AltoPartners, the leading global alliance of retained executive search and leadership consulting firms, is proud to announce Sonal Agrawal as its new global Chair. Ms Agrawal has served on the global board for AltoPartners since its inception in 2006, and has been at the forefront of various initiatives across governance, geographic expansion and marketing strategy over the years. Ms Agrawal is Managing Partner of Accord India, an AltoPartners founding member firm and one of the subcontinent’s oldest and most prestigious executive search companies. She has previously been named one of the 150 Most Influential Headhunters in the World by Businessweek, USA and one of the Next 30 Most Powerful Women in Business in India by Business Today magazine.

Outgoing chairman, Stephen Dallamore, MD of Search Partners International / AltoPartners South Africa, said that Agrawal was a unanimous and obvious choice to chair the alliance in a new and disruptive era: “Sonal is a highly respected industry figure who embodies our global values of innovation, collaboration and inclusion. She has been instrumental in championing the alliance’s efforts to promote diversity, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because we know that diverse boards and leadership teams are more successful and more resilient when it comes to solving problems and re-imagining the future. In a post-COVID world, this will be more important than ever.”

In September this year, AltoPartners signed the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) Diversity Pledge as a formal declaration of the alliance’s commitment to the power of diverse talent and inclusivity as a means of strengthening the quality of leadership everywhere. In addition, over 40% of the partnership’s member firms are female-led businesses, with a number having a dedicated focus on aspects of Diversity and Inclusion. Ms Agrawal is the first woman and the first Asian to chair the alliance.

Born in East Africa and raised in Kolkata, India, Ms Agrawal earned a B.Sc. in Economics in India, followed by an MBA from the London Business School in the UK. She is a trusted advisor to Indian and global conglomerates in South Asia and actively serves private equity and financial services firms in the region. In addition to being an advocate and speaker on leadership, gender and diversity, she also serves on the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Diversity & Inclusion task force, and is on the main board of the AESC.

Says Ms Agrawal: “It’s an honour to be elected global Chair of AltoPartners, which serves the interests of our partners across five continents. Under Stephen Dallamore’s leadership, AltoPartners has capitalised on the uniquely entrepreneurial spirit of its members, harnessing the power of local knowledge with global best practice. This has led to significant growth over the last five years, specifically in key territories in the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe. Partners are attracted by our shared values and that we collaborate internationally to serve our clients across our executive search and leadership consulting offerings. Our goal is to continue to build on the foundations of collaboration, trust and integrity to drive sustainable leadership solutions based on inclusivity and diversity.”