Stellar Search

What Stellar Search does

Stellar Search is a global leadership advisory firm founded in 2002 and headquartered in Gurgaon, India, specializing in executive search, leadership assessment, executive coaching, and personal brand consulting. The firm serves clients ranging from Fortune 100 multinational corporations to mid-sized fast-growth organizations, entrepreneurial start-ups, and private equity firms across 8+ industry verticals including Life Sciences & Healthcare, Consumer Led Businesses, Private Equity, Professional Services, Energy & Renewables, Infrastructure & Utilities, Industrial, and the LimeLitt personal brand practice. Stellar operates as a boutique firm with 11-50 employees, led by founder and Chairperson Shailja Dutt, and describes itself as a "leading talent acquisition partner of choice for clients traversing the length and breadth of Asia & Africa" with operations spanning 5 continents.

The firm's core service is retainer-based executive search, supported by leadership assessment and executive coaching as add-on modules. Stellar claims a network of over 500,000 healthcare executives and 1 million+ consumer/business executives globally, and reports having completed over 250 searches in the consumer space alone over five years. The firm references "patented technology platforms" integrated with search processes, though specific AI/ML capabilities are not disclosed. A wholly-owned subsidiary, LimeLitt, extends the offering into personal branding and communication consulting. The firm partners with the ECI Group Network (joined September 2021) and holds AESC Council representation for Asia Pacific and Middle East (since February 2022).

Stellar's business model is professional services revenue earned through customized, project-based retainer fees that vary by role seniority, industry vertical, and geographic scope. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales led by senior consultants with deep vertical expertise, supplemented by professional network referrals and thought leadership content distributed via LinkedIn, Economic Times, Business World, The Print, and ET Edge Insights podcasts. The firm is founder-owned and bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, operating as a privately held executive search boutique rather than a scaled platform business.

Name

Stellar Search

Legal name

Stellar Search

Website

https://stellarsearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stellar Search is a global leadership advisory firm founded in 2002, offering executive search, leadership assessment, coaching, and personal brand consulting to Fortune 500 firms, mid-sized companies, private equity, and start-ups across 8+ verticals with focus on emerging markets in Asia and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAAAA

C-Suite & Board Search

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

SECONDARYBPACAAAE

Healthcare & Life Sciences Leadership Search

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

SECONDARYBPACAAAG

Consumer & Retail Leadership Search

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

SECONDARYBPACAAAF

Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

SECONDARYBPACAAAB

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

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Leadership advisory
• Talent acquisition
• Executive coaching
• Board advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurugram

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Core retainer-based executive search services placing senior executives and board-level leaders across multiple industry verticals. The firm has completed over 250 searches in the consumer space alone over five years, serving clients ranging from Fortune 500 multinationals to emerging companies.
2. Leadership Assessment: Leadership assessment services to evaluate executive capabilities and identify leadership qualities needed for client organizations.
3. Executive Coaching: Executive coaching services to develop and enhance leadership capabilities of placed executives and prospective leaders.
4. Personal Brand Consulting (LimeLitt): Personal branding and personal brand consulting practice delivered through subsidiary LimeLitt, enabling clients to lead more fulfilling personal and professional lives through bespoke, client-centric and technology-led processes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Stellar Search is a global leadership advisory firm providing retainer-based executive search services that place senior executives and board-level leaders across multiple industry verticals. Beyond core search, the firm delivers leadership assessment, executive coaching, and personal brand consulting (through its LimeLitt subsidiary), serving clients from Fortune 500 multinationals to mid-sized fast-growth firms and start-ups across 5 continents with particular strength in Asia and Africa emerging markets.

Product overview

Stellar Search is a global leadership advisory firm offering a unified executive search and talent acquisition service. The core product is Executive Search, supported by Leadership Assessment and Executive Coaching modules. The portfolio also includes LimeLitt, a sub-brand focused on personal brand consulting. The company operates as a single unified service offering with supporting specialized practices, leveraging patented technology platforms and serving clients across 5 continents with particular strength in Asia and Africa markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LimeLitt: Personal branding services for leaders, enabling clients to lead more fulfilling personal and professional lives through bespoke, client-centric and technology-led processes.

Products and services

• Executive Search Core retainer-based executive search service that connects organizations with executive-level talent across global markets. Serves clients ranging from Fortune 500 multinationals to mid-sized fast-growth companies and entrepreneurial start-ups, with expertise spanning multiple industry verticals including Life Sciences, Healthcare, Consumer, Private Equity, Professional Services, Energy, Infrastructure, and Industrial sectors.
• Leadership Assessment

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250 searches completed in consumer space over 5 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 February 2022Membership and active participation in AESC Council for Asia Pacific and Middle East region. The association is the premier global organization for executive search and leadership consultants, providing standards, resources, and professional development for the industry.
• ECI Group NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2021Strategic partnership where Stellar Search joined the ECI Group Network in September 2021. This association enhances Stellar's global reach and provides access to a broader network of executive search professionals and clients across international markets.
• LimeLittcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimeLitt is Stellar Search's subsidiary focused on personal branding and communication skills development. Founded with the objective of enabling clients to lead more fulfilling personal and professional lives, LimeLitt represents Stellar's expansion into personal brand consulting services delivered through bespoke, client-centric and technology-led processes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Amrop: Global executive search partnership with strong emerging-market coverage across consumer, life sciences, and industrial sectors. Comparable boutique-to-mid-scale retained search model with similar geographic emphasis.
• Stanton Chase: Global executive search firm with strong presence in emerging markets and sector-specialized practices (consumer, healthcare, industrial). Comparable due to similar boutique-to-mid-scale model and emerging-market focus.
• Pedersen & Partners: Boutique executive search firm focused on emerging markets and frontier economies across EMEA, Asia, and the Americas. Highly comparable given similar emerging-market positioning, mid-market to enterprise client mix, and multi-vertical coverage.

Broad incumbents

• Spencer Stuart: One of the world's largest executive search firms with deep global coverage and a strong board and CEO practice. Comparable because both firms compete for senior leadership mandates across multiple verticals and geographies.
• Korn Ferry: Largest executive search and organizational consulting firm globally, spanning multiple industries and offering complementary talent consulting. Directly comparable for senior-level retained search mandates.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm focused on senior leadership across consumer, healthcare, and industrial sectors. Comparable for cross-border C-suite and functional leadership searches.
• Michael Page: Global professional recruitment firm with significant presence in Asia. Adjacent comparator given overlapping target segments and geographies, though their model skews more toward mid-level rather than retained executive search.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong healthcare, consumer, and industrial practices. Comparable due to overlapping verticals, retained search model, and assessment/coaching adjacencies.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with deep healthcare, consumer, and financial services practices. Comparable as a direct competitor for Fortune 500 and PE leadership mandates.
• Hays: Global recruitment and workforce solutions firm operating across multiple sectors including healthcare and consumer. Comparable as a scaled recruitment competitor with overlapping verticals, though more weighted toward mid-market and contingent hiring.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stellarsearch12
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stellar-search
• Facebookfacebook.com/stellarsearch1998

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Stellar Search