Top-tier executive talent for banking
Mumbai: Hiring a CXO in the banking sector is a pivotal decision, one that can shape the very future of an organization. With the right leader at the helm, a bank can navigate complex challenges and drive remarkable growth. Venator Search Partners, one of India’s foremost executive search firms specializing in the banking and financial services industry, understands this responsibility.
Since 2009, Venator has been dedicated to identifying and securing the top-tier talent who not only excel in business acumen but also align with the cultural vision of their clients. Their consultative, strategy-driven approach and expertise in the BFSI sector make Venator a trusted ally for any organization seeking transformative leadership.
The name ‘Venator’ is derived from the Latin word ‘vënãri,’ meaning ‘to hunt.’ Since 2009, Venator Search Partners has been expertly headhunting for the banking sector.
Venator not only seeks the industry’s top talent from a business perspective but also emphasizes cultural alignment at the leadership level. The firm’s approach is deeply consultative, tailoring each search to the unique requirements of their clients.
Venator Search Partners’ unparalleled expertise and nuanced understanding of the BFSI sector enable them to effectively partner with leading banking organizations, fostering long-term relationships based on a thorough understanding of each client’s business, culture, and growth objectives while maintaining complete confidentiality.
Headquartered in Mumbai, India, Venator Search Partners prides itself on its diverse team of seasoned professionals. Each team member brings a unique skill set and background that collectively contribute to the company’s vision and operating philosophy.
Venator Search Partners is led by Deepraditya Datta (Managing Director), supported by Non-Executive Director Abhay Agarwal, Director of Operations Bharati Mujumdar, and Senior Consultant Ganesh Shikhare.
The firm leverages advanced technology, utilizing Salesforce CRM with a customized ‘Target Recruit’ plug-in to enhance its search process efficiency. Their strategy-driven approach ensures each mandate benefits from fresh and unique insights, making them a trusted partner for organizations seeking top-tier executive talent.
Venator understands the challenges in the banking sector and leverages market insights from thousands of evaluations and assignments to secure the necessary talent.
MadeInMedia’s Kalpana Ravi spoke to Deepraditya Datta – Managing Director, Venator Search Partners on the strategy-driven, consultative approach, that ensures each client finds a leader who can truly shape the future of their organization in the banking sector and much more……
Excerpts:
How does Venator Search Partners ensure that the CXOs they recruit not only meet business requirements but also align with the cultural values of the organization?
A key to a senior-level hire is to make sure that the incumbent succeeds in the new environment. Functional requirements are easier to match. The harder challenge is cultural alignment, and that is where we dedicate our utmost attention.
Our efforts on cultural alignment begin from the very first step of our search process. We develop a target list of companies with similar values, backgrounds, and organizational structures. During the assessment phase, we thoroughly evaluate candidates not only on technical skills but also on cultural fit. Key indicators such as shared values, business environment, geographic familiarity, and approach to work are a few key indicators. Such evaluations are often subjective rather than objective which makes it complex and calls for expertise & experience in gauging! We also establish that with proven psychometric tools leaving almost no gap in going wrong.
What strategies does Venator Search Partners employ to identify leadership candidates who can drive long-term success and innovation in the banking and financial services industry?
Our approach to search is scientific, and attempts at removing subjective bias. We start the exercise with a search strategy. This captures all the hygienic factors for the search and captures the mandate methodically. Next is to ‘comb search’ competitors, what we call ‘target list of companies’.
We categorise candidates in 3 buckets – active job seekers, tip-toer and inactive job seekers. The best of the hires often come out of the tip-toer bucket. Our process ensures that we cover the target segment comprehensively and there’s no stone unturned.
Our strength lies in our ‘search strategy’ and never-give-up attitude. That is the reason why we have often succeeded in assignments that other search firms have given up.
Can you walk us through the consultative approach Venator Search Partners uses to tailor each executive search to the unique needs of its banking clients?
An example in point would be the recent ED hires at Banks. RBI directed the Banks to strengthen their senior management and hire an ED, for banks that didnt already have one. However, this did not articulate the kind of hire that needed to be done. Many of the banks were not sure about what skill sets to go for. We then had to sit with our clients to discuss & identify organisational gaps and define the role to hire for, and have successfully completed mandates for a few banks.
How does Venator Search Partners leverage advanced technology, like Salesforce CRM with Target Recruit, to streamline the headhunting process and enhance the quality of its searches?
We hear the use of AI substituting a lot of processes in recruitment as well. We believe AI will be an enabler making the process more efficient and complete while human intervention remains irreplaceable.
In 2018, we chose Salesforce as a platform, arguably the best globally. It aligns with our aspirations well – a homegrown firm with global standards. With Salesforce, we seamlessly moved to a WFH mode in 2020 during COVID-19. Presently, we have completely migrated the salesforce that captured our process to the T.
With the increasing complexities in the banking sector, how does Venator Search Partners anticipate and address the evolving leadership needs of its clients? In the past many years the banking system in India has seen many changes how have you as a company kept yourself updated on these changes?
At Venator Search Partners, we feel that value add comes from knowledge. Our key team members come with banking & financial services background. Having constant industry focus we created an extensive industry network. That’s our source of knowledge and reach. Our many interactions with industry stalwarts combined with a continuous ongoing research on trending topics helps us keep abreast with the changes.
Could you elaborate on how Venator Search Partners builds long-term relationships with banking institutions and how this impacts the effectiveness of their executive placements?
We let our work build relationships. This may sound cliche, but that’s the only way to build sustainable relationships. At the senior leadership level, a wrong hire could take the organisation back by months. We strive to hire the best and this has worked wonders for businesses. We pride ourselves on building many leadership teams. The work we have done with ‘Small Finance Banks’ is second to none, and we spotted the opportunity when licenses just came out. We did play a major hand in building leadership talent for at least 5 SFBs over the last few years. HDFC Bank, the largest private sector lender has been a close client for more than a decade. We have been instrumental in hiring several key talents including quite a few at absolute leadership level e.g. CFO, CHRO, Head of Branch Banking, Head of Investment Banking, Head of Design, Head of Corporate Communication, and so on.
In what ways do Venator Search Partners’s market insights, gained from numerous evaluations and assignments, influence their approach to finding the right leadership talent for the BFSI sector?
There is no substitute for experience and personal judgement. That is part of the reason we feel that AI will take a long time to replace executive search professionals, if ever. Every meeting and conversation adds to our knowledge base, and that is what we bring to the table for our clients. We pride ourselves on being just a click away from most of the people we are targeting and that our search will also have market information built into the process.
How does Venator Search Partners maintain confidentiality while conducting high-level executive searches, especially when dealing with sensitive leadership transitions in the banking sector?
Confidentiality is a very sensitive issue when dealing with senior hires. Often, the assignments are confidential, and even at the client’s end, not more than two people are privy to them. There are times when people are aware of a search being done, but the process is closely guarded, and the list of candidates is only disclosed to people who matter. Secrecy and sensitivity to the candidate’s requirements are second nature to us.
How does Venator Search Partners’s diverse team of professionals contribute to the firm’s success in navigating the complexities of executive hiring in the banking industry?
We carry extensive relationships and professional networks across financial services. That’s our key strength. What we also know well is how to use it efficiently. I think that is a key to navigating the complexities of the industry.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Financial Services is a large sector. We see ourselves playing to our strength and going deep. We see ourselves being a formidable player in years to come. Over the years we have made a mark as a specialised boutique search firm, and we wish to continue to be that – homegrown & respected for the work we deliver!!
