Leadership hiring across India’s banking, financial services and insurance sector is shifting toward consolidation, with firms placing greater emphasis on risk management, governance and stability, according to a survey by executive search firm Venator Search Partners.
Functions including chief risk officers, chief compliance officers and chief financial officers accounted for 22.4% of senior leadership changes, making them the most prominent outside the chief executive position. Nearly a quarter of senior leadership focus is now directed at asset quality, capital adequacy and regulatory compliance, a trend expected to continue into 2026.
Deepraditya Datta, founder of Venator Search Partners, said, “Leadership hiring today reflects a sector that is prioritising discipline over disruption. Boards are signalling that resilience, judgement and regulatory comfort will define leadership success over the next cycle.”
The findings are based on 76 leadership movements at managing director, chief executive and CXO levels across 16 large non-banking finance companies and housing finance companies during 2024 and 2025. The group included nine listed and seven unlisted firms, representing a significant share of India’s retail and wholesale credit market.
Multiple transitions at the MD and CEO level highlight the growing demands on senior leadership amid heightened regulatory scrutiny, pressure on unsecured portfolios and rising board expectations. The pattern mirrors the broader corporate environment in India, which recorded 141 CEO exits in FY25, up from 119 in FY24, pointing to shorter and more results-driven leadership tenures.
Hiring strategies also reflected a balance between continuity and change. Internal promotions accounted for 55.3% of leadership appointments, while 44.7% were external hires. Six of the 16 firms relied entirely on internal candidates, while two opted exclusively for external appointments, signalling strategic resets rather than routine succession.
External hiring remained concentrated within financial services. About 58.8% of outside hires were sourced from banks, while 29.4% came from other NBFCs or housing finance companies, underscoring the premium placed on regulatory familiarity and credit experience.
Beyond control functions, business leadership hiring also showed signs of recalibration. Business and product heads accounted for 26.7% of leadership movements, reflecting a shift away from growth-led expansion toward portfolio resilience, secured lending and margin protection amid elevated funding costs.
Operational efficiency moved higher on the agenda. People and operations roles made up 24.4% of leadership appointments, indicating a transition from large-scale hiring to productivity and cost optimisation.
Women accounted for 14.5% of leadership moves, or 11 of the 76 appointments tracked, highlighting limited senior-level representation despite evidence of merit-based progression. Professional diversity also remained narrow, with 87.8% of leaders drawn from financial services backgrounds and only 12.2% from outside the sector.
Functions including chief risk officers, chief compliance officers and chief financial officers accounted for 22.4% of senior leadership changes, making them the most prominent outside the chief executive position. Nearly a quarter of senior leadership focus is now directed at asset quality, capital adequacy and regulatory compliance, a trend expected to continue into 2026.
Deepraditya Datta, founder of Venator Search Partners, said, “Leadership hiring today reflects a sector that is prioritising discipline over disruption. Boards are signalling that resilience, judgement and regulatory comfort will define leadership success over the next cycle.”
The findings are based on 76 leadership movements at managing director, chief executive and CXO levels across 16 large non-banking finance companies and housing finance companies during 2024 and 2025. The group included nine listed and seven unlisted firms, representing a significant share of India’s retail and wholesale credit market.
Multiple transitions at the MD and CEO level highlight the growing demands on senior leadership amid heightened regulatory scrutiny, pressure on unsecured portfolios and rising board expectations. The pattern mirrors the broader corporate environment in India, which recorded 141 CEO exits in FY25, up from 119 in FY24, pointing to shorter and more results-driven leadership tenures.
Hiring strategies also reflected a balance between continuity and change. Internal promotions accounted for 55.3% of leadership appointments, while 44.7% were external hires. Six of the 16 firms relied entirely on internal candidates, while two opted exclusively for external appointments, signalling strategic resets rather than routine succession.
External hiring remained concentrated within financial services. About 58.8% of outside hires were sourced from banks, while 29.4% came from other NBFCs or housing finance companies, underscoring the premium placed on regulatory familiarity and credit experience.
Beyond control functions, business leadership hiring also showed signs of recalibration. Business and product heads accounted for 26.7% of leadership movements, reflecting a shift away from growth-led expansion toward portfolio resilience, secured lending and margin protection amid elevated funding costs.
Operational efficiency moved higher on the agenda. People and operations roles made up 24.4% of leadership appointments, indicating a transition from large-scale hiring to productivity and cost optimisation.
Women accounted for 14.5% of leadership moves, or 11 of the 76 appointments tracked, highlighting limited senior-level representation despite evidence of merit-based progression. Professional diversity also remained narrow, with 87.8% of leaders drawn from financial services backgrounds and only 12.2% from outside the sector.