Leadership hiring consultants across South East Asia.
South East Asia is where many Indian companies take their first big step abroad. From regional headquarters in Singapore to plants in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, and GCCs and shared services in Manila, we search for the leaders who run them.
The leadership market in South East Asia
South East Asia is where many Indian companies take their first big step abroad, and where global manufacturers are building new capacity. Singapore hosts regional headquarters, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam run manufacturing and electronics, Indonesia leads in resources, energy and consumer markets, and the Philippines is a hub for shared services and infrastructure. Leadership hiring here is mostly regional and country leadership: leaders who can build a business across borders, cultures and regulators. We work only at this level, as senior level recruitment consultants and headhunters across South East Asia.
Industries we cover in South East Asia: electronics and semiconductors, automotive and EV batteries, petrochemicals and energy, textiles and apparel, and agribusiness and food, along with Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and Global Business Services (GBS), shared services, audit and advisory firms, finance and accounting firms, technology consulting, technology and customer support, EPC and infrastructure, specialty chemicals, and pharma and life sciences.
Roles we fill most often in South East Asia
- Country Heads and Managing Directors for Indian companies entering the region
- Regional Heads for South East Asia, often based in Singapore
- Plant Heads and Operations Heads for new manufacturing sites in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia
- CFOs and Business Heads for regional subsidiaries
- Centre Heads, Site Leaders and Delivery Heads for GCCs, GBS and shared services centres
- Partners, Practice Heads and Finance and Accounting Heads for audit, advisory and technology consulting firms
- Functional Heads and Heads of Department (HODs) across finance, HR, sales, operations, supply chain, quality and projects
Hiring challenges
- Each country has its own work pass and employment rules, so the right base for the role must be settled early.
- Regional leaders must work across very different cultures, languages and ways of doing business.
- Pay benchmarks vary widely between Singapore and the rest of the region.
A regional role needs a leader who can build trust in six markets at once. We assess for that, not just for the CV.
Our process for executive search in South East Asia: a working session with the founder or board, a mapped market of sitting leaders, discreet outreach, structured assessment and deep referencing. Typically 2 to 3 weeks (passive job seekers) from brief to offer.
Where we search in South East Asia
We search across the region, country by country:
- Singapore: regional headquarters, finance, trading and leadership for the wider region.
- Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor, for electronics, oil and gas, and manufacturing.
- Indonesia: Jakarta and the industrial estates around it, for resources, energy, infrastructure and consumer goods.
- Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and the northern industrial provinces, for electronics and manufacturing.
- Thailand: Bangkok and the Eastern Economic Corridor, for automotive, chemicals and manufacturing.
- Philippines: Manila and its surrounding regions, for shared services, infrastructure and consumer businesses.
We also map Indian leaders with South East Asia experience who are ready to return to the region, and leaders in the Middle East for roles that span both regions.
Executive search, not a recruitment agency
Companies comparing headhunters in Singapore or executive search firms in Singapore for a regional role often ask what changes. Recruitment agencies across the region are strong at volume and mid level hiring. Our work is narrower:
- We take only leadership mandates, each led by a partner, for single countries or the whole region.
- We approach sitting leaders in the region and proven Indian leaders ready for an international role, in confidence.
- Every profile is assessed for leading across cultures, and referenced, before it reaches you.
Related practices and roles
South East Asia mandates most often draw on our manufacturing and engineering, EPC and EPCM, energy and renewables and specialty chemicals practices. For the roles, see Country Head search, Managing Director search and Business Unit Head search, or read our guide on hiring Executive Directors.
Frequently asked questions
Do you hire for CXO and Functional Head roles across all 18+ industries?
Yes. Our practices cover manufacturing, EPC, pharma, specialty chemicals, infrastructure, consumer and financial services and more.
Can you run a replacement search without alerting the market?
Yes. Outreach is discreet, and the client is named only to the shortlist.
Is every profile assessed before we see it?
Yes. Each one is assessed, evaluated and validated for the Right Fitment first.
Which countries in South East Asia do you cover?
Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines, for single country and regional roles.
Do you hire Indian leaders for roles in South East Asia?
Yes. Many mandates suit Indian leaders with regional experience, and we also search for leaders already based in the region.
See the leadership roles we search for, our industry practices, and all the locations we cover.