Global Executive Search
Activated Where the Mandate Is
Finance · Technology · Leadership. One accountable senior partner, a mobilized network of market specialists, and market intelligence built fresh for every search — not pulled from a static database. No resourcer, no CV dump.
No brief required. Bring the role and we'll tell you what it realistically costs and how long it takes — whether or not you hire us. Prefer a lighter first step? Get a confidential market benchmark instead.
Or see the free 2026 finance leadership pay bands →
Available in IST, GST, GMT & US ET/PT hours · Senior partner responds within 2 hours
If any of these sound familiar
Built for the person making the call
Founders & CEOs
We help founders find leaders who can carry the next stage of the business.
CHRO / HR Leaders
Market-mapped executive search with one accountable senior partner — no resourcer hand-off.
Boards
Independent leadership intelligence for critical, board-level appointments.
PE / VC & Operating Partners
Leadership search and market intelligence for portfolio companies — one relationship across multiple portfolio hires.
Leadership hires where getting it wrong is expensive
Not a volume agency. One senior partner runs each search personally, brief to close — and we will tell you if the role should be a Finance Head rather than a full CFO.
India Entry & GCC Leadership
GCC Finance Heads and Controllers fluent in both US GAAP and India statutory — the combination generalist firms spend months failing to find.
GCC Finance Head recruitment →CFO, Finance Head & Controller
CFOs, Finance Directors, India Finance Heads, Controllers, Treasury and FP&A. Eleven years in BFSI means we assess the person, not the CV.
CFO recruitment in India →CTO & Engineering Leadership
CTOs, VPs of Engineering and Heads of Product. We test whether a candidate has genuinely scaled a platform or simply maintained one.
How we assess CTOs →Embedded RPO
Dedicated senior recruitment support for building a full India finance or engineering function — one monthly retainer, no per-placement fee.
How RPO works →Also: interim CFO and CTO cover · talent mapping · salary benchmarking · family office and promoter group search, by referral. See who we are not for →
What you can expect, in writing
- A clear leadership brief, agreed with you before any outreach begins
- A named target market map, reviewed and approved by you
- Direct, confidential candidate assessment against the role's real requirements
- Compensation intelligence specific to the role, market and seniority
- A calibration shortlist within 48 hours, and a board-ready shortlist as the search matures
- Regular search updates — no silent weeks
- Offer management and closing support through the candidate's start date
Leadership hiring activated wherever the mandate is.
Cross-border mandates run from a single point of ownership — one senior partner, one research team, one standard of shortlist, whichever market the role sits in.
Built Fresh for Every Mandate
Most search firms work from a static database. Talfino maps the market fresh for every mandate — wherever it lands — through one accountable senior partner and a mobilized network of market specialists. That means no claim to an office we don't have: tell us the market, and we'll show you exactly how we're building the map for it.
India
Mumbai · Bangalore · Hyderabad · Chennai · Delhi
Primary Market · INR→ AEUAE / GCC
Dubai · Abu Dhabi · DIFC · ADGM
GCC Hub · AED→ UKUnited Kingdom
London · Manchester · Edinburgh · Bristol
Finance Hub · GBP→ USUnited States
New York · San Francisco · Austin · Boston
GCC & India-Entry · USD→One network, mapped wherever it leads
A large share of finance leadership in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and London qualified in India and moved mid-career. We map that population natively — who they trained under, which firm they left and why, who else from their cohort moved — because it is the same network we work in India.
Most search firms map the destination. We map the whole path, in both directions: Indian-origin leaders running functions in the Gulf, the UK and the US, and the India-side leadership that global companies need. Billing in INR, USD, GBP or AED.
Leadership hiring by Indian city & region
We place C-suite and senior leadership nationally — CFO, Finance Head, CTO and VP Engineering in any Indian city. The pages below cover our deepest markets in detail; Kolkata, Ahmedabad and other hubs are covered directly, brief on request.
Each market hires differently. These cover what is locally true — where the talent sits, what it costs, and what is specifically hard about that role in that city.
What you can verify before you call
Talfino is run by a founder with eleven years in finance and technology hiring. Rather than publish testimonials you cannot check, here is what is checkable — and the commitments we operate to.
You sign off the target list before we contact a single person
Named organisations, named levels, off-limits list agreed in writing. You strike anyone you do not want approached — a competitor you partner with, a client, a former employer. Nothing goes to market until you have signed it off.
That is how you know the search is real mapping rather than a database query, and how you find out on day two rather than week six that the brief was pointed at the wrong pool. See the full process →
As placements accrue we will publish what actually matters — median brief-to-offer time, and how many placed leaders are still in seat at twelve months. Those numbers will go here, whatever they say. About the founder →
Why senior leaders trust Talfino
Our search method
Every search follows the same disciplined sequence — plain, not badged, until it's been proven on enough mandates to earn a name of its own.
- Business context — growth stage, model, geography and the leadership challenge behind the mandate.
- Market mapping — we map the relevant executive market fresh, rather than searching an existing database.
- Target approval — you review and approve the target list before any confidential outreach begins.
- Confidential approach — direct, discreet engagement with relevant executives.
- Assessment — candidates evaluated consistently against the role's actual requirements.
- Shortlist — only candidates who meet the agreed criteria are presented.
- Closing & integration — support through offer, notice period, and the first 90 days.
Recent searches
2026 finance leadership pay bands
Indicative fixed base ranges across India, the UAE and the UK, with sourcing stated openly. Budget a role before you brief it.
| Role | India (₹ LPA) | UAE (AED/yr) | UK (£/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFO | ₹80–180L | 400k–800k | £150k–250k |
| GCC Finance Head | ₹60–90L | — | — |
| Financial Controller | ₹45–80L | 240k–400k | £90k–140k |
Benchmark your exact role
The bands are the market in general. For what your role should pay — by company stage, sector and city — a senior partner sends a tailored view within one business day.
The questions we would ask
What does it cost?
Commercial terms depend on role seniority and engagement type — contingency, exclusive or retained — and are shared in full on the first call, along with a straight answer on which structure fits your search.
Fees are on fixed annual CTC — variable pay, joining bonus, ESOP and employer PF are excluded. On a senior India package that distinction is worth several lakh, so we state it upfront. UK, UAE and US mandates quoted in local terms, billed in GBP, AED or USD.
What does the 48-hour shortlist actually mean?
Within 48 hours of a full brief you get a first calibration shortlist — three to five leaders identified and assessed against your brief. It is a starting point, not the finished search. Directly approached passive candidates take longer to reach and arrive in later rounds.
The number that matters is brief to signed offer: typically five to nine weeks for a CFO or CTO, plus 60–90 days notice in India.
You are a young firm. Why take the risk?
Fair question, and we would rather answer it than dress around it. We are deliberately building Talfino around measurable search outcomes — not inflated placement numbers. Four recent examples: a Head of Finance role in Kolkata, open two months, closed in three weeks; a comparable Head of Finance search in Bangalore closed in a similar timeframe; a GCC CFO search in Saudi Arabia closed within two to three months; and a CTO search for a US technology company closed in a similar window. Beyond that, the commercial terms carry the risk: contingency payable only when your hire joins, 90-day replacement on all placements and six months on C-suite, and a 50% refund if we cannot replace within 60 days. If the search does not work, you have not paid for it.
Can you help a US, UK or Gulf company hire in India?
It is our flagship practice. GCC Finance Heads, Controllers, CTOs and engineering leaders for overseas parents building India teams — with USD, GBP or AED billing, calls in your time zone, and US tax documentation provided as required. Full detail in the guide for overseas companies hiring in India.
When are you the wrong firm?
Volume hiring, roles below senior leadership, urgent starts inside Indian notice periods, functions outside finance and technology, board appointments needing a global network, and any period when we are at capacity. We publish the full list at who we are not for.
More: retained vs contingency · how search firms in India compare · Bangalore vs Hyderabad · for candidates
Start Your Search Today
Whether hiring exceptional finance talent or seeking your next senior opportunity — we'd love to hear from you.
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