Straight answers to the questions companies ask before hiring a CEO, CFO, CMO, CHRO or sales head in India or the UAE: how a search works, what it costs, how long it takes and how it stays confidential.
Answers reviewed by CA Ketul Patel, Founder, Boardroom CXO.
Each answer starts with the short version, then the detail. For the full method, see how we search. For who is moving, see our leadership moves statistics for India.
A search firm maps pay, defines the role, then quietly approaches people already doing the job at competitors.
Read the answer →With Boardroom CXO, one month of the hire's CTC: Rs 10,000 (including GST, not refundable) to start, adjusted against the final invoice when the hire joins.
Read the answer →A CMO or CHRO search typically takes 30 to 45 days to an offer with Boardroom CXO; the start date then depends on the notice period.
Read the answer →Retained search is paid at the start and exclusive; contingency is paid only on a hire. We charge Rs 10,000 (including GST) upfront, the rest on joining, and our searches are not exclusive.
Read the answer →A portal waits for applicants, an agency sends CVs of people looking, a search firm approaches leaders who are not looking.
Read the answer →Candidates are approached without your company being named; only those who choose to go further learn who it is.
Read the answer →Decide local or India-sourced, map what the role pays, then approach people already doing the job. AED 1,000 (not refundable) starts a UAE search.
Read the answer →Recruiting for the top roles, such as CEO, CFO, CMO and CHRO, usually through a confidential direct approach.
Read the answer →What every search with Boardroom CXO comes with. The detail is in how much a CXO search costs.
CMOs, brand heads, growth and performance marketing leaders.
Marketing leadership search → B / FunctionCFOs, finance controllers and heads of strategy, including pre-IPO and listed-company roles.
Finance leadership search → C / FunctionChief sales officers, national sales heads, retail operations and franchise leaders.
Sales leadership search → D / FunctionCHROs, HR heads and talent leaders.
HR leadership search → E / MarketSearches for companies in Dubai and across the UAE, including India-based brands building a Gulf team.
UAE search → F / SectorCMOs, CFOs, CHROs, sales and expansion heads for jewellery brands in India and the UAE.
Jewellery executive search →Brief us on a mandate and we come back with real market data, before you commit a budget.