Our most comprehensive research publication to date examines how the market for senior leadership talent has changed — and what it means for companies, candidates, and boards.
Inside the 2025 State of Executive Search Report
CXO India is pleased to share the key findings from our 2025 State of Executive Search report — the most comprehensive analysis of India's senior leadership talent market we have published to date.
The report draws on:
- Data from 840 executive search assignments completed in India over the past 18 months
- In-depth interviews with 60 boards, CEOs, and candidates
The Great Expectation Mismatch
This year's defining theme is what we call the "great expectation mismatch." Companies are running more rigorous executive search processes than ever: longer shortlists, more interview rounds, more psychometric assessment, and more reference checking.
Yet first-year failure rates for externally hired senior executives have not fallen. If anything, they have risen slightly.
Our analysis points the finger not at assessment quality but at onboarding and context-setting. Companies invest heavily in finding the right executive, then provide inadequate support for their integration.
Companies assume that a highly capable individual will figure out the cultural and political landscape of a new organisation without structured assistance.
Internal Promotions Are Gaining Ground
The report also examines the rise of internal promotions relative to external hires at the executive level. Across our dataset, internal promotions now account for 48% of C-suite appointments, up from 38% five years ago.
Two forces are driving the shift:
- Cost: external hires are significantly more expensive once agency fees and higher compensation expectations are factored in
- Better internal pipelines: a genuine improvement in internal talent development programmes at a subset of Indian companies
The full report is available to CXO India platform members.
