Industries · Since 2011
Executive search and leadership hiring by industry in India
Twelve sector practices, each with consultants who hire only into that sector. Find yours below, see the roles we fill, and brief the partner who leads it.
Discuss a mandateAny senior leadership role500+Leadership searches completed
12Sector practices
400+Clients served
45+Search professionals
2011Founded by IIT Kanpur alumni
Insurance practice
Discuss an insurance mandate
Insurance and reinsurance executive search in India
Life, general, health and reinsurance, from the regulator-facing key roles to the first 100 hires of a new insurer.
30+Insurers, reinsurers and brokers hired for
Life insuranceGeneral insuranceHealth insuranceReinsuranceInsurance brokingBancassuranceInsurtech
Roles we hire
- CEO and Principal Officer
- Chief Underwriting Officer
- Appointed Actuary
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Risk Officer
- Head of Claims
- Head of Distribution
- Bancassurance Head
- Treaty and facultative underwriters
- Actuarial and data science leads
Representative searches
- Principal Officer, Chief Underwriting Officer and SVP Health Actuary for a global reinsurance company
- Chief Operating Officer and Chief Broking Officer, Reinsurance, for a multinational broking firm
- Actuarial, insurance, technology and product hires for a new insurer in India
GIFT City practiceTalk to our GIFT City teamgiftcity@xladvisors.co
GIFT City and IFSC recruitment
Every new IFSC entity must appoint regulated key people before it can operate. We hire them, then build the team.
1,260+IFSCA registrations, June 2026. Source: IFSCA.
Reinsurers and insurance officesIFSC banking unitsFund management entitiesCapital market intermediariesAircraft and ship leasingCorporate treasury centresFinance companiesGlobal in-house centresTechFin and FinTech
Roles we hire
- Principal Officer
- Compliance Officer
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Underwriting Officer
- Appointed Actuary
- Treasury Head
- Money Laundering Reporting Officer
- Operations and finance teams
Representative searches
- Leadership team and regulated key roles for a renowned European reinsurer’s GIFT City branch
GCC practice
Discuss a GCC mandate
GCC leadership hiring in India
Centre heads, engineering and data leaders, and the mid-management layer that lets a global capability centre scale.
50+Leadership roles placed across 40+ centres
Greenfield GCCsScaling GCCsBFSI GCCsTechnology GCCsEngineering centresShared services
Roles we hire
- India Centre Head
- Chief Operating Officer
- Head of Engineering
- Head of Data and AI
- Head of Site Reliability Engineering
- Head of Information Security
- Finance and HR shared services heads
- Risk and compliance heads
Representative searches
- India Centre Head, COO and Head of Risk and Compliance for a BFSI parent GCC
- Head of Engineering, Head of SRE and Head of Information Security for a technology parent GCC
India entryDiscuss an India set-up
Hiring for companies setting up in India
Global companies and captives in insurance, technology and energy: the founding leadership team, then technology and product hires at scale.
New India entitiesCaptive centresInsurance captivesTechnology captivesEnergy and engineering captives
Roles we hire
- India Country Head
- Managing Director
- Head of Finance
- Head of HR
- Head of Technology
- Engineering managers
- Senior engineers
- Product managers
Representative searches
- 45+ hires in year one, including the senior technology team, for a US company setting up its India office
IT servicesDiscuss an IT services mandate
IT services leadership hiring
Sales, delivery and practice leaders for IT services firms selling to clients in India and abroad.
Large IT servicesMid-size IT servicesDigital engineeringConsulting-led servicesGCC services business
Roles we hire
- Client Partner
- Sales Director and hunters
- Delivery Head
- Practice Head
- Pre-sales and solutions leaders
- Strategy and transformation leads
- Account Director
- Learning and development heads
Representative searches
- Sales leaders and strategy professionals for a top-five IT services company’s GCC business
- Learning and development roles for a listed IT services company
Product and technologyDiscuss a technology mandate
Technology and product executive search
Technology and product leaders for SaaS, product companies and digital businesses.
SaaSEnterprise softwareFintech platformsAI and dataCloud and DevOps
Roles we hire
- Chief Technology Officer
- Chief Product Officer
- VP Engineering
- Head of Product
- Head of Data and AI
- Engineering Manager
- Principal Engineer
- DevOps and cloud leads
Representative searches
- Chief Technology Officer for a fintech lending platform, with engineering scaled from 30 to 120
Startups and e-commerceDiscuss a startup mandate
Startup and e-commerce leadership hiring
Leadership for late-stage startups and e-commerce businesses that need to scale fast.
E-commerceQuick commerceConsumer internetLate-stage startups
Roles we hire
- CEO and Business Head
- Chief Operating Officer
- Growth Head
- Category Head
- Chief of Staff
- Head of Strategy
- Performance Marketing Head
- Supply Chain Head
Leadership roles in demand, 2026
- AI and machine learning leaders for commerce platforms
- Fulfilment and supply chain heads
- Sales and growth marketing leaders
BFSI and fintechDiscuss a BFSI mandate
BFSI and fintech executive search
Banks, NBFCs, capital markets and fintechs: business, risk and technology leadership.
BankingNBFCsCapital marketsWealth managementFintechPayments
Roles we hire
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Risk Officer
- Credit Head
- Head of Collections
- Product Head
- Treasury Head
- Compliance Head
- Technology leaders
Leadership roles in demand, 2026
- Chief Risk Officer and Chief Compliance Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Business Head and Product Head
Retail, D2C and jewelleryDiscuss a retail mandate
Retail and D2C executive search
Leadership for retailers, D2C brands and jewellery houses, from P&L heads to store operations.
50+Retail and consumer brands served
Fashion and lifestyleJewelleryD2C brandsFMCG and CPGBeauty
Roles we hire
- CEO and Business Head
- Chief Operating Officer
- Head of Category and Buying
- Head of E-commerce
- Retail Operations Head
- Regional Business Manager
- Merchandising Head
- Supply Chain Head
Representative searches
- COO, Head of Category and Buying, and Head of E-commerce for a multi-category fashion retailer
- Eleven leadership roles for an expanding jewellery retailer
Energy: oil and gas
Discuss an energy mandate
Oil and gas recruitment in India
Engineering centres, oilfield services and EPC, led by a partner with 35 years in the industry.
Oilfield servicesEngineering and technology centresUpstreamEPC
Partner in chargeMangesh AkerkarCo-Founder & Partner · LinkedInSearches run by a dedicated sector team
Roles we hire
- Engineering Centre Head
- Design and drilling engineers
- Operations Manager
- HSE Head
- Project Manager
- Supply chain and contracts leads
Representative searches
- 23 engineering placements for a global oilfield services company’s India technology centre
Energy: power and renewablesDiscuss a power mandate
Power and renewable energy recruitment
Project, operations and business leadership for solar, wind and power companies.
SolarWindBattery storageGreen hydrogenTransmission and distribution
Partner in chargeMangesh AkerkarCo-Founder & Partner · LinkedInSearches run by a dedicated sector team
Roles we hire
- Business Head
- Head of Projects
- Head of O&M
- Business development leaders
- Plant Head
- Engineering managers
Leadership roles in demand, 2026
- Business Heads for solar and wind portfolios
- Project Directors for large-scale EPC delivery
- Plant Heads and Chief Sustainability Officers
Engineering and manufacturingDiscuss a manufacturing mandate
Manufacturing and engineering leadership hiring
Plant, operations and supply chain leadership, including greenfield plants.
Industrial manufacturingEngineering productsGreenfield plantsAutomotive and components
Partner in chargeMangesh AkerkarCo-Founder & Partner · LinkedInSearches run by a dedicated sector team
Roles we hire
- Chief Operating Officer
- Plant Head
- Head of Supply Chain
- Quality Head
- Projects Head
- Manufacturing engineering leads
Leadership roles in demand, 2026
- Quality Heads
- Maintenance and reliability heads
- Second-line functional leaders ready to step up to plant head
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Which industries does XL Advisors hire for?
We run twelve sector practices: insurance and reinsurance, GIFT City and IFSC, GCCs, India entry, IT services, product and SaaS, e-commerce and startups, BFSI and fintech, retail and D2C, oil and gas, power and renewables, and manufacturing. We also take senior leadership mandates in other sectors.
Do you hire for companies setting up in GIFT City?
Yes. We hire the regulated key roles every new IFSC entity needs, such as the Principal Officer, Compliance Officer, CFO and Appointed Actuary, and then build the wider team.
How long does a leadership search take?
A typical search runs four to twelve weeks: discovery and market mapping in week one, a calibrated shortlist of three to four candidates in weeks two and three, offer by week four, and joining over the notice period.
Do you offer retained search, lateral hiring and contract hiring?
Yes. XL Scout handles retained, confidential CXO and senior search; XL Recruiters handles mid-to-senior lateral hiring; XL Lite provides contract and contract-to-hire specialists.
Any senior leadership mandate, in any sector.
Retained, confidential search for CEO, CXO and CXO-1 roles, including succession hires, in sectors beyond those listed here.
Hiring a leader in your sector?
Tell us about the role. A founding partner will take the brief.
Send an enquiryinfo@xladvisors.co+91 91370 00730