Recruiting Leaders in India: A Practical Guide

In our first interview, Pritul Sanghavi of Anakin Management Consultants, one of our Talentor International partners in India gave us an overview of the Indian talent landscape and the cultural considerations UK companies must understand. In this second interview, Doug Mackay and Pritul get into the practical detail: how to structure your India entry, what to look for in your first hire, and how to build a team that delivers.

Doug: Let’s start with the critical first hire. What should a UK company look for in their first senior leader in India?

Pritul: Your first hire in India needs to be a very specific type of person. They need to combine three qualities that are rarely found together: deep local market knowledge, the ability to operate within an international corporate culture, and genuine entrepreneurial drive.

This person will be building your business from scratch. They won’t have the support infrastructure that exists at your UK headquarters. They need to be comfortable with ambiguity, resourceful, and self-motivated. At the same time, they need to be an excellent communicator who can translate between the expectations of your UK leadership team and the realities of the Indian market.

I always advise UK companies to look for someone who has worked in a multinational environment before, ideally someone who has built or scaled a business unit in India for a foreign company. They understand the challenges, they know how to navigate the bureaucracy, and they have the networks to accelerate your growth. Don’t compromise on this hire. Take the time to find the right person, because they will define your success or failure in this market.

Doug: How does the recruitment process in India differ from what UK companies are used to?

Pritul: There are several important differences. First, notice periods in India are typically much longer than in the UK, 60 to 90 days is standard at the senior level, and some companies enforce even longer periods. UK companies need to plan for this. If you find your ideal candidate today, they may not be able to start for three months.

Second, counteroffers are extremely common in India. The market is competitive, and when a valued employee resigns, their current employer will often make an aggressive counteroffer. We see this in perhaps 40 to 50 per cent of senior placements. This means you need to build a strong emotional connection with your candidate throughout the process, not just offer a competitive package. They need to believe in your company’s vision and their role within it.

Third, the interview process itself needs to be efficient. Top Indian candidates are in high demand, and if your process is slow or involves too many rounds, you’ll lose them to faster-moving competitors. I recommend no more than three to four stages, with clear timelines communicated upfront. Decision-making speed is a competitive advantage in India.

Finally, reference checking works differently here. Professional references are important, but the Indian business community is also very networked. Informal reputation checks through industry contacts are common and often more revealing than formal references.

Doug: What about compensation? What do UK companies need to understand about structuring packages for Indian executives?

Pritul: Compensation in India is structured quite differently from the UK, and getting this wrong is one of the fastest ways to lose a candidate. The total package typically includes several components beyond base salary.

At the senior level, you should expect to offer a base salary, a performance bonus (usually 20 to 30 per cent of base), a housing or rent allowance (which can be substantial in cities like Mumbai where property costs are very high), a car or car allowance, medical insurance for the employee and their family, and often an education allowance for children. Some companies also offer stock options or long-term incentive plans for very senior hires.

The key thing to understand is that Indian executives think in terms of "CTC" (Cost to Company) which is the total annual value of all compensation elements combined. When you’re benchmarking, you need to compare CTC to CTC, not just base salary to base salary. A package that looks competitive on base salary alone may actually be below market when the full CTC is considered.

I’d also note that salary inflation in India has historically been higher than in the UK, typically 8 to 12 per cent annually for in-demand roles. Your compensation strategy needs to account for this, or you’ll face retention challenges within the first year or two.

Doug: Once that first leader is in place, how should a UK company think about building out their wider team?

Pritul: Building a team in India requires patience and a phased approach. I typically advise UK companies to think in three stages. In the first stage, the first six to twelve months, focus on your country leader and perhaps two or three critical hires who can help establish your presence. These might be in business development, operations, or a key technical function depending on your industry.

In the second stage, months twelve to twenty-four, you begin building out functional teams. By this point, your country leader should have a clear picture of what’s needed and should be driving the hiring strategy locally, with your support. This is where having a strong local recruitment partner becomes even more important, because you’re now hiring across multiple functions simultaneously.

The third stage is scaling. Once your India operation has proven its model, you can accelerate hiring. But even at this stage, I’d caution against growing too fast. Each new hire needs to be properly onboarded and integrated into your culture. In India, where relationship-building is so important, rushing this process can lead to high early attrition.

One more point: don’t underestimate the importance of your employer brand in India. Indian professionals research companies thoroughly before joining. They look at your global reputation, your commitment to the Indian market, your leadership team, and increasingly, your stance on sustainability and social responsibility. Investing in your employer brand from day one pays dividends in the quality of candidates you attract.

Doug: Finally, what’s your number one piece of advice for a UK CEO who is considering India for the first time?

Pritul: Visit. Come to India, spend time here, and experience the energy and pace of this market firsthand. I’ve seen too many expansion plans developed entirely from a boardroom in London, based on market reports and spreadsheets. India is a market you need to feel, not just analyse.

When you visit, meet potential partners, talk to other UK companies who have made the journey, and spend time understanding the cities where you might operate. Mumbai is very different from Bangalore, which is very different from Delhi or Hyderabad. Each has its own ecosystem, talent pool, and business culture.

And come with humility. India is not a market where you can simply replicate your UK model. The companies that succeed here are those that respect the local context, empower local leadership, and commit for the long term. India rewards patience and persistence. If you approach it with genuine respect and a willingness to learn, the opportunities are extraordinary. We have a young, ambitious, highly educated workforce that is hungry to work with innovative international companies. The talent is here you just need the right partner to help you find it.

Collingwood joined Talentor International in 2023 as the partner for England and Wales, which is how we reach specialists working inside markets like India.

If you are planning a first hire overseas, our executive search service and our experience across the technology sector are a useful starting point, alongside our practical guide to recruiting leaders in China. To talk it through, get in touch.