Archer & Bull, the worldwide executive search and leadership consulting company, has today unveiled its strategic plans to expand in India, while sharpening its efforts to meet the fast-paced requirements of the Indian leadership talent market. Operating in India since 2015 with an expanding team of executive search consultants in its offices in Gurugram and Bengaluru, Archer & Bull will now focus its India market engagement and recruitment practices further into digital commerce, consumer, retail, technology, GCCs (Global Capability Centres), fintech, and other emerging business sectors. Archer & Bull currently generates almost 10% of its global income from its operations in India and expects this to double next year.
Archer & Bull has already established a credible presence in the Indian market through its strategic engagements with leading companies like Nykaa, Tata group firms such as Trent (Westside, Zudio), Lifestyle India, and firms from the Middle East that seek to establish their GCC operations in India. The India expansion initiative is expected to focus on executive search & CXO placements, leadership hiring in digital and consumer sectors, cross-border leadership mandates, GCC and India market entry, board & leadership advisory solutions, and diversity and women leadership mandates. The company intends to develop its consultant network and specialist hiring capabilities within India, in addition to maintaining its strength in global executive search.
This growth is taking place at a time when, even amidst macroeconomic instability, India is seeing one of the strongest hiring cycles for its leadership cadre, driven by the fast pace of digitisation, GCC growth, the maturity of start-ups, succession planning, and the rising need for leaders who can drive scale and organisational transformation. Estimates from industry sources suggest that the executive hiring market in India experienced a rise of nearly 9–10% in FY25.
According to Rajat Mehra, Founding Partner, Archer & Bull, India is not only regarded as a big talent source anymore; it is evolving into a leadership superpower, and the next five years will see hiring for leadership positions in India being influenced by three major factors — the emergence of digitally-enabled companies, the rapid expansion of the GCC region, and Indian leaders playing bigger roles in their global organisations across geographies and functions. As the world of work transforms due to AI and automation, there is an increasing need for transformational leaders who can innovate, navigate global complexities, and create AI-enabled organisations. This means that organisations today look for leaders with agility and transformation skills.
Mehra went on to say, “With our years of experience in India and being in the market for more than a decade, we feel that now is the right time for us to expand our footprint and work in close association with firms developing the future of global business. As a company with its roots in India and a global outlook, it would be indeed very encouraging to know that Indian business leaders are making their mark in global boardrooms. We feel that now is the time for our markets to enter a period where the quality of leadership becomes one of the biggest differentiators in business success.”
About Archer & Bull
Archer & Bull is a worldwide executive search and leadership advisory company that specialises in executive search, retained search assignments, diversity hiring, and leadership advisory services. This organisation operates in various major markets around the world and helps organisations build leadership teams for the future through executive search services and advisory work. Archer & Bull has been in India since 2015 and has expanded its leadership while hiring specialists and consultants based in Gurugram and Bengaluru.
