Ranjan Marwah is by no means low profile. One of the first things to catch the eye in his penthouse office is an oil painting of him in an eighteenth century wig, sitting on a horse with his wife beside him. It has the unlikely look of a Mogul emperor painted by Thomas Gainsborough. Marwah is a kind of emperor in his own way. He founded, built and still runs Executive Access, one of Asia's biggest headhunting firms, which derives 72% of its revenues from banking and finance.
Those who enter his office for the first time - perhaps to discuss that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - are not short of things to talk about. Behind his desk there are 16 hats hanging beside an antique leather-and-lacquer hat box. The hats denote the different ranks of China's old imperial mandarin civil service. "Very fitting for my trade," smiles the Delhi-born headhunter.
The balcony, which also serves as a putting green, looks out onto Hong Kong's world-famous harbour, behind is the HongkongBank and the Bank of China. "See that plane taking off," says Marwah. "And down below the ships in the harbour. There the road.