Published 2026-10-01 · By the GTMly Team
Gladwin International is a retained executive search firm for C-suite and VP-Director leaders entering or scaling in India. GTMly is a specialist recruiting agency for direct-hire sales, GTM, and marketing team roles in India. Here is how they actually compare.
Short answer: GTMly and Gladwin International mostly serve different hiring altitudes. GTMly is a contingency recruiting agency: it presents two to three vetted, currently-employed sales, GTM, or marketing finalists in India that you interview and hire directly onto your own team, backed by a 60 day placement guarantee. Gladwin International is a retained executive search and interim leadership firm: it places C-suite and VP-Director leaders (CMO, Chief Sales Officer, country head) and advises on India market-entry GTM strategy, on a retainer plus placement-fee model with a published 12 month candidate guarantee.
If you need an individual-contributor or front-line team hire (SDR, account executive, customer success manager, RevOps, sales engineer) on contingency with no fee until you hire, GTMly is built for that; Gladwin does not place at that level. If you are hiring the senior leader who will define India GTM strategy or run the country entity, Gladwin's retained executive search is built for that; GTMly does not run C-suite searches. Many companies entering India end up using both, one for the leader and one for the team.
GTMly recruits and vets sales, GTM, and marketing operators in India, then hands you finalists to hire directly onto your own team. Gladwin International runs retained executive searches and interim leadership placements at the C-suite and VP-Director level, plus India entry-strategy advisory.
A recruiting relationship for team-level hires. GTMly sources proven, currently-employed sales, GTM, and marketing operators in India, screens for skill and US-market fit, and presents a short list you interview and hire directly onto your own payroll or through a contractor or EOR arrangement of your choosing.
A retained executive search and interim leadership firm, operating since 2010 with 100+ in-house CXOs on its team. It runs CMO, Chief Sales Officer, and country-head searches, plus India entry-strategy and GTM-partnership advisory for international companies setting up their India GTM.
GTMly works on contingency, no fee until you hire, priced against 40 to 60 percent savings versus a comparable US salary for a direct India team hire. Gladwin International operates as a retained firm, publishing a flat commitment retainer of roughly 2 lakh rupees per role at engagement, with the balance due once the leader has joined; for Global Capability Center leadership roles it charges a flat 18 percent (C-suite) or 14 percent (VP-Director) fee against a market norm of 28 to 35 percent.
The two are not priced for the same hire: Gladwin's retainer and fee cover a single senior leadership search, while GTMly's contingency fee covers filling a front-line sales or GTM team role. The real question is which hiring altitude you need filled.
GTMly typically returns finalists within about a week to a week and a half for a team-level sales or GTM role, vetted for skill and US-market fit before you see a finalist. Gladwin International, as a retained executive search firm, works on a longer timeline suited to C-suite and VP-Director searches, backed by a track record of 1,500+ leadership placements and 500+ at the C-suite since 2010.
The two firms are also vetting for different things. GTMly screens for whether a candidate has carried quota, sold to or supported US buyers, or run a revenue process end to end. Gladwin's search practice is built to assess leadership and strategic fit for a CMO, Chief Sales Officer, or country-head mandate, a different bar than screening an individual contributor.
GTMly backs every team-level placement with a 60 day placement guarantee. Gladwin International publishes what it describes as India's longest executive guarantee, 12 months, on its retained leadership placements, a window sized to the seniority and cost of a C-suite search rather than a team hire.
| Dimension | GTMly | Gladwin International |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring level | Individual-contributor and front-line team roles (SDR, AE, CSM, RevOps, sales engineer) plus marketing | C-suite and VP-Director leadership (CMO, Chief Sales Officer, country head) |
| Engagement model | Contingency recruiting: you hire the finalist directly onto your own team | Retained executive search and interim leadership deployment |
| Pricing | Contingency, no fee until you hire, roughly 40 to 60% below a US salary | Flat retainer (roughly 2 lakh rupees per role) plus placement fee, 14 to 18% for GCC leadership roles |
| Speed to match | About a week to a week and a half | Longer timeline suited to senior executive searches |
| Track record | Specialist India sales and GTM team recruiting | 1,500+ leadership placements, 500+ at C-suite, since 2010 |
| Guarantee | 60 day placement guarantee | 12 month candidate guarantee |
The honest answer depends on the seniority of the seat, not on which firm is bigger.
The open seat is an SDR, account executive, customer success manager, RevOps, sales engineer, or marketing role you want on your own team, hired directly and screened for US-market fit, with a placement guarantee. See GTM recruitment agency in India.
The need is a C-suite or VP-Director leader, such as a CMO, Chief Sales Officer, or country head, to define and run India GTM strategy, or India market-entry advisory at the leadership level.
Tell us the role and the market. We come back with two to three vetted, currently-employed operators, usually within a week to a week and a half. Contingency, so there is no cost until you hire, backed by a 60 day placement guarantee.
Mostly different in altitude. GTMly is a contingency recruiting agency for individual-contributor and front-line sales and GTM roles in India (SDR, account executive, customer success manager, RevOps, sales engineer), hired directly onto your own team. Gladwin International is a retained executive search and interim leadership firm that places C-suite and VP-Director leaders (CMO, Chief Sales Officer, country head) and advises on India market-entry GTM strategy. A company entering India might use Gladwin to hire the leader and GTMly to build the team under them.
No. Gladwin International's practice is retained executive search and interim leadership deployment at the C-suite and VP-Director level, plus India entry-strategy and GTM partnership advisory, not individual-contributor hiring. GTMly recruits specifically for the front-line sales, GTM, and revenue roles (SDR, AE, CSM, RevOps, sales engineer) that would report into a leader Gladwin might place.
GTMly works on contingency, no fee until you hire, for a direct India team hire typically running 40 to 60 percent below a comparable US salary. Gladwin International is a retained search firm: it publishes a flat commitment retainer of roughly 2 lakh rupees per role at engagement, with the balance due once the leader joins, and for GCC leadership roles a flat 18 percent (C-suite) or 14 percent (VP-Director) fee against a market norm of 28 to 35 percent. The two are not comparable prices for the same hire: Gladwin's retainer and fee are for one senior leadership search, while GTMly's fee covers filling a team role.
Gladwin International publishes a 12-month candidate guarantee on its executive placements, which it states is the longest in the India market, a track record built since 2010 across 1,500+ leadership placements. GTMly backs its sales and GTM team hires with a 60 day placement guarantee, standard for contingency recruiting at that level. The longer window reflects the seniority and cost of a C-suite search, not a difference in how seriously either firm stands behind a placement.
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