WMS configuration depth — not just operational management.
Compliance and regulatory knowledge check
For customs and cold chain roles, we validate specific regulatory experience: HS classification accuracy, FTA certificate-of-origin management, GDP compliance for pharma, and FSSAI cold chain standards. Candidates who cannot discuss specific tariff chapters or temperature excursion protocols are filtered immediately.
Technology adoption and data fluency
Modern logistics requires data-driven decision-making. We assess candidates' hands-on experience with TMS, WMS, control tower platforms, and analytics tools — distinguishing between those who use dashboards and those who design the underlying data models and KPI frameworks.
Track Record
Mandates We Have Run — Anonymised
A selection of recent specialist placements across the logistics and supply chain sector. No client names are shared in line with our confidentiality policy.
Head of Cold Chain Operations — Pharma Distribution
Leading Indian pharmaceutical distributor operating a GDP-compliant cold chain network across 22 states with 38 temperature-controlled hubs.
Required 15+ years in cold chain logistics with specific pharma GDP compliance experience. Candidate needed prior management of a 30+ hub network with proven zero-breach temperature compliance track record. Placed within 46 days.
VP — Fulfilment & Last-Mile Operations
Fast-growing Indian D2C e-commerce platform processing 200,000+ orders per day with fulfilment centres across 8 cities.
Mandate required deep e-commerce fulfilment experience at scale — automated sortation, dynamic slotting, and last-mile delivery network design across Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. Prior experience managing 1,000+ delivery associates mandatory. Placed within 39 days.
Head of Customs & Trade Compliance
Indian manufacturing conglomerate with annual import/export trade value exceeding ₹4,000 Cr across automotive components, chemicals, and electronics.
Role required direct experience with DGFT advance authorisation schemes, FTA utilisation across ASEAN and CEPA agreements, and AEO certification management. Licensed customs broker qualification mandatory. Shortlist of 5 delivered in 35 days.
Start a Search
Share the logistics mandate. We will map the talent landscape in five working days.
Whether you are hiring a Head of Cold Chain, building a fulfilment operations team, or placing a Customs Compliance specialist — share the brief with us. Our logistics practice team will respond with an initial market perspective within 48 hours and a detailed talent map within five working days.