Software & AI
Leadership that turns product strategy into growth
Most executive search firms can identify leaders with the right title and a strong track record. Companies building in software and AI need more. They need a leadership architecture that connects product vision, technology, talent, and execution to growth.
Our clients have always built ahead of the curve. They create new categories, reshape how businesses operate, and raise the standard for how quickly an organization can learn, decide, and deliver.
AI is accelerating that work. The leaders shaping this market are not treating AI as a standalone technology initiative. They are using it to redesign products and customer experiences, build new capabilities, evolve operating models, and change how decisions get made across the enterprise.
That is why the question we hear most often is not, “Can you fill this role?” It is, “Who do you know who has built through this kind of change before?”
We help companies find, assess, and develop those leaders. Leaders with the judgment to navigate uncertainty, the technical and commercial range to turn product strategy into advantage, and the ability to build organizations that convert that advantage into enduring growth.
Leadership challenges rarely fit into a single stage, geography, or function
Clients trust us when they need leaders who can navigate ambiguity and scale, connect technical decisions to commercial outcomes, and build organizations that create value as markets change.
1
Set the direction
Find the CEO, president, general manager, or board leader who can define the next chapter, make hard choices, and align the business behind a clear agenda.
2
Turn AI investment into business value
Build leadership across AI strategy, product, engineering, data, governance, security, and partnerships. This may include a Chief AI Officer, Head of AI, VP of AI, AI product leader, AI engineering leader, Head of Machine Learning, MLOps leader, AI security leader, or AI data governance leader.
3
Build product and technology advantage
Identify product and technology leaders who can turn emerging capabilities into products customers value and platforms the business can scale. Typical mandates include Chief Product Officer, Chief Technology Officer, AI product manager, AI solutions architect, and AI research leader.
4
Enable the organization to execute
Align the operating model, leadership team, decision rights, and culture with the strategy. That may require a chief operating officer, chief people officer, leadership assessment, organization and culture work, or an interim executive during a critical transition.
5
Strengthen the board for the next chapter
Add directors and committee leaders with relevant experience in software, AI, cybersecurity, product, growth, capital markets, or significant business transformation.
6
Create a repeatable growth engine
Bring in commercial leaders who can clarify the market, sharpen the go-to-market model, and turn product momentum into durable revenue. This often includes a Chief Revenue Officer and senior leaders across sales, marketing, customer success, and partnerships.
The Software & AI market is changing faster than leadership models
These shifts explain why software and AI companies and venture capital firms come to us with a different question. The question isn't, "Can you fill this role?" but "Who do you know who can help us build what's next?"
We see the market differently
1,184
executive moves analyzed
Our perspective comes from observing how software and AI leadership is evolving across companies, roles, and markets, not from theory alone.
Source: Heidrick & Struggles
Leadership is expanding beyond AI
36%
of executive hires
AI companies are hiring commercial, product, operations, and customer leaders, not only technical specialists.
Source: Heidrick & Struggles
AI investment is concentrating
53%
of global venture funding
The next generation of software companies is increasingly AI-native, concentrating demand for builder-oriented leadership.
Source: BestBrokers / PitchBook / CFO.com
Software continues to accelerate
$1.4T
Projected software market by 2030
Software and AI are expanding simultaneously, increasing demand for leaders who can translate technology into products, revenue, and business value.
Source: Grand View Research
Enterprise Software & AI Insights
The questions facing software and AI leaders are changing as quickly as the technology itself. Explore perspectives from our work across the ecosystem, covering leadership, organization, growth, AI adoption, and the forces reshaping the industry.
2025 Artificial Intelligence, Data, and Analytics Officers Artificial Intelligence Report
AI focus | VP of AI Workforce Transformation: The newest addition to senior leadership teams
AI and leadership: How finance, HR, and technology leaders are collaborating to make the most of AI across the enterprise
Three implementation options for Generative AI: An interview with Pedro Uria Recio, chief data analytics and AI officer at True Digital
AI focus: Leveraging your culture to accelerate GenAI enablement
How functional leaders are using AI—and barriers to progress
Meet our leadership
Chris Bray
Global Managing Partner, Technology
Kelly O. Kay
Global Leader
How can we help?
Contact us to discuss the needs of your organization.