Reference
Glossary.
The terms used in retained executive search and senior leadership hiring — defined plainly, with the context that matters in India and the GCC.
- BFSI
- Banking, Financial Services and Insurance. The largest sector practice for Indian executive search.
- Board Search
- Search for non-executive directors, independent directors, audit committee members and board chairs.
- Boomerang Hire
- A leader who leaves a company and returns to it later, often into a more senior role.
- Compensation Benchmarking
- Market data on base, bonus, LTI, ESOPs and benefits for a given role and seniority, used to calibrate offer envelopes.
- Confidential Search
- A search run without disclosing the client's identity to the broader market. Standard for CXO replacements where the incumbent is not yet aware.
- Contingency Search
- A search engagement where the firm is paid only on successful placement. Common at junior levels; generally avoided for CXO hiring.
- Country Head
- The most senior in-country executive for a multinational, with P&L accountability for the country business.
- Cultural Due Diligence
- Pre-offer assessment of fit between the candidate and the client's leadership culture.
- CXO
- Umbrella term for chief-level executives: CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO, CRO, CMO, CTO, CIO, CDO and others.
- Diaspora Hiring
- Recruiting Indian-origin leaders working abroad (US, UK, Singapore, Canada, GCC) back into India or into the GCC.
- ESOP (Employee Stock Option Plan)
- Equity-linked compensation. A major component of senior CXO and startup leadership packages in India.
- Family Business Succession
- The process of transitioning leadership of a founder-family-owned company to the next generation or to an external CEO.
- Garden Leave
- A contractual period between resignation and start date during which the leaver remains employed but cannot work. Standard at CXO level.
- GCC (Global Capability Centre)
- A multinational's captive offshore operating centre. India hosts 1,600+ GCCs; Bengaluru is the largest hub.
- GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)
- Regional bloc comprising UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
- Golden Parachute
- Severance arrangement triggered by change-of-control or involuntary CXO exit.
- Independent Director
- A board director who has no material relationship with the company beyond the board seat. Required in India for listed companies under SEBI LODR.
- Interim CXO
- A senior executive placed on a fixed-term contract (typically 6–18 months) to bridge a vacancy, run a transformation, or hold a seat during PE-led transitions.
- International Hiring
- Cross-border senior search. Most common corridors for Dimensions HRD: India ↔ UAE, India ↔ Singapore, India ↔ Canada, GCC return-to-India.
- Leadership Due Diligence
- Pre-offer assessment combining structured interviewing, back-channel referencing, psychometrics and competency mapping.
- Limited Engagement Search
- A scoped, time-boxed search engagement delivering a market map and shortlist without a full retained mandate.
- NED (Non-Executive Director)
- A director who is not part of the executive management team. May or may not be independent.
- Onboarding Integration
- The structured first-90-day process designed to embed a new CXO into the leadership team and operating rhythm.
- PE Portfolio Hiring
- Senior hiring across a private equity firm's portfolio companies, often led by operating partners and run as a portfolio-wide programme.
- Reference Check
- Verification of a candidate's track record by speaking to former colleagues, managers and reports.
- Replacement Guarantee
- Contractual commitment to re-run a search at no professional fee if the placed candidate leaves within a stated period (typically 12 months).
- Retained Search
- A search engagement where the firm is paid in milestones regardless of outcome, in exchange for exclusivity and a guaranteed commitment of consultant time.
- RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing)
- A model where an external firm runs some or all of a client's recruitment function on a monthly retainer plus per-hire success fee.
- Sector Specialism
- The practice of staffing each mandate with a consultant who has worked inside that industry, rather than a generalist recruiter.
- Succession Planning
- The structured process of identifying and developing internal candidates for senior roles. Often paired with external benchmarking through executive search.
- Talent Mapping
- A market-intelligence exercise that produces a named inventory of leaders in a target function, sector and geography, without necessarily engaging them.