The incumbent doesn't know yet
No advertising, no database circulation, your name withheld in the market until you release it.
C-level recruitment firm in Mumbai
C-suite appointments, usually before anyone knows they are happening.
Our C-level executive recruiters handle board-level and C-suite mandates: CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO, CIO and promoter-office appointments. Most of this work is confidential a sitting incumbent who does not yet know, an investor-driven change, or a succession the market must not read about early.
India & EMEA
Founder-led
Confidential
0Job adverts placed
The short answer
What do C-level executive recruiters do?
C-level recruitment is the confidential appointment of a company's most senior executives CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO, CIO and equivalent board-reporting roles. C-level recruiting firms differ from other search work in who the client is (a board, promoter or investor rather than a hiring manager), in how tightly information is controlled, and in the weight given to governance, stakeholder alignment and succession risk alongside functional capability.
These searches are slower by design. The shortlist is smaller, the assessment deeper, and much of the work is managing a decision-making group rather than a single hiring manager. We handle alignment before the search, not during it because a board that disagrees about the brief will disagree about every candidate.
Is this you?
Confidential replacement
Investor-driven
Succession
Three situations that usually bring companies here.
If one of these sounds like your quarter, the first conversation will be useful whether or not you appoint us.
A PE or promoter decision to change leadership
Value-creation appointments after an investment, or leadership assessment ahead of one.
A founder or MD stepping back
Board and promoter alignment on the brief before the search opens, because that is where these searches fail.
Roles
What we are typically retained for.
If your role isn't on this list it is still worth a call the answer takes five minutes.
- Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director appointments
- Chief Financial Officer, including the first CFO in a promoter led group
- Chief Operating Officer and business transformation leadership
- Chief Human Resources Officer, CIO and CTO appointments
- Confidential replacement of a sitting incumbent
- Investor and PE backed leadership change, and promoter-office roles
How it works
Four weeks to a shortlist you can argue about.
The full method runs to eight stages. This is the shape of it from your side of the table.
- 01
Brief & challenge
We interrogate the role, the reporting line and the compensation before any search begins.
- 02
Map the market
You approve the target companies. We map roughly 100 relevant leaders.
- 03
Approach & assess
46 approached in confidence, 14 assessed in depth against the agreed competencies.
- 04
Shortlist & close
Four candidates with written appraisals, then interviews, references and offer management.
What's different here
Confidentiality is the product, not a feature.
On a live replacement, a leak costs more than the search. Our protocol is written into the mandate: named-basis disclosure, no advertising of any kind, and the client's identity withheld until the client releases it.
- Client name withheld in the market until you decide otherwise
- No job postings, no database circulation, no third-party sourcing
- Candidate references taken at offer stage only, with written consent
- Board and promoter alignment on the brief before the search opens
- Structured governance and stakeholder assessment, not just functional fit
What you actually receive
Confidentiality protocol
Named-basis disclosure agreed in writing before any approach.
Board-ready market view
What exists at this level, and at what cost, before you commit.
Shortlist of three or four
Assessed on governance and stakeholder fit, not just function.
Offer & transition support
Counter-offer management, notice negotiation and first-90-days check-ins.
Proof
Boards come back because the last transition held.
We are retained on C-suite mandates by promoter led groups, Indian corporates and multinationals, including successions where the incumbent remained in post throughout the search. Our EMEA practice runs the same protocol from London for cross-border appointments.
Professional, results-driven, yet personable and exceptionally well-networked I would highly recommend Dushyant and the ASTC team to anyone looking to hire top talent.
Choosing
Not sure this is the right practice?
The three practices share a method and differ in who the hire reports to and how the search runs. If you're between two, call us we'll tell you which one your role belongs in.
| Practice | Typical roles | Reports to | How it runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Search | Functional heads, business unit heads, P&L owners, plant heads | CEO or CXO | Retained, one mandate at a time |
| Leadership Hiring | Senior management layer, category and regional leaders, succession bench | Function head or BU head | Retained, often a multi role programme |
| C-Level Recruitment | CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO, CIO, board and promoter office roles | Board, promoter or investor | Retained, confidential, often off-market |
Case studies
Mandates we can talk about.
Chemicals × Consumer · 12 years
A twelve year talent partnership at the intersection of chemistry and consumer goods
What keeps a client relationship alive through three CEOs and two market cycles.
Read the case study →
Logistics · Leadership transformation
Orchestrating a leadership transformation for DTDC
Solving the serviceability puzzle at one of India's largest logistics networks.
Read the case study →
Specialty chemicals · Greenfield
Baerlocher's strategic expansion and growth in Indore
Building a plant leadership team in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, from the ground up.
Read the case study →FAQ
Questions about c-level recruitment
What is C-level recruitment?
C-level recruitment is the search and appointment of a company's most senior executives CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO, CIO and equivalent roles reporting to a board or promoter. It is normally retained, frequently confidential, and assessed on governance and stakeholder fit as well as functional capability.
How do C-level recruiting firms differ from ordinary recruiters?
The client is a board or promoter rather than a hiring manager, information is tightly controlled, assessment covers governance and stakeholder management, and the shortlist is deliberately small. Fees are retained and the timeline is longer.
Can you run a search while the current executive is still in the role?
Yes, and a large share of C-suite mandates work this way. The client's name is withheld in the market, no role is advertised, candidate references are deferred to offer stage with consent, and disclosure happens on a named basis agreed with you in advance.
Which C-suite roles does ASTC Services recruit for?
CEO and Managing Director, CFO, COO, CHRO, CIO and CTO, along with promoter-office and board-reporting roles across our thirteen sectors in India and EMEA.
How long does a CEO or CFO search take?
Commonly twelve to twenty weeks. The delay is rarely in finding candidates; it is in board alignment, deeper assessment and the notice periods senior executives carry.
Do you work with private equity and investor-backed businesses?
Yes. Investor-driven leadership change is a regular reason for engagement, including value-creation appointments after an investment and leadership assessment ahead of one.
How do you handle counter offers at C-level?
C-level executive recruiters who leave this until the offer stage lose candidates. We manage motivation from the first conversation rather than at the end. We understand why a candidate would move before a process starts, track any change in that position, and prepare both sides for the counter offer well before the offer letter is drafted.
Start here
Tell us the role. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right firm for it.
A first conversation takes about 30 minutes and costs nothing. You'll leave with a view of the market for that role the talent pools, a realistic compensation band, and how long the search should take whether or not you appoint us.
- 01
You send the role
The title, the reporting line and why the seat is open. Two paragraphs is enough to start.
- 02
We come back within a day
With a first read on the market: who exists, what they cost, how long it should take.
- 03
You decide
No proposal deck, no pursuit calls. If we're not the right firm for this one, we'll say so.