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Third of CEOs expect business to return to pre-pandemic levels this year
More than a third of CEOs expect a rebound in economic activity to pre-pandemic levels in the second half of this year, according to a new global survey.
Revealed: Top CEOs move to GCC as UAE, Saudi Arabia turbocharge economic growth
Countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, leveraging their oil wealth for non-oil sector development, attracted talent from regions such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
UAE jobs: Incoming influx of white-collar talent from US, UK, Europe as global firms push for staff relocation plans amid mass layoffs
The incoming wave of talent is expected to catapult Abu Dhabi and Dubai as major global hubs for wealth and growth.
Event line-up revealed for exclusive invite only event on building global business out of the Middle East
Regional and multinational C-suite executives will come together for an exclusive conversation on the opportunities presented by the region’s ambitious future.
Infosys CEO among highest paid in Indian IT as compensation rose 22% to $9.4 mln last fiscal
CEO Salil Parekh's compensation rose 21.7% to 806.2 million rupees ($9.44 million), the company said in its annual report on Monday, making him one of the highest-paid Indian IT chiefs currently in office.
To lead through turbulent times, India Inc looking for leaders who thrive under pressure
Corporate India seeks leaders adept at navigating volatility, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions.
Expat CEOs are making room for local talent: EMA Partners
Main reasons for this range from incompatibility, inability to make transition & adapt to local culture among others.
Exclusive - IPO Central's Interview With EMA Partners’ Management Team
EMA Partners is a prominent executive search firm that provides customized leadership hiring solutions to clients across diverse sectors.
MediaCast: K Sudarshan on EMA Partners’ historic IPO opening
This episode of MediaCast features one of the most experienced leaders in the Executive Search space in India, K Sudarshan, Chairman & MD of EMA Partners India Ltd, which has created history for exec search firms in India by becoming the first from the category be listed on the Indian Stock Exchange.
The Right Fit - BusinessToday
The founder of a leading Indian retail company interviewed two candidates for CEO's role at one of his retail verticals.
EMA Partners Announces Leadership Changes Across India, UAE, and Singapore
May 31, 2024 – EMA Partners International, a global partnership of executive search professionals, has announced leadership changes across India, UAE, and Singapore
Against The Odds
YouTube CEO, Susan Wojcicki, is one of the earliest members of the Google team and it was in her garage in the US that the Google founders laid the foundation of the $136 billion-technology giant.
ema partners india: Executive search firm EMA Partners India to launch IPO
EMA Partners India plans to launch an IPO worth up to Rs 100 crore, making it the first executive search firm to be listed in the country.
Salaries: CEOs Drive A Hard Bargain
IN FY24, IT services company Wipro paid former CEO Thierry Delaporte $20.1 million, making him the country’s highest paid professional CEO.
Meesho redefines work culture, reaps benefits
At a time when many in India Inc decided to bring their employees back to the office after the worst of the pandemic, Meesho chose to let them work from anywhere permanently.
TCS CEO Krithivasan earned $3 mln in first year at top job
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.NS), opens new tab, India's top IT services firm, said its CEO K Krithivasan earned 253.59 million rupees ($3.04 million) in financial year 2024, making him likely the lowest-paid CEO among top the four Indian IT firms.
Leadership lessons from Sachin Tendulkar
Looking back at Sachin’s long innings, K. Sudarshan, regional managing partner (Asia) at EMA Partners International, a global executive search firm, lists out key takeaways for a professional manager.
More CEOs eye exit as going gets tough, options spring up
India Inc. is witnessing a surge in CEO departures, with a significant increase in exits at NSE-listed companies during the March quarter of 2025.
Why can’t Indians be appointed as CEOs in large Indian carriers, asks industry
Management circles in the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market are abuzz with the hiring of expat chief executive officers (CEOs) by two of India’s leading carriers.
Rcpl: Reliance Consumer to focus on every FMCG product range equally, backend sourcing
FMCG flagship Reliance Consumer Products (RCPL) said it intends to enter the entire spectrum of domestic, household and consumer goods such as pharmaceuticals, food products and beverages, agri and non-agricultural produce, commodities, educational, raw, processed and commercial products.
Why India Inc needs more women leaders
India Inc has a problem. Only 8.9 per cent of firms in India have women as top managers, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2021.
Kingfisher Airlines CEO Sanjay Aggarwal quits
Kingfisher Airlines Ltd’s chief executive officer (CEO) Sanjay Aggarwal has resigned, two company executives said, making him the last of the senior management executives from outside the UB Group to quit the grounded airline.
A Different Track for Jindal
Polo is not just a sport for Naveen Jindal, it is his way of life. The Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) discovered polo at the age of 18 and there has been no looking back since.
Impact of Kochhar, Ramkrishna Saga: Greed isn’t gender-specific, say experts
Though nothing has been conclusively proved as yet, serious charges on personal integrity have been pressed against them by regulators, investigative agencies and other stakeholders
Expat hiring up in India
There has been an upsurge in hiring of non-resident Indians and expats by companies in the country in the past two years, thanks to improved infrastructure and competitive compensation levels, experts say.
Tata Sons Crowns N Chandrasekaran Chairman: From hilarious to banal, check out the Twitter reactions on Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry and more
The brutal war for control of the group has hit the brand hard and the same is reflected in the Twitter reactions that have come fast and furious in the wake of the coronation of N Chandrasekaran at Bombay House today.
Strain’s showing: India Inc hiring slowest in 3 years, up by mere 2% in FY14a
The combined employee strength of the country?s largest companies went up by a mere 2% y-o-y in 2013-14, growing at its slowest pace in the last three years, reflecting the strain that the economy went through in the previous fiscal.
Indian businesses slow in getting women on board
It is said one woman is a token, two is a presence and three is a voice. But women may take many years to have their voices heard on Indian companies? boards, as gender diversity is yet to catch up with Indian businesses.
Perks in Infosys, HCL Tech, others get fancy; top talent gets iPhones, Mercedes
HCL Technologies has rewarded 130 of its top performing employees with a Mercedes or an all-expenses-paid holiday abroad as a token of appreciation.
Maternity perks may cost 1.8 million Indian women their jobs
A new law to improve maternity benefits for women in India’s workforce and encourage them to further their careers is likely to have the opposite effect, a survey showed.
Banks seek talent for on-tap CXO hiring
State-run banks are increasingly turning to consultants, empanelling them to identify domain experts and speed up future hires as and when they need executives for specialized C-suite roles.
Demand for tech savvy CXOs on rise, say search experts
The acceleration of digitization post-pandemic and the rapid pace of technology adoption in businesses across industry sectors is leading to the demand for CXOs who can think “tech first”, said search industry experts.
Employee safety top priority of companies, finds survey on Covid-19 impact
Ensuring financial stability (47%) and cost optimisation (44%) were the other top business priorities, revealed 'Global survey COVID-19: Impact on business', a survey conducted by executive search firm EMA Partners and shared exclusively with ET.
CXO Jobs: CXO hiring likely to touch a new record this year
Everyone is hiring," said Atul Vohra, managing partner at Transearch India. "Companies have realised that there is no dearth of financial capital and business opportunities.
CXOs much wanted; demand likely to exceed supply in 2024
The momentum has been building up for the past few months, said Heidrick & Struggles partner Suresh Raina.
M&A | CXO: M&As, talent war put CXO severance packages in focus
As more acquisitions happen and the war for talent intensifies, severance pay agreements in India are witnessing a shift.
India Inc's attrition woes deepen as job offers swell
Unlike previous years where candidates were offered 20-30% pay hike offers, letter of offers now include a 100% jump and with additional equity offered.
CXO Hiring: Large local companies ramp up search for CXOs amid macro woes
Leading executive search firms including Korn Ferry India, Heidrick & Struggles, EMA Partners and Insist Consulting have seen a 25-30% increase in CEO/CXO mandates in the first four months of this fiscal year compared to a year ago across sectors such as industrial, manufacturing, commodities, engineering, financial services and healthcare.
CXOs in demand in non-tech sector despite headwinds
There was a 20-25% increase in top leadership mandates from large conglomerates and traditional Indian companies in sectors such as manufacturing, engineering, infrastructure, electric vehicles, metals, cement, chemicals, fast-moving consumer goods and retail in the October-December quarter compared with the previous two quarters of financial year 2023, said leading executive search companies.
No longer business as usual: Companies seek more in CEO skills
Companies are seeking CEOs who possess a combination of technological awareness, people management abilities, and softer skills such as agility, authenticity and ethics.
Coca-Cola re-interviews India employees to realign roles in sweeping revamp
Coca-Cola is on a journey to transform how it operates so it can emerge stronger from the pandemic and accelerate growth.
Chief digital officers across sectors pocket sharp salary hikes
According to data from Aon, shared exclusively with ET, chief digital officers across sectors saw the highest jump in median compensation at a compounded annual growth rate of 14% from 2019 to 2022.
CXO crunch: Core sector companies facing acute shortage of talent at senior management
Executive search firms and industry experts said the problem has been years in the making as talented graduates have steadily moved away from the manufacturing sector
Crorepati club: Over 200 managers at Hindustan Unilever took home more than Rs 1 crore in annual salary in FY23
Hindustan Unilever Ltd's (HUL) fiscal year 2023 salaries saw an increase in the number of executives earning over Rs 1 crore, with 205 managers compared to last year's 163.
CXO Jobs: CXOs in demand as economy picks up
Technology, IT and IT-enabled sectors are leading hiring, though others such as consumer, private equity, investment banking, pharma and life sciences, and industrial and manufacturing have also seen a significant jump.
CXOs feel the heat amid high expectations, low tolerance
Public relations issues (22%), economic downturns (13%), cybersecurity breaches (12%) market changes (10%), regulatory/compliance matters (10%) and M&A challenges (10%) were among the other issues that posed a significant risk to CXO careers, according to the upGrad Harappa Grand CXOs and Workplace report shared exclusively with ET.
Strategy Consultants Salary: Companies rushing to hire consultants, but not in traditional way
Indian companies are drawing professionals from top consulting firms with competitive pay to drive their growth.
Retention toolkit: India Inc readies golden handcuffs to arrest CXO attrition
A toolkit to bind the CXOs may include measures like longer tenure employment contracts (five years versus three years) and longer notice periods (six to nine months) as compared with three months earlier, according to the CXO search consultants.
As hiring slows and companies tighten belts, in-house recruiters face heat
On Wednesday, Google let go of hundreds from its once nearly 3,000-strong recruiting team in its latest round of layoffs, saying it was 'meaningfully slowing the pace of overall hiring' and 'made the hard decision to reduce the size of (our) recruiting team'.
Companies eye Indian expats for niche tech roles
While many Indians – who have lived in the US – even for two decades are willing to move base to India again for greater responsibilities in a local company, the availability of remote work options is also allowing companies to get expats on board as technical experts who would fly into India once every two months or a quarter and operate the rest of the time work from their home countries, said company officials and search industry experts.
Who gets the better performance appraisal - employees working remotely or those in the office?,
While companies said they were cognisant of employee concerns and taking steps proactively, so no such differentiation occurs, HR experts said it’s a grey area.
40% CEOs from 220 companies surveyed jumped ship in past three years
Since 2019, chief executives of 90 cos — about 40% out of 220 surveyed — have jumped ship, according to a study commissioned by ET.
Senior executives exit startups to the safe shores of big local business groups
About 40% or 300 senior executives decided to move out of the start-up ecosystem to join large traditional companies, according to data put together for ET by Longhouse Consulting.
Most firms are not flexible about WFH provision in job contracts, especially for senior roles
As an increasing number of companies across sectors are calling employees back to office, HR managers, company executives and top recruiters say job seekers – especially in senior roles – who set flexibility as a condition may significantly diminish the possibility of getting hired in many organisations.
India Job Market: India Inc remains upbeat on senior leadership hiring
Leading executive and recruitment firms including Korn Ferry, EMA Partners, Insist Consulting, Transearch, ABC Consultants, Stanton Chase and Odgers Berndtson that ET spoke to said hiring at senior levels was still upbeat.
Tech startups beef up teams via CXO-level hiring
Most companies in the edtech, medtech, beauty, food and other segments are beefing up their top management and leadership teams by hiring CXOs and category heads.
Wanted: Human resources to steer Artificial Intelligence
The growing recognition of AI's transformative potential, and its role in giving a competitive edge, optimising operations, personalising customer experience and driving innovation, have led to a sharp rise in such mandates, say job search platforms and headhunters including foundit, ABC Consultants and Michael Page.
C-suite chase: Job companies' search engine going full steam
Some industry leaders have also been critical of the inability of corporates to groom in-house talent for top jobs, being forced to turn to external candidates.
Infosys: India Inc flagships are giving older chiefs more time at the helm
Senior executives in their late 50s and 60s are receiving longer tenures in India's business sector after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Women Leaders: India Inc placing rising emphasis on gender diversity in top roles
Around half-a-dozen leading executive search firms ET spoke to said it’s now mandatory to have women candidates among the slate of prospects in searches; in many mandates, the preference is for hiring a female candidate, all other factors being equal.
CXO Salaries In India: CXO pay in India inches close to that of US peers
Indian CXO salaries are catching up to US counterparts. Multinationals and GCCs are giving higher pay and stock options.
Indian IT firms fight it out to foil plans of talent-fishing companies
Plagued by a slew of senior-level management exodus, Wipro has filed lawsuits against at least two of them. In another instance, Infosys, the country’s second largest IT services firm, is reported to have accused Cognizant of using “unethical poaching tactics.
Corporate India aims at vaccination, puts office return on the back burner for now
Though companies say there is no urgency to open offices for white-collar staff, they have clear guidelines and timelines to get their entire workforce vaccinated.
Some companies that have been forced to lay off staffers are helping them find jobs elsewhere
Layoffs are the big story now, and it's never a good day to lose your job. side story to it.
RIP dream job: How the allure of a dream job is fading for Gen Z
Gen Z professionals are moving away from the traditional notion of a 'dream job', impacted by tech industry layoffs and a changing work culture.
Vaccine rollout, falling Covid cases are adding momentum to white-collar job scene in India
Vaccine rollout, falling Covid cases are adding momentum to white-collar job scene in India
EMA Partners Strengthens its Leadership in India
Aravind Sridharan joins EMA Partners India as Client Partner to lead the Technology and Digital Practice for the firm. Earlier, at Dell EMC, he was the Account Director for Global Alliances.
Lessons from Rahul Dravid: 6 traits for everyone at workplace
K Sudarshan Managing Partner of EMA Partners International deconstructs six traits of Rahul Dravid for everyone at workplace.
NRI executives line up for desi jobs
What is significant is that these Indian-origin execs who are now looking to return home are coming in at salaries similar to what they were getting abroad.
India Inc vouches for senior executives at board levels; GenNext can wait
India Inc believes that being a CEO and helming a company is a completely different ball game from strategising for its overall business.
Five ways to work with relatives on the team
Working with relatives at the workplace can either be fun or a nightmare.
The rise of professional CEOs
It’s an endless debate on which kind of CEO — professional or promoter/shareholder — is a good bet for an organisation.
Domestic legal job market to see boom
Recruitment firms expect to see a boom soon in the domestic legal talent market.
Big fight! How Indian IT firms Wipro, Infosys are looking to prevent rivals from poaching talent
IT majors fight it out! IT companies in India are taking strong actions, including legal measures, to prevent their top talent from being poached by competitors.
Employees over 50 years of age could soon be a dwindling community
India’s recruitment ecosystem needs change.
Vishal Sikka: Sikka saga: CEOs must be able to manage ecosystem, say industry experts
Managing relations with founders and key stakeholders has emerged as a vital lesson for CEOs from the Infosys saga.
cxo: CXO hiring unfazed by downturn in job market
Even hiring in technology sector – which has seen a sharp comedown overall – continues at senior levels, especially for niche skills in areas such as cloud, artificial intelligence and automation, as companies across sectors focus on digitising businesses.
India’s First Executive Search IPO: EMA Partners CMD K Sudarshan Shares Insights
In this special episode of Mediacast, K Sudarshan, CMD of EMA Partners India, shares insights on their historic IPO – the first by an executive search firm in India. Sudarshan explains how IPO proceeds will be reinvested into business growth, leadership hiring trends, AI integration in recruitment, and their unique market positioning.
Race for AI talent to go on, green energy executives to bring home top $
Hybrid work models, a focus on mental health, advancements in DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and AI integration in recruitment, performance, and engagement will shape the future of HR.recruitment, and their unique market positioning.
Growth is critical catalyst for engaging people'
K Sudarshan, regional managing partner- Asia EMA Partners International says growth is critical catalyst for engaging people and retaining talent.

askST Jobs: Should you declare your use of ChatGPT at work?
In this series, manpower reporter Tay Hong Yi offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career.
askST Jobs: What is working in a start-up like?
In this series, manpower reporter Tay Hong Yi offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career.
askST Jobs: How your resume can pass automated screening
Manpower reporter Tay Hong Yi offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career.
askST Jobs: Does no bonus mean it’s time to quit?
In this series, manpower reporter Tay Hong Yi offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career.
Farming, volunteering, dancing: Why some employees are ‘micro-retiring’ in their 20s
When Ms Rachel Yeo and her husband visited Tasmania during their honeymoon in 2022, they were struck by the simplicity and tranquillity of life in the countryside.
Demand for AI-related talents increasing globally across sectors
It has been an active market for global roles in the area of artificial intelligence (AI), with several top-level appointments being reported in recent months.
Amid ongoing tech layoffs, employment bright spots appear at recently funded startups
THE start of 2024 saw layoffs continue to roil the tech sector, but recruitment experts report some bright spots of hiring emerging in the local startup ecosystem.
askST Jobs: Can you avoid divulging sensitive information in interviews?
In this series, manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career.

Media & Insights

Your Gateway to The Latest Insights

Media Studies

The IIT-IIM Impact on India Inc.

IIT & IIM grads no longer corner the corner offices - The Economic Times

Is the magic of brand IIT-IIM waning?

IIT, IIM grads tick on India Inc, says study

Half of India Inc CEOs from IITs, IIMs

IITs, IIMs largest source of business leaders

India’s Million $ CXO Club

ema partners india: 200+ CXOs pop up in million-dollar pay list

BSE200 companies: Industrial and manufacturing sector dominates million-dollar CXO club

Million-$-salary CEO club sees membership rush in tough year

Million-$ CEO club sees 17% drop in membership in financial year 2021

Professional CEOs see average pay rise by 7% to Rs 13 crore in FY20

Million-$ club CEOs get a raise after 2017 pay decline

Economic slowdown restricts CEOs’ entry into million-dollar club

Professionals outnumber promoters in million-dollar club

India Inc.’s CEO Shelf Life

Fewer CEOs leaving as boards focus on stability & continuity

Indian CEOs' shelf life getting shorter post slowdown

India to witness big CEO churn, says a study

Global Firms with Indian Origin CXOs

3 out of every 5 top global firms have CXOs of Indian origin

Articles and Features

Articles Featuring K. Sudarshan

Third of CEOs expect business to return to pre-pandemic levels this year

Revealed: Top CEOs move to GCC as UAE, Saudi Arabia turbocharge economic growth

UAE jobs: Incoming influx of white-collar talent from US, UK, Europe as global firms push for staff relocation plans amid mass layoffs

Event line-up revealed for exclusive invite only event on building global business out of the Middle East

Infosys CEO among highest paid in Indian IT as compensation rose 22% to $9.4 mln last fiscal

To lead through turbulent times, India Inc looking for leaders who thrive under pressure

Expat CEOs are making room for local talent: EMA Partners

Exclusive - IPO Central's Interview With EMA Partners’ Management Team

MediaCast: K Sudarshan on EMA Partners’ historic IPO opening

The Right Fit - BusinessToday

EMA Partners Announces Leadership Changes Across India, UAE, and Singapore

Against The Odds

ema partners india: Executive search firm EMA Partners India to launch IPO

Salaries: CEOs Drive A Hard Bargain

Meesho redefines work culture, reaps benefits

TCS CEO Krithivasan earned $3 mln in first year at top job

Leadership lessons from Sachin Tendulkar

More CEOs eye exit as going gets tough, options spring up

Why can’t Indians be appointed as CEOs in large Indian carriers, asks industry

Rcpl: Reliance Consumer to focus on every FMCG product range equally, backend sourcing

Why India Inc needs more women leaders

Kingfisher Airlines CEO Sanjay Aggarwal quits

A Different Track for Jindal

Impact of Kochhar, Ramkrishna Saga: Greed isn’t gender-specific, say experts

Expat hiring up in India

Tata Sons Crowns N Chandrasekaran Chairman: From hilarious to banal, check out the Twitter reactions on Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry and more

Strain’s showing: India Inc hiring slowest in 3 years, up by mere 2% in FY14a

Indian businesses slow in getting women on board

Perks in Infosys, HCL Tech, others get fancy; top talent gets iPhones, Mercedes

Maternity perks may cost 1.8 million Indian women their jobs

Banks seek talent for on-tap CXO hiring

Demand for tech savvy CXOs on rise, say search experts

Employee safety top priority of companies, finds survey on Covid-19 impact

CXO Jobs: CXO hiring likely to touch a new record this year

CXOs much wanted; demand likely to exceed supply in 2024

M&A | CXO: M&As, talent war put CXO severance packages in focus

India Inc's attrition woes deepen as job offers swell

CXO Hiring: Large local companies ramp up search for CXOs amid macro woes

CXOs in demand in non-tech sector despite headwinds

No longer business as usual: Companies seek more in CEO skills

Coca-Cola re-interviews India employees to realign roles in sweeping revamp

Chief digital officers across sectors pocket sharp salary hikes

CXO crunch: Core sector companies facing acute shortage of talent at senior management

Crorepati club: Over 200 managers at Hindustan Unilever took home more than Rs 1 crore in annual salary in FY23

CXO Jobs: CXOs in demand as economy picks up

CXOs feel the heat amid high expectations, low tolerance

Strategy Consultants Salary: Companies rushing to hire consultants, but not in traditional way

Retention toolkit: India Inc readies golden handcuffs to arrest CXO attrition

As hiring slows and companies tighten belts, in-house recruiters face heat

Companies eye Indian expats for niche tech roles

Who gets the better performance appraisal - employees working remotely or those in the office?,

40% CEOs from 220 companies surveyed jumped ship in past three years

Senior executives exit startups to the safe shores of big local business groups

Most firms are not flexible about WFH provision in job contracts, especially for senior roles