Balchandra (Bala) Variar is a Senior Partner based in the Mumbai office and co-leads the Consumer practice in India. He also operates within the Real Estate, Insurance and Infrastructure sectors. Bala has significant experience in advising clients across Succession planning, Executive assessment and Leadership hiring. Over the last decade, he has been instrumental in several CXO hires for clients in diverse industries including Manufacturing, Consumer products and services, Real Estate, Infrastructure and Aviation. Bala has partnered multinational and Indian organisations and consulted on several engagements ranging from start-up hiring to fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining TRANSEARCH, Bala spent a decade with another international consulting firm, Heidrick & Struggles, where he co-led the industry practice and set up their Real Estate and Infrastructure practices in India. During his early career, Bala has worked with boutique executive search and consulting firms. Bala graduated from Mumbai University and has attended a two year full time MBA (PGDM) program from Mumbai.