India Inc steps up C-suite hiring in 2025 despite volatility

Top leadership hiring in India Inc jumped 12.1% year-on-year in CY25, outpacing the 7.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between CY21 and CY25, as companies strengthened their leadership benches with chief executives (CEOs), chief operating officers (COOs) and business heads amid a rapidly changing and uncertain business environment.

CEO hires accounted for around 51% of top leadership hires, while COO hiring shot up by over 60% on a relatively small base. Hiring of business heads, however, remained largely flat, according to the Market Moves Insights by executive search firm Accord India.

Overall leadership appointments (CXOs, business and functional heads) grew by 10% year-on-year to 1,064 in CY25, up from 968 in CY24, with automotive, building materials, pharmaceuticals and financial services driving growth in CXO appointments. This number is the highest in the last five years, compared with 883 in CY21, 944 in CY22 and 875 in CY23.


“Executive hiring is tracking capex deployment, balance-sheet strength and regulatory intensity more closely than macro growth alone. Boards are prioritising execution certainty and operational resilience over growth optionality,” Sonal Agrawal, managing partner, Accord India, told ET.

“Sectors with tangible asset buildout continue to invest in leadership depth, even as consumption-led sectors shrink because of margin pressures,” she added.

Functional leadership demand reflects what’s important on the corporate agenda.

“Leadership hiring is now a mirror of boardroom anxieties—technology risk, people continuity, regulatory impact and capital market readiness,” said Agrawal.

So, hiring grew fastest at 72% yoy for digital and technology leaders, led by large-scale AI and digital transformation across organisations, while HR roles demand was buoyant as companies stepped up their talent focus. Finance, risk & legal showed sustained growth, reflecting IPO pipelines, PE oversight and regulatory scrutiny.

In contrast, corporate affairs & communications saw a yoy decline of 47%, suggesting centralisation, automation and lower tolerance for discretionary reputation spends.

Established companies account for 94% of leadership hiring, driven by professional and financial services (PFS), industrial, manufacturing and infrastructure (IMI)) and pharma, healthcare and lifesciences (PHL). Except IMI, hiring in startups across sectors continued to decline.

PHL and real estate (RE) have recorded the largest increases in hiring—50% and 74% respectively—from CY24 to CY25, albeit on smaller bases. Consumer, retail and services have shown a 12% decline in CY25 from CY24.

Meanwhile, the average age of top leaders has increased to 46-49 years in CY25 from 44-47 years in CY21, the study found, reflecting a clear bias towards seasoned operators over high-velocity profiles, especially in capital-intensive and regulated environments.

“The market is seeking judgment, pattern recognition and stakeholder credibility—not just disruption narratives,” said Agrawal.

The share of women leader appointments declined to 19.1% in CY25, after peaking at 21.4% in CY24. This is the result of a drop in share of women functional heads, driven by a sharp decline in multinationals to 35% in FY25 from 45% in FY24. The share of women in top leadership hiring continues to be in the 8-10% range.

The study, using 5,500 data points, covers CEO, business unit heads, COO and functional head appointments across various industries and sectors from January 2025 to December 2025. Board member appointments and roles below functional head levels are not included in the analysis, nor are internal promotions or changes of roles within existing companies.