Positive Moves

What Positive Moves does

Positive Moves is a privately held global executive search and leadership advisory firm founded in 1992 by Praveen Malhotra, headquartered in Gurugram, India, with six international offices (New York, London, Dubai, Gurugram, Mumbai, Singapore) and a partner bench of 100+ consultants. The firm delivers retained executive search mandates for C-suite, board, and senior leadership positions, alongside a portfolio of adjacent advisory services including Board Services, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion advisory, Human Capital Advisory, Analytics & Program Management, and Assessment & Capability Building, organized across eight industry verticals (Financial Services, Telecom, Digital, Private Equity, Consumer Products & Retail, Information Technology, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Industrial & Infrastructure). Its client base spans multinational corporations, private equity firms, family-owned enterprises, and emerging disruptors, with cross-border mandate delivery enabled by its distributed office network.

The firm's technology backbone is PINE (Positive Moves Integrated Network), a proprietary AI-powered executive search platform built on over 30 years of qualified candidate data and enriched with live market intelligence. The May 2025 launch of PINE 2.0 added GPT-trained search logic, multi-dimensional relevance ranking, automated JD-to-pipeline search, talent heatmaps, competitive benchmarks, and an internal conversational assistant called Ask PINE. The platform is internal-use only, with no public API or SDK.

The business model is predominantly professional services: revenue is generated through retainer-based and project-based executive search and advisory engagements, with contract values tied to scope, seniority, and geography. Complementing services revenue, the firm operates a strategic investment portfolio of profit-funded minority stakes across eight ventures spanning fintech, mobility, AR/AI, healthcare, ed-tech, and digital banking (Stashfin, Rapido, Avataar.Me, Navya, Cuemath, UNO Digital Bank, Positive Integers, Mozark.ai). The firm has indicated consideration of formalizing this portfolio into an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) vehicle in India. A wholly-owned government and public-sector advisory subsidiary, Positive Mantra Consulting, was established in 2024 as a separate growth vector. The firm maintains alignment with ISO/IEC 27001 information security standards and operates as both Positive Moves Consulting International LLP and Positive Moves Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

Name

Positive Moves

Legal name

Positive Moves Consulting International LLP

Website

https://positivemoves.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Positive Moves is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm founded in 1992, serving multinationals, PE firms, and emerging disruptors across eight industry verticals through 100+ consultants in six international offices, powered by its proprietary AI platform PINE 2.0.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search and Leadership Advisory

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Executive Search (BPACAAAL), Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA), Public Sector, Education & Nonprofit Leadership Search (BPACAAAI), Leadership Assessment, 360 Feedback & Development Planning (EDABAAAK)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Leadership advisory
• Board advisory
• Human capital consulting
• Talent acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurugram

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Core executive search and leadership advisory services delivered through retained search mandates for C-suite, board, and senior leadership positions across industries and geographies. Revenue generated through project-based consulting engagements with enterprise and PE clients.
2. Board Services: Board composition, governance advisory, director succession planning, and board performance assessment services for corporate boards and PE portfolio companies.
3. Human Capital Advisory: Strategic talent architecture, workforce planning, performance culture design, engagement and retention strategy, and governance/ethics advisory consulting engagements.
4. DEI Advisory: Diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy development, diagnostics, policy design, leadership engagement, and sustained monitoring services.
5. Strategic Investments: Investment returns from portfolio companies including Stashfin, Rapido, Avataar.Me, Navya, Cuemath, UNO Digital Bank, Positive Integers, and Mozark.ai. Invests from accumulated profits in early-stage ventures across Fintech, Health-Tech, Ed-Tech, Mobility, and Digital Banking.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Positive Moves is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm that places C-suite, board, and senior leaders through retained and project-based search mandates. Its proprietary AI platform (PINE / PINE 2.0) accelerates candidate discovery, intelligent role matching, and market intelligence across 8 industry verticals. Adjacent advisory services span Board Services, DEI Advisory, Human Capital Advisory, Analytics & Program Management, and Assessment & Capability Building, delivered through 6 international offices.

Product overview

Positive Moves is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm operating since 1992. The core offering is a suite of professional services organized around executive search and leadership solutions, anchored by PINE (Positive Moves Integrated Network) and PINE 2.0 — the company's proprietary AI-powered executive search platform. PINE/PINE 2.0 serves as the technology backbone, providing AI-powered candidate discovery, intelligent role matching, market intelligence, and search automation. The service portfolio includes Executive Search (core placement service), Board Services, DEI Advisory, Human Capital Advisory, Analytics & Program Management, and Assessment & Capability Building — all delivered across 8 industry verticals (Financial Services, Telecom, Digital, Private Equity, Consumer/Retail, IT, Healthcare/Life Sciences, Industrial/Infrastructure). A specialized sub-brand, Positive Mantra Consulting, handles government and public sector advisory. The company operates from offices in New York, London, Dubai, Gurugram, Mumbai, and Singapore.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Cross-border executive search service for corporations, PE firms, and family-owned enterprises placing C-suite, board, and senior leaders via retained mandates with global market mapping, structured interviews, behavioral assessments, psychometrics, and integration advisory.
• Board Services Board composition, performance, succession, and governance architecture advisory for corporate boards and PE portfolio companies, including board gap analysis, director search and succession planning, performance assessment, governance enhancement, and ongoing director development.
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Strategic DEI consulting embedding diversity into talent and leadership architecture, including DEI diagnostics, culture audits, strategy development, leadership workshops, talent process alignment, and sustained monitoring.
• Human Capital Advisory Advisory services for optimizing people strategies aligned with strategic imperatives, including strategic talent architecture, future workforce planning, performance culture design, engagement and retention strategy, and governance/ethics/risk advisory.
• Analytics & Program Management Decision intelligence and delivery excellence services integrating data analytics with program management, including data architecture/integration, insight generation/dashboarding, program design/governance, execution/monitoring, and post-implementation review.
• Assessment & Capability Building Leadership readiness assessment and capability framework development, including workforce diagnostics/talent mapping, development pathway design, experiential learning delivery, performance tracking analytics, and a culture of development.
• Positive Mantra Consulting Specialized government and public sector advisory arm of Positive Moves providing e-governance, consulting, capacity building, digital transformation, project implementation, and IEC campaign services across urban development, rural development, healthcare, industrial development, and tourism.

Quantifiable outcome

• 78% of multinationals rank cultural fluency among top three leadership traits
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Positive Mantra ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Specialized arm of Positive Moves driving innovation and governance excellence in the public sector. Partners with policymakers on e-governance, consulting, capacity building, digital transformation, and project implementation. Website: positivemantraconsulting.com

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong board practice. Direct competitor on CEO/board mandates and culture-fit assessments; comparable in cross-border delivery model and consulting-style engagements.
• Egon Zehnder: Privately held global executive search and leadership advisory firm known for board and CEO succession work. Comparable in cross-border retained search orientation and advisory depth across financial services, industrial, and consumer verticals.
• Boyden: Mid-sized global executive search firm with partner-led model and broad industry coverage. Closely comparable in boutique scale, partner-relationship-led client engagement, and emerging-market presence.
• Amrop: International executive search partnership with deep presence across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Closely comparable in partner-led model and emerging-market corridor specialization aligned with Positive Moves' India-Gulf-SEA footprint.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm focused on C-suite and board placements, with strong Financial Services and PE coverage. Closely comparable in retainer-based model and cross-border execution.
• Stanton Chase: Global executive search firm with strong emerging-market footprint and industry-specialized partner teams. Closely comparable in cross-border emerging-market execution and verticalized industry practices.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Pure-play executive search and leadership advisory firm with deep PE and global cross-border practice. Closest peer in business model (retained C-suite/board search, leadership consulting) and in key verticals (PE, Financial Services, Technology).
• Odgers Berndtson: Global executive search firm with strong UK and international presence. Comparable in retained C-suite/board search orientation, partner-led culture, and board/advisory practice emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting powerhouse with embedded AI talent intelligence capabilities. Direct competitor to Positive Moves at the C-suite/board level, but with substantially larger scale, broader RPO/Offering portfolio, and stronger North American/European brand recognition.
• Page Executive (Michael Page Group): Executive search arm of Michael Page Group offering C-suite and senior leadership recruitment. Comparable in executive search delivery, but sits within a larger generalist recruitment group rather than a pure-play executive search partnership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInin.linkedin.com/company/positive-moves

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Positive Moves