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K. Sudarshan is a veteran executive search leader and Managing Partner at EMA Partners across India, Singapore, and the UAE. Sudarshan shares his journey from an accidental recruiter to building and listing one of India’s largest executive search firms. Drawing from 25+ years of experience working with founders, boards, and CEOs, he offers deep insights into leadership, talent decisions, governance, and scaling professional services firms.

The conversation explores why executive search remains critical despite democratized talent data, how boards underestimate CEO onboarding, and what founders and organizations must unlearn when hiring senior leaders. Sudarshan also reflects on entrepreneurship, long-term value creation, people-centric leadership, the impact of fitness and endurance sports on mindset, angel investing, and lessons from Harvard Business School’s OPM program. Throughout, he emphasizes perspective, trust, frugality paired with ambition, and building institutions that outlast founders.

Here are the Top 10 Takeaways from the conversation:

1. Entrepreneurial roots matter
   Growing up in a business family shapes risk appetite, frugality, and long-term thinking even when careers start accidentally.
2. Think small, think big
   Run operations frugally (“think small”) while holding bold, long-term vision (“think big”).
3. Best candidate ≠ right candidate
   Executive search is about contextual and cultural fit, not just credentials or network-driven hiring.
4. Executive search blends art and science
   Assessing leadership fit requires structured evaluation and human judgment.
5. Every company and founder is vulnerable
   Talent, continuity, and uncertainty affect startups and billion-dollar firms alike.
6. People outperform ownership in professional services
   Overplaying professionalism and performance builds stronger, longer-lasting firms than equity-focused models.
7. CEO onboarding is widely underestimated
   Integration and cultural assimilation matter as much as selecting the right leader.
8. India’s leadership landscape has shifted
   Professional CEOs now dominate over promoters, reflecting stronger governance and global scale.
9. Perspective anchors leadership in tough times
   Avoid knee-jerk decisions, trust proven performers, and remember that downturns are temporary.
10. Long-term success is about credibility, not money
    Respect from clients, repeat relationships, and trust define sustainable success more than short-term financial metrics.

Books: 

• Straight from the Gut 
• Execution
• No Rules Rules