People Connect

What People Connect does

People Connect is a New Delhi-based private executive search firm founded in 2003 by Sarjeev Sethi, specializing in retained executive search for CXO, board-level, and senior management positions. The firm operates across 40+ industry sectors, serving global multinational corporations and Indian listed conglomerates with a representative client base that includes Accenture, Microsoft, GE, Whirlpool, Rio Tinto, and Mercer. The firm's core methodology is partner-led rather than technology-enabled: engagements are conducted through direct partner involvement, intensive client onboarding, and confidential candidate assessment, with the firm explicitly describing itself as relationship-driven rather than reliant on automated sourcing or AI tooling.

The firm offers six service lines covering retained executive search, cross-border searches, and contingency mandates, with active engagements visible in Q3 2026. Its commercial model is built on upfront retainer fees per search mandate, multi-month engagement cycles, and long-term client relationships anchored by marquee global brands. People Connect has remained founder-led throughout its 23-year history with 11-50 employees, and has not raised external funding or executed material inorganic growth moves. Recent operational signals include the launch of a "Field Notes" content blog and continued acceptance of 7 open retained mandates in Q3 2026, indicating steady-state boutique operations rather than scale-stage growth.

Name

People Connect

Legal name

People Connect Consultants

Website

https://people-connect.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

People Connect is a New Delhi-based executive search firm founded in 2003 by Sarjeev Sethi that conducts partner-led retained searches for CXO, board, and senior management roles across 40+ sectors, serving global multinational corporations and Indian listed conglomerates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAFAB

Executive & Leadership Direct Hire

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Permanent Placement & Direct Hire

SECONDARYBPACAFAC

Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Permanent Placement & Direct Hire

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Leadership recruitment
• Talent advisory consulting
• Board level hiring
• Senior management placement

Headquarters

HQ city

Noida

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retained Executive Search: Partner-led exclusive mandates for CEO, C-suite, and direct-report roles. Clients pay retainers for dedicated search engagements with guaranteed partner involvement throughout the process. This is the primary revenue stream and most rigorous service offering.
2. Contingency Search: Senior and middle-management placements on success-fee terms. Revenue is earned upon successful placement completion. Scaled for volume mandates and time-sensitive roles.
3. Board Mandates: Independent director, non-executive chair, board member and committee lead searches. Governance-grade processes typically command premium retained fees.
4. Selection Consulting: Structured assessment, referencing, and recommendation against client shortlists, independent of candidate sourcing. Charged as a separate consulting engagement.
5. Recruitment Systems & Processes: Design and implementation of in-house talent functions including org design, scorecards, interview rubrics, and operating cadence. Typically project-based consulting engagements.
6. Panel Interviewing: Founder and senior partners available to chair or sit on final-round panels for board-critical hires. Supplementary service to core search engagements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

People Connect is a partner-led executive search and talent advisory firm that recruits senior and middle-management leaders — including Chairs, CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, CTOs, COOs, MDs, and board members — for global multinationals and Indian enterprises. The firm delivers six core offerings: retained executive search, contingency search, board-level searches, selection consulting, recruitment systems and processes design, and panel interviewing, all executed through a six-stage methodology by senior partners rather than associates.

Product overview

People Connect is a premier executive search firm offering a unified professional services portfolio centered on senior leadership recruitment. The company operates six core service offerings — Retained Executive Search, Contingency Search, Board Level Searches, Selection Consulting, Recruitment Systems & Processes, and Panel Interviewing — each designed to address different stages and requirements of executive talent acquisition. These services are delivered through a partner-led, bespoke methodology across 40 industry sectors and functional domains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retained Executive Search Partner-led, exclusive mandates for CEO, C-suite, and direct-report roles — the most rigorous, methodical form of executive search offered by the firm. Clients pay retainers for dedicated search engagements with guaranteed partner involvement throughout the process.
• Contingency Search Senior and middle-management placements on success-fee terms, applying the same rigorous methodology scaled for volume mandates and time-sensitive roles.
• Board Level Searches Independent directors, non-executive chairs, board members, and committee leads searches conducted through discreet, governance-grade processes.
• Selection Consulting Structured assessment, referencing, and recommendation against client shortlists — independent of who sourced the candidate. Charged as a separate consulting engagement.
• Recruitment Systems & Processes Design and stand-up of in-house talent functions including org design, scorecards, interview rubrics, and operating cadence. Typically delivered as project-based consulting engagements.
• Panel Interviewing Founder and senior partners available to chair or sit on final-round panels for board-critical hires, supplementary to core search engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 weeks median close time for search mandates (vs industry average of 26+ weeks)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Boyden: Global executive search firm with significant India operations serving multinational and Indian clients. Comparable in service portfolio (retained search, board, leadership consulting) and mid-market positioning versus the largest incumbents.
• Stanton Chase: Mid-sized global executive search firm with active India practice. Closely comparable boutique-style positioning targeting C-suite and board mandates, with similar client roster across consumer, industrial, and technology sectors.
• ABC Consultants: One of India's largest domestic executive search firms, founded in 1969. Most directly comparable India-based peer in scale and service breadth, competing for senior and middle-management mandates across Indian conglomerates and multinationals.
• Transearch International: Global executive search firm with strong emerging-markets presence and India operations. Comparable mid-sized boutique positioning with cross-border mandate capability targeting the same CXO and board segments.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Large-scale global organizational consulting firm with a major executive search practice and proprietary assessment IP. Overlaps significantly on CXO/board searches and competes for multinational India mandates.
• Spencer Stuart: Premier global executive search firm with a strong India practice covering CEO, board, and CXO searches. Competes for the same board-grade mandates People Connect targets, particularly with multinational clients operating in India.
• Egon Zehnder: Global leadership advisory firm combining executive search with leadership assessment and development. Directly comparable in partner-led methodology and board/CXO mandate focus, with growing India presence.
• Odgers Berndtson: International executive search firm with mid-sized India operations focused on senior leadership and board placements. Comparable partner-led methodology and cross-border mandate capability for Indian and multinational clients.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with deep India presence. Directly competes for C-suite and board mandates across the same Fortune 500 and Indian conglomerate client base, though with a much wider portfolio of services and larger partner bench.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with established India operations serving CEO, board, and functional leadership mandates. Closely comparable in client roster (large multinationals and Indian conglomerates) and engagement model.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/People-Connect-Placements-Pvt-Ltd-100068549774977
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/people-connect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about People Connect