Practice Group

technology, media & telecommunication Executive Search

Leadership search for technology companies and telcos navigating AI transformation, digital sovereignty, and structural talent scarcity.

Finding senior leadership in Technology, Media & Telecommunications is a structural challenge, not a cyclical one. With 109,000 open IT roles in Germany and role profiles being rewritten by AI transformation, the executives who can lead through this period are rarely visible in the active market. They need to be identified and approached directly.

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FOCUS AREAS

Senior TMT leaders who require direct outreach — not job postings

AI-driven role evolution: mandate scoping against current market realities

C-level coverage across tech, media, telco, and digital infrastructure

Market context

What makes senior technology leadership the hardest C-suite category to fill through conventional methods?

The TMT market currently operates under simultaneous pressures that no standard profile anticipates. Boards are seeking executives who combine AI fluency with cybersecurity judgment and operational resilience under geopolitical uncertainty — a profile that barely existed as a job description a few years ago. Over 80% of German TMT companies now rate leadership development as a strategic priority, yet 85% simultaneously report an IT skills shortage. Senior candidates at this level are not browsing job boards.

The M&A wave compounds the difficulty. Most recently, Germany recorded 375 technology transactions, with deal volume rising 28% to €16 billion. Each transaction generates leadership vacancies — integration managers, new General Managers for combined entities, CDOs for post-merger digital programmes. These roles need to be filled quickly and confidentially, with candidates who understand complexity. Direct outreach into a deep passive network is the only reliable method.

Ertler approach

What does Ertler Executive Search bring to a TMT mandate?

Ertler Executive Search has run retained executive searches in the technology and digital sectors for many years, drawing on a proprietary candidate network of 65,000+ contacts across DACH, Europe, and beyond. For TMT mandates, this means reaching candidates who are not visible through conventional channels: CTOs managing cloud migration under digital sovereignty requirements, CDOs navigating post-merger integration, and CISOs with regulated infrastructure experience in KRITIS environments. With offices in Graz, Düsseldorf, New York, and Hong Kong, we source across markets without adding complexity to the client process.

Where TMT searches often fail is at the briefing stage. A role specification from 2023 — before AI reshaped engineering, product, and data functions — frequently no longer reflects what the business actually needs. Before any search begins, we review the requirements against current market data and flag misalignments. First qualified profiles are delivered within 14 days of a confirmed mandate briefing.

TYPICAL POSITIONS

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Chief Digital Officer (CDO)

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Senior Vice President Product & Technology

VP Engineering / Head of Software Development

Managing Director / General Manager (Digital Unit)

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Have a leadership gap in Technology, Media or Telecommunications?

We know the candidate landscape in detail. Reach out to discuss the role — confidentially..

OTHER PRACTICE GROUPS

Defense & Cybersecurity · → Industrial, Manufacturing & Automotive · → Energy, Infrastructure & Utilities · →

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

A retained TMT executive search runs 10–14 weeks from mandate briefing to signed offer. We deliver first qualified profiles within 14 days of briefing. For post-merger integration roles or CISO appointments under time pressure, the process can be accelerated. The timeline depends primarily on the number of interview rounds the client requires, not on candidate availability.

Senior TMT leaders — CTOs, CDOs, CISOs — are almost never actively searching. With 109,000 open IT roles in Germany, the candidates capable of filling these positions are employed and selectively evaluating options. A job posting reaches the active market, which represents a fraction of the relevant talent pool. Direct outreach into our proprietary network of 65,000+ contacts is the only reliable method at this level.

A mandate includes structured briefing, full market mapping, direct outreach and candidate qualification, competency-based interviews, a written shortlist with candidate profiles, reference checks, and offer-stage support. We also review the role specification before the search starts and flag any misalignment with current market conditions.

Role profiles in Technology and Media are evolving faster than most job specifications are updated. A CTO brief written a few years ago often no longer reflects what the business currently needs. Before any TMT search begins, we review requirements against current market data and flag misalignments. Getting the brief right is the fastest path to a successful placement.