5 Minutes with Pritul Sanghavi – India’s Talent Opportunity: What UK Companies Need to Know Before Expanding

India is the world’s most populous nation, the fifth-largest economy, and home to one of the most dynamic and diverse talent pools on the planet. For UK companies looking to grow internationally, it represents a market of extraordinary opportunity, but also one that demands careful navigation. Doug Mackay spoke with Pritul Sanghavi, Managing Partner of Anakin Management Consultants and one of our Talentor International partners in India, to understand what UK businesses need to consider when recruiting and building teams in this fast-moving market.

Doug: Pritul, you’ve been in executive search for over 20 years and founded Anakin in 2009. Tell us about your journey and what makes the Indian market so unique.

Pritul: My journey has been quite unconventional. I grew up in Mumbai, then moved to the United States for my education, first at Concordia University in Milwaukee, then an MBA at Plymouth State College in New Hampshire. After returning to India, I spent nearly a decade in our family’s plastics manufacturing and export business, which gave me a deep understanding of how businesses operate from the inside.

In 2001, I moved into executive search at INX Executive Search, where I led recruitment projects for major international brands like FedEx, Standard Chartered Bank, and Star TV. That experience showed me how critical the right leadership is for companies operating across borders. In 2009, I founded Anakin Management Consultants as part of the Haria Group, and we’ve been growing ever since. The name "Anakin" means "warrior" and that’s how we approach every search. We fight hard for our clients to find the right people.

What makes India unique is its sheer diversity. We have 28 states, 22 official languages, and vastly different business cultures depending on whether you’re operating in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, or Chennai. A leader who thrives in one region may struggle in another. Understanding these nuances is what separates a successful India entry from a costly failure.

Doug: For a UK company considering India for the first time, what is the talent landscape like right now?

Pritul: India’s talent landscape is extraordinary in both its scale and its complexity. We have over 1.4 billion people, with a median age of just 28, one of the youngest workforces in the world. Every year, Indian universities produce millions of graduates in engineering, technology, business, and the sciences. The sheer volume of talent is unmatched.

However, volume does not mean it’s easy. The challenge for UK companies is not finding people, it’s finding the right people. At the senior leadership level, there is intense competition for high-calibre professionals who combine technical expertise with the ability to operate in an international environment. The top talent is being courted by global multinationals, fast-growing Indian conglomerates, and well-funded start-ups simultaneously. You need a compelling proposition and a strategic approach to stand out.

The most in-demand roles we see from foreign companies are in IT and software development, business development and sales, finance and accounting, engineering, operations and supply chain management, and marketing. But increasingly, we’re also seeing demand for leaders who can bridge the gap between a UK headquarters and Indian operations, people who understand both worlds.

Doug: What are the biggest mistakes you see UK companies making when they first try to recruit in India?

Pritul: The first and most common mistake is assuming that because India has a large English-speaking population, the business culture is similar to the UK. It isn’t. India has its own distinct way of doing business. Relationships matter enormously. Decision-making can be more hierarchical than UK companies expect. And the pace of business in cities like Mumbai is incredibly fast, the city never sleeps, and professionals here expect responsiveness and energy from their employers.

The second mistake is underestimating the importance of cultural fit. India is incredibly diverse, and a candidate’s regional background, language skills, and cultural orientation all matter. A company expanding into South India, for example, would benefit from a leader who understands the local business ecosystem in Bangalore or Chennai, not just someone who has worked in Delhi.

The third mistake is trying to apply UK compensation structures directly. India has its own norms around salary, benefits, bonuses, and perks. Things like housing allowances, car provisions, and education support for children are common expectations at the senior level. If your package doesn’t align with local market norms, you’ll lose candidates to competitors who understand what Indian executives value.

Doug: You mentioned the importance of cultural fit. Can you expand on what that means in practice for a UK company?

Pritul: Cultural fit operates on multiple levels in India. At the company level, you need to find leaders whose personal values and working style align with your organisation’s culture. But in India, you also need to consider the broader cultural context. India has a rich tradition of respect for hierarchy, but the best modern leaders here combine that respect with a collaborative, empowering style.

For UK companies specifically, I’d highlight a few things. First, Indian professionals tend to be highly relationship-driven. They want to feel connected to their leaders and to the company’s mission. A purely transactional employment relationship won’t retain top talent. Second, family plays a much larger role in career decisions than it typically does in the UK. Relocation, travel requirements, and work-life balance are all evaluated through a family lens.

Third, and this is crucial, Indian professionals are ambitious. They want growth, development, and a clear career trajectory. If your company can offer international exposure, learning opportunities, and a path to greater responsibility, that’s enormously attractive. The companies that succeed in India are those that invest in their people and show a genuine commitment to the market, not those that treat it as a low-cost satellite office.

Doug: Finally, how important is having a local recruitment partner when entering India?

Pritul: I would say it’s essential, not optional. India’s talent market is vast and fragmented. Without a partner who has deep networks across industries and regions, you’re essentially searching for a needle in a haystack, except the haystack is the size of a continent.

A good local partner does far more than source CVs. We help UK companies understand the market, benchmark compensation, navigate cultural expectations, and assess candidates not just on their skills but on their likelihood of succeeding in a cross-cultural environment. We also help manage the candidate experience, which is critical in a market where top talent has multiple offers on the table at any given time.

At Anakin, we’ve worked with major international brands like HSBC, Ferraro, and many others entering or expanding in India. What we bring is that combination of local expertise and global perspective, we understand what international companies need, and we know how to find it in the Indian market. That’s exactly why we joined the Talentor network: to provide seamless support for companies expanding across borders.

Read part two: A Practical Guide for UK Companies Recruiting Leaders in India

Conversations like this one are possible because Collingwood is part of Talentor International, a network of independent search firms working in more than 50 countries.

If you are weighing up an international move, our executive search service and our work across the technology sector may be useful background, as will our earlier conversation on entering the Chinese market. To talk it through, get in touch.