How much does a CXO search cost in India?

With Boardroom CXO, a CXO search costs one month of the hire's CTC. A Rs 10,000 service fee (including GST) starts the search, and that amount is adjusted against the final fee, which is invoiced when your hire joins. Other firms price searches in other ways, so it is worth comparing what each fee covers and when it is due.

How the fee works, step by step

• To start: a Rs 10,000 service fee (including GST).
• When your hire joins: the final fee of one month's CTC is invoiced, with the Rs 10,000 already paid adjusted against it.

So if the role's CTC works out to Rs 5 lakh a month, the final fee is Rs 5 lakh, and the invoice at joining is for that amount less the Rs 10,000 paid at the start.

What the fee covers

The search includes a map of what the role pays across your category and city before you set the budget, an agreed brief on what the role must deliver over the next 12 to 24 months, direct headhunting from competitor companies, a confidential shortlist, and guidance on a realistic offer.

The first conversation is free

Before any fee, you can brief us on the role on a free 30-minute call. We use it to understand the business and the role, and we come back with a read of the market before you commit a budget.

How this compares with other models

Search firms broadly charge in two ways. In retained search, a fee is charged at the start of the engagement. In contingency recruitment, the agency is paid only when its candidate is hired. Our model starts with a small fee and puts most of it at the point your hire joins. We explain the two models in retained vs contingency search.

Check what the role pays before you set the budget

The fee is the smaller part of the cost of a CXO hire. The bigger number is the package. Our compensation tool on the homepage shows ranges by role, store count and city tier, built from our 2025-26 market mapping, and the pay map at the start of each search confirms it for your category and city.