Executive Search and Selection
The calibre of your next leader defines the next decade of your company.
Gladwin International runs retained, partner-led executive search for the roles that matter most — where a single hire changes strategy, culture, and performance. We map the full market, engage passive talent with discretion, and stand behind every placement with a twelve-month guarantee.
45–60
Typical days from kickoff to accepted offer
12 mo
Replacement guarantee on every placement
Retained
Exclusive mandate — full research depth
50K+
Executive relationships across sectors
Perspective
Why retained search — and why it still matters at the top
At C-suite and board level, recruitment is not a volume exercise. The best leaders are rarely active applicants; they are persuaded through trust, timing, and a credible narrative about your mandate. Retained search aligns incentives: we are engaged to find the right person for the role and the culture — not the fastest available CV.
Our consultants bring operating and sector experience, not just sourcing scripts. That depth shows up in how we test judgment under pressure, stakeholder management, and fit with your board — long before a shortlist reaches your calendar.
Every mandate is underpinned by India's C-suite hiring intelligence — a proprietary, continuously updated view of leadership transitions, compensation movements, and talent availability across sectors and geographies.
Whether the brief is for CEO executive search mandates or a first-time functional head, our research begins with the complete addressable market and narrows through evidence, not convenience.
Partner-owned mandates with named accountability from kickoff to onboarding
Structured assessment across competency, character, and cultural alignment
Confidential processes for succession, replacement, and sensitive transitions
Offer design and negotiation support aligned to market and governance norms
Coverage
Industries we serve
Our practice spans twenty major verticals — each with its own talent dynamics, compensation norms, and leadership idioms.
Financial Services & Banking
Banks, NBFCs, AMCs, insurance & fintech
Technology & Software
Product companies, SaaS, enterprise tech & IT services
Consumer Goods & Retail
FMCG, D2C, branded consumer & modern trade
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Pharma, medtech, diagnostics & hospital systems
Industrial & Manufacturing
Engineering, heavy industry, precision & metals
Energy & Infrastructure
Power, renewables, O&G, utilities & large infra
Private Equity & Venture Capital
PE funds, VC, portfolio leadership & sponsored growth
Professional Services
Consulting, legal, accounting & advisory firms
Real Estate & Construction
Developers, REITs, infra & property services
Media & Entertainment
Studios, OTT, publishing, advertising & content
Automotive
OEMs, auto components, EVs & mobility ecosystems
Telecommunications
Telecom operators, towers, broadband & satellite
Education & EdTech
Universities, K-12 groups, edtech & skilling
Logistics & Supply Chain
3PL, freight, warehousing, cold chain & last-mile
Agriculture & Food
Agri-inputs, food processing & agri-tech
Chemicals & Materials
Specialty chemicals, polymers & agrochemicals
Government & Public Sector
PSUs, regulatory bodies & government-linked organisations
Non-profit & Social Impact
Development finance, CSR-scale NGOs & foundations
Hospitality & Travel
Hotels, travel tech, aviation & leisure
E-commerce & Digital Commerce
Marketplaces, D2C brands & omnichannel platforms
Specialisation
Functional specialisations
We place across every critical leadership function — from the boardroom and CEO to specialist C-suite and execution-layer roles.
Chief Executive Officer
CEO, MD and Group CEO across listed, private and PE-backed companies
Chief Financial Officer
CFO, Group CFO, VP Finance and business finance leadership
Chief Human Resources Officer
CHRO, CPO, VP-HR and talent leadership roles
Chief Technology Officer
CTO, CIO, VP Engineering and technology leadership
Chief Marketing Officer
CMO, Chief Growth Officer, VP Marketing and brand leadership
Chief Operating Officer
COO, President Operations and execution-layer leadership
Chief Revenue Officer
CRO, Chief Commercial Officer and revenue leadership
Chief Strategy Officer
CSO, Head of Strategy, M&A lead and corporate planning
Chief Digital Officer
CDO, Chief AI Officer, VP Digital and transformation roles
General Manager / Country Head
GM, Country MD, Business Unit Head and P&L leadership
Board & Independent Directors
Independent directors, NEDs and audit committee chairs
Legal & Compliance
General Counsel, CLO, Chief Compliance Officer
Supply Chain & Operations
CSCO, VP Supply Chain, Head Procurement and logistics
Sales & Business Development
National Sales Head, VP BD and commercial leadership
Product & Engineering
Chief Product Officer, VP Engineering and product leadership
Risk & Internal Audit
Chief Risk Officer, Head Audit and internal control leadership
Transformation & Change
Chief Transformation Officer, Head Excellence and programme leads
Method
How we run the mandate
Every search is bespoke, but the discipline is consistent: clarity on success, exhaustive market coverage, and evidence-backed recommendations.
Discovery & success profile
We align with the chair, CEO, and key stakeholders on outcomes, constraints, and the leadership DNA required. The position success profile becomes the scorecard for the rest of the process.
Market mapping & longlist build
We construct the relevant universe — incumbents, challengers, adjacent talent, and returnees — and prioritise where the highest-probability leaders sit, including those not visible on any database.
Approach, qualification & assessment
Discreet outreach, structured interviews, and our proprietary assessment lens separate exceptional operators from polished interviewers. References are triangulated with in-network intelligence where appropriate.
Client review & interview design
Shortlists are presented with evidence: track record, fit rationale, risk flags, and compensation expectations. We help design interview arcs and board conversations so decisions are comparative, not cosmetic.
Closure, onboarding & guarantee
We support reference design, offer structure, and start-date planning. After join, we stay close through the critical first months — backed by our twelve-month replacement commitment.
Scope
What you can expect from the engagement
- Written position success profile and search strategy
- Market map with sector and talent-pool commentary
- Curated longlist and evidence-based shortlist
- Interview guides and scorecards tailored to your panel
- Structured referencing and background verification coordination
- Offer benchmarking context and negotiation advisory
- Onboarding touchpoints through early tenure
Where this service delivers the most value
- CEO, CFO, CHRO, CTO, CMO, COO, CRO and other C-suite appointments
- Board-facing functional leaders and country / regional GMs
- Confidential replacements and succession-linked searches
- First-time functional heads where stakes and learning curves are high
- India and cross-border mandates requiring cultural translation
Our commitment
We do not optimise for speed at the expense of quality — but we run with urgency. Our twelve-month guarantee and guaranteed-placement philosophy mean the file stays open until the right leader is in seat, with partner attention throughout.
Start a confidential conversationRelated programmes
Other ways we support boards and leadership teams
For businesses
Leadership Succession Planning
We help boards and CEOs turn succession from a periodic worry into a disciplined, evidence-led programme: clear criteria, honest readiness views, development pathways, and external benchmarks so you are never forced into a rushed search when a transition arrives.
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For businesses
Interim Leadership Deployment
Some situations demand an experienced operator in the building this quarter — not next year. Our interim practice supplies senior leaders who have done the job before: stabilise, fix, scale, or bridge while you run a proper permanent process or complete a transaction.
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For businesses
Board Transformation
We help nominating committees refresh board composition with rigour: skills matrices that match strategy, independence and governance requirements, and candidates who bring judgment — not just résumés. Our work spans listed entities, large private companies, and subsidiaries of global groups operating in India.
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