Who we work with

We work with UK scale-ups and mid-market companies, in any sector, that already have a technology team and now need a senior leader for it.

By a scale-up, we mean a business with a live product and an established team, where leading the technology has become too big a job for the founders to cover alongside everything else. By a mid-market company, we mean an established business where technology already plays an important part and now needs senior leadership. We do not set a turnover threshold. What matters is that the role is senior and the business is ready to support the person in it.

Sectors

The companies we work with can be in any sector, from manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, retail and logistics to professional services, education and technology. A manufacturer with forty engineers and a software company of a similar size can need the same kind of CTO. We start from the job, and the sector shapes who will suit it.

Situations we often help with

• The founders have led the technology so far, and the business has grown to the point where it needs a dedicated CTO.
• AI is being used across the business, and the board wants one senior person to own it.
• The current technology leader is moving on, and the company wants to use the change to raise the bar.
• Reports from different departments do not agree, and the business needs a data leader with the authority to fix it.
• The company has bought another business and needs someone to bring two sets of systems together.

The new hire is often the only one at that level

In many mid-market companies, the new CIO or Head of AI will be the only person in the business who has done that kind of job. That makes experience of leading managers, and of being the most senior technology person in an organisation, especially important. A well-known previous employer is useful context, and on its own it does not prove that experience.

Scale-ups sometimes borrow a title from a much larger company, then give the role the budget and team of a smaller one. The person either leaves, or stays without the authority the title promised. If the role is closer to a Head of Engineering, or a Head of AI reporting to the CTO, we will tell you and help you set it up accordingly.

Where our clients are

We work across the UK. We have pages for London, Birmingham and Manchester because we are often asked about those cities, and we work just as readily elsewhere. We meet clients at their offices or by video call.

If this sounds like your company, talk to the Clario team about a search.