Executive search in Bengaluru

Executive Search Firm in Bengaluru

Bengaluru has India's deepest bench of technology leaders, and nearly all of them are employed and already being approached. Talhive runs dedicated, confidential searches for technology, AI and product leaders, built around a proposition that survives a counter-offer.

Confidential, dedicated search
Counter-offer risk planned from the start
Shortlist of five profiles at most

Discuss a Bengaluru search See how a search runs

1,200+

Senior closes since 2016

270+

Founders, CHROs & GCC leaders served

20K+

Engineers in our proprietary pool

93%

Still in role at 12 months

Share your hiring brief

A senior team member responds within one business day

The quality of a search is determined early. Start with the role, the context, and what a strong hire looks like at 12 months.

First name *

Please enter your name.

Last name *

Please enter your last name.

Work email *

Please enter a valid email.

Company *

Please enter your company name.

Phone *

Please enter a valid phone number.

Context *

Please provide some context on the mandate.

What would you like to achieve through this conversation? *

Please select an option.

Your details are held in strict confidence and are not shared with third parties.

Received.

A senior team member will review your enquiry and respond directly.

Selected clients

NBA · DNEG · Atlan · Loopio · Writesonic · Arya.ai · ketteQ · BRABENDER Group · Khatabook

Trusted on

Leadership and specialist search · India team builds · Off-market talent pools · High consequence hires

Who this is for

Leaders for companies building in the deepest market.

Two buyers usually land here: product-led and AI-led companies that have outgrown founder-led hiring, and international companies building an India centre who need a leader before they need a team.

Talhive runs executive search as dedicated work, not contingent recruitment: few mandates, a founder reading every brief, milestone-based fees and a shortlist of five profiles at most.

When the leader is the first move in a wider build, the search sits inside a leadership-first India team build.

Common mistakes

Where Bengaluru leadership searches go wrong.

Each is avoidable before the first approach goes out.

Defaulting to Bengaluru without testing the role

Some mandates belong in another city. Decide on role logic, using the Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad comparison, then search.

Writing the brief like an advertisement

Senior leaders respond to a problem worth solving, a credible mandate and a clear reporting line, not a list of responsibilities.

Meeting the counter-offer late

If a candidate's real alternatives first surface at offer stage, the search is already at risk. Map retention pressure while the candidate is still deciding whether to engage.

Roles we search

Leadership roles across technology, product and AI.

Seniority is set by the mandate, not by the title.

CTO and technical co-founder

Owns architecture, hiring and engineering culture, usually reporting to a founder.

VP Engineering

Scales delivery, builds managers and runs the engineering organisation through growth.

India engineering head

The first senior leader for an India centre or GCC, who recruits the team and sets the operating model.

Head of AI or data

Accountable for applied AI in production and the platform behind it.

Head of Product or CPO

Sets direction, owns outcomes and can build a product function from a small base.

Also searched

Head of Platform

Head of Security

Engineering Director

Head of Design

Founding engineering leader

Role detail sits on the engineering leaders page.

Bengaluru context

What makes a leadership search here different.

Talhive's published view of the city, applied to senior hiring.

A deep pool, and everyone is in it

The city holds India's deepest technology talent, so there are more credible leaders to find and more employers already talking to them.

Counter-offers arrive early

The compensation premium here is the highest in India. A resignation often draws an immediate counter, so motivation beyond pay must be understood before any offer.

An unknown employer must earn credibility

A company with no local reputation asks a senior leader to take a risk. The mandate, reporting line and funding story must be clear enough to compete.

How the search runs

A dedicated search, in four stages.

Built for senior candidates who are not looking.

Stage one
01
Frame the mandate.
The brief, reporting line and proposition are settled first.
- Scope, success measures and reporting line
- What a strong leader gains by moving
- Confidentiality rules for the search
Stage two
02
Approach leaders without exposure.
Passive mapping of leaders who are not applying.
- Target companies and leadership benches
- Discreet, specific first approaches
- Early read on motivation and alternatives
Stage three
03
Test the leader, then shortlist.
Assessment across twelve dimensions before anyone is shortlisted.
- A written synopsis for each profile
- A shortlist of five profiles at most
- An honest view of risk and fit
Stage four
04
Close against the counter-offer.
Offer, references and notice period run as one process.
- Counter-offer dynamics discussed before the offer
- References and notice-period tracking
- 90-day replacement guarantee on the placement

Frequently asked

Questions employers ask

Plain answers to the questions we hear most often about this search.

Is Bengaluru the right default for a leadership hire?+

Not always. Bengaluru offers the deepest pool and the strongest competition. For some mandates, such as a leader for a cost-efficient delivery centre, another city fits better. Talhive tests the role before the search, and the answer is sometimes a wider India scope.

How do you approach leaders who are already employed?+

Outreach is confidential and written around the role's problem, not broadcast. How much about the client is shared at each stage is agreed with you in the brief, so a leader learns what they need to decide whether to talk.

How are counter-offers handled?+

They are discussed before the offer, not after it. Talhive asks candidates what would make them stay and what would make them go, then builds the proposition around that. Notice periods and references are tracked through to joining.

How are executive search fees structured?+

Talhive works on dedicated search with milestone-based fees agreed up front, rather than a contingent fee paid on a single placement. Ask for the structure in the first conversation so the engagement is clear before work begins.

Brief a Bengaluru search with a founder.

Share the role, the context and what has been tried. A founder reads every brief.

Discuss a Bengaluru search

India + Vietnam operating base: strong overlap across Europe, APAC, and scheduled US client windows

Privacy handled with EU-aligned standards: all candidate and client data managed under GDPR-aligned data protection practices