Executive search · Since 2011 · IIT Kanpur alumni
Executive search for companies building in India.
We build leadership teams for global companies entering India
Leadership, technology and product hiring for companies setting up in India, GCCs, new insurers and GIFT City entities. And any senior leadership mandate, in any sector.
Discuss a mandateGIFT City practiceRecent leadership placements
Reinsurance
Principal Officer
A global reinsurance company, India
Client names withheld. Every search is confidential.
500+Leadership searches completed
85%+Offer-to-join conversion
2–3Weeks to a leadership shortlist
400+Clients served
15Years in specialist search
IIT KanpurAlumni-founded, 2011
WIN memberWomen in Insurance
12 industriesSector-dedicated consultants
5 practice linesSearch to HR solutions
India · GulfUAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Where we focus
Built for companies that are setting up or scaling in India
Six situations where clients bring us in, often before the first hire is made.
We’re setting up in India.
Global companies and captives in insurance, technology and energy: the founding leadership team, then tech and product hires at scale.
India entry and captives →
We’re scaling our GCC.
Centre heads, engineering, data and AI leaders, and the mid-management layer that lets a GCC grow fast.
GCC leadership →
We’re launching an insurer in India.
Life, general and health insurers, from the regulator-facing key roles to the first 100 hires.
Insurance practice →
We’re setting up in GIFT City.
Reinsurers, banks, fund managers, lessors and treasury centres: Principal Officer, compliance and the full team.
GIFT City practice →
We need sales and delivery leaders for IT services.
Client partners, hunters, practice heads and GCC leadership for IT services firms in India and abroad.
IT services →
We need product and tech leaders to scale.
CTOs, heads of product, engineering and growth leaders for late-stage startups, e-commerce and SaaS.
Product and technology →
Any senior leadership mandate, in any sector.Retained, confidential search for CEO, CXO and CXO-1 roles, including succession hires.
Brief a partner
GIFT City practice
Hiring for every business setting up in GIFT City
GIFT IFSC now has more than 1,260 IFSCA registrations, and every new entity must appoint regulated key people before it can operate. We hire them, then build the team.
1,260+IFSCA registrations and authorisations, June 2026. Source: IFSCA.
Key roles we fill: Principal Officer · Compliance Officer · CEO · CFO · Chief Underwriting Officer · Appointed Actuary · Treasury Head · MLRO
Talk to our GIFT City teamgiftcity@xladvisors.co
Reinsurers and insurance officesInsurance and reinsurance brokersIFSC banking unitsFund management entitiesCapital market intermediariesExchanges and bullionAircraft and ship leasingCorporate treasury centresFinance companiesGlobal in-house centresTechFin and ancillary servicesFinTech and payments
Industries
Twelve sectors. Depth in every one.
Each practice is run by consultants who hire only into that sector.
Insurance, reinsurance and broking
30+
insurers, reinsurers and brokers hired for
Principal Officer · Chief Underwriting Officer · Appointed Actuary · CFO · Claims · Distribution
Global Capability Centres
50+
leadership roles placed across 40+ centres
Centre Head · COO · Head of Engineering · Data and AI · Finance and HR shared services
GIFT City and IFSC
Regulated key roles and full teams for new IFSC entities
India entry and captives
Founding teams for global companies setting up in India
IT services
Sales, client partner, delivery and practice leadership
Product and SaaS
CPO, CTO, engineering, data and AI leaders
E-commerce and late-stage startups
Growth, category, product and technology leadership
BFSI and fintech
Credit, risk, product, collections and capital markets
Retail, D2C and jewellery
50+ brands: CEO, category, store operations, e-commerce
Oil and gas captives
Engineering centres, design engineers and operations leaders
Power and renewables
Project, O&M and business leadership for solar and power
Engineering and manufacturing
Plant heads, supply chain and operations leadership
Selected placements
Leadership teams we have built
A sample of recent senior placements. Client names withheld.
Reinsurance
A global reinsurance company
- Principal Officer
- Chief Underwriting Officer
- SVP, Health Actuary
Insurance broking
A multinational broking firm
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Broking Officer, Reinsurance
- SVP, Treaty Reinsurance
GCC
A BFSI parent GCC
- India Centre Head
- Chief Operating Officer
- Head, Risk and Compliance
Technology GCC
A technology parent GCC
- Head of Engineering, India
- Head, Site Reliability Engineering
- Head, Information Security
General insurance
A top-5 general insurer
- VP, Motor Underwriting
- Head, Data Science and Analytics
- Zonal Head, Growth Markets
Retail
A multi-category fashion retailer
- Chief Operating Officer
- Head, Category and Buying
- Head, E-commerce
Practice lines
One firm, five ways to hire
From a single CXO search to a 100-person team, under one roof.
01XL ScoutRetained, confidential search for CXO and senior leadership roles.Explore →
02XL RecruitersMid-to-senior lateral hiring, at speed and at scale.Explore →
03XL LiteContract and contract-to-hire specialists, with payroll and compliance handled.Explore →
04XL OverseasHiring from India for employers in the Gulf and abroad.Explore →
05XL HR SolutionsOrg design, pay benchmarking and HR set-up for new entities.Explore →
200+
Leaders mapped per search
We map the whole market before we shortlist anyone.
80%
Were not looking
Most leaders we place were passive, reached through relationships.
3–4
Profiles per closure
Calibrated shortlists, each with a written assessment.
25%+
Diversity placements
Diverse slates on every search. Members of WIN.
How a search runs
From brief to joining
We understand the business problem before we search, and send profiles on fit, not volume.
Week 1
Discovery and mapping
Briefing, success profile and target-company map.
Weeks 2–3
Assessment and shortlist
Structured interviews; 3–4 candidates with assessment notes.
Weeks 3–4
Calibration and offer
Client interviews, references and offer negotiation.
Weeks 5–12
Joining and follow-up
Notice-period engagement, joining and a 90-day check-in.
Leadership
Every mandate is led by a founding partner
Varun Jain
Co-Founder & Director
IIT Kanpur; nine years at Schlumberger. Leads technology, GCC and greenfield hiring.
Minal Jain
Co-Founder & CEO
Leads leadership search and the insurance, BFSI and retail practices.
Mangesh Akerkar
Co-Founder & Partner
35 years in oilfield services, 25 with Schlumberger. Anchors energy hiring.
Client outcomes
Four teams we helped build
Recent mandates, described without client names. Every search is confidential.
Reinsurance · GIFT City
Leadership team for a European reinsurer in GIFT City
A renowned European reinsurer set up its branch in GIFT IFSC. We hired its leadership team and regulated key roles.
Principal Officer · Underwriting · Actuarial
Insurance · New company
Building a new insurer in India
For an insurer building its India business, we hired actuarial and insurance specialists alongside technology and product leaders.
Actuarial · Insurance specialists · Technology · Product
IT services · GCC
Sales and strategy leaders for a top-five IT services company
We hired sales leaders and strategy professionals for a top-five IT services company’s GCC business.
GCC sales leadership · Strategy
India entry · Technology
45+ hires in year one for a US company’s India office
A US company setting up its India office from scratch. We built its senior technology team end to end, with more than 45 hires in the first year.
Engineering leadership · Senior technology team
Client voices
What HR leaders say
“
This team can be trusted wholeheartedly to not just deliver on requirements but go steps ahead and be knowledge advisors.
“
Can vouch for their team’s knack to understand the requirements to the nth detail and provide the best talent available.
“
I am comfortable having discussions with them on everything from confidential executive level searches to junior level candidates.
Planning a leadership hire?
Tell us about the role. A founding partner will take the brief.
Send an enquiryinfo@xladvisors.co+91 91370 00730Looking for your next role? Join XL or share your profile