The best technology executive search firms do two things well. They hold working relationships with sitting CIOs, CTOs, CISOs and product leaders, and they run a search process that tests whether a candidate can lead technology as a business function, not only as an engineering one. For IT and tech company C-suite roles, that means a firm that can tell a platform CTO from a transformation CIO, and can judge a CISO on how they explain risk to a board as well as on technical depth.
Every firm on this list was checked against its own website for its technology practice, the roles it recruits and the facts quoted here. We mixed global retained firms that run dedicated technology officer practices with specialist boutiques that work mostly or only in technology. For more on how these engagements work, see our executive search hub and the wider ranking of the best executive search firms.
IT And Technology Executive Search Firms At A Glance
Firm
Headquarters
Best For
Core Services
Heidrick & Struggles
Chicago
Large enterprises redesigning technology, data and AI leadership
CIO, CTO, CDO, CISO and Chief AI Officer search; interim executives
Spencer Stuart
Chicago
Companies hiring a CIO or CTO who will work closely with the board
CIO, CTO, CDO, CISO and CPO search; leadership assessment
Russell Reynolds Associates
New York
Technology, data and cybersecurity leaders reporting to the CEO
Technology, data and digital search; cybersecurity search; board advisory
Egon Zehnder
Zurich
CIO and CTO searches combined with leadership development
CIO, CTO, CISO, CPO and data officer search; tech board directors
True
Philadelphia
Venture and private equity backed tech companies
Product, data and technology search; CISO search; fractional and interim roles
Riviera Partners
San Francisco
Engineering, product and AI leadership at growth-stage tech companies
CTO, VP Engineering, CPO, CISO and AI and data leader search
SPMB
San Francisco Bay Area
Silicon Valley startups and public tech companies
CTO, CIO, CISO, CPO and AI and data search; board search
Korn Ferry
Los Angeles
IT leadership hiring at scale, including interim roles
CIO, CTO and digital officer search; cybersecurity recruiting; interim IT leaders
Kirby Partners
Lake Mary, Florida
Health systems hiring CIOs, CTOs and CISOs
Healthcare IT executive search; career coaching
Christian & Timbers
San Francisco Bay Area
Technology and AI companies hiring across the C-suite
CTO, CIO, CISO, CPO and Chief AI Officer search; board search
Best IT And Technology Executive Search Firms In 2026
1. Heidrick & Struggles — AI And Technology Officers Practice For Enterprise CIO, CTO And CISO Roles
Heidrick & Struggles runs an AI & Technology Officers practice inside its executive search business. Its practice page groups the roles it recruits into enterprise technology leadership (CTO, CIO, Chief Digital Officer and CISO), AI and data leadership (Chief AI Officer, Chief Data & AI Officer and Chief Data Officer) and product and transformation roles. It also lists newer titles such as Head of Agentic AI and AI Governance Officer. The firm’s head office is at Willis Tower in Chicago.
The practice is framed around enterprise scale. Heidrick says boards, CEOs and executive teams are rethinking leadership mandates across technology, digital, data, product, cyber and AI, and its team recruits for that kind of redesign as well as for straight replacements. Outside search, the firm offers executive assessment, digital leadership work and on-demand interim executives, so a company can run a permanent CIO search while an interim leader covers the gap.
2. Spencer Stuart — Technology And Digital Officer Practice Built On An Early CIO Specialism
Spencer Stuart says it formed the industry’s first fully integrated global Information Officer Practice, which has since become its Technology & Digital Officer Practice. Through that practice the firm finds, develops and assesses chief digital officers, chief information officers, chief technology officers, chief data officers, chief product officers and chief information security officers, along with their teams.
The firm’s view of the role is that senior technologists now need general management perspective and the ability to bring that perspective to the board, not only technical depth. That emphasis suits a company hiring a CIO who will sit on the executive committee, or a CTO who will present technology strategy to directors. Spencer Stuart works from more than 60 offices in over 30 countries, and its consultants cover data, cloud, cybersecurity and product leadership as well as the classic CIO brief.
Roles: CDO, CIO, CTO, Chief Data Officer, CPO, CISO
Assessment and development for technology leadership teams
Russell Reynolds Associates recruits technology executives through its Technology, Data & Digital function. The firm notes that technology leaders are increasingly appointed to the C-suite and report directly to the CEO, often overseeing tech, product, digital, cybersecurity and data at once. Its consultants start by defining and scoping the role with the client before the search begins, which helps when a company is unsure whether it needs a CIO, a CTO or a combined role.
The practice describes three strands of work: finding the top technology leader, building data leadership for data-enabled growth, and attracting cybersecurity executives who keep systems and assets secure. Russell Reynolds also cautions boards against hiring any executive from a big-tech employer simply to add technology expertise at board level, a point that is relevant when a technology search touches on board composition. The firm runs a separate technology industry practice for companies in the sector itself.
4. Egon Zehnder — Technology Officers Practice Covering CIO, CTO, CISO And Tech Board Directors
Egon Zehnder’s Technology Officers Practice helps companies in every industry hire technology leaders who can drive culture change and business strategy. The roles it lists include chief information officers (including digital), chief technology officers, chief information security officers, chief AI, data and analytics officers and chief product officers. It also recruits tech board directors and advisors, and senior leaders in engineering, infrastructure, cloud, AI and machine learning, AR and VR, and blockchain.
A distinguishing feature is the leadership advisory side of the practice. Egon Zehnder says it helps global CIOs and CTOs develop their own leadership skills and assess and develop their teams using proprietary methods. That makes the firm a sensible option when a company wants a new CIO and an outside view of the technology organization below that person, or when a board wants a technology director as well as a technology executive.
5. True — Product, Data And Technology Search For Venture And Private Equity Backed Companies
True, formerly known as True Search, runs a Product, Data & Technology practice that works across asset classes and industries. The practice recruits leaders in product management, engineering, design, data, security and IT, and the firm reports more than 2,200 closed product, data and technology searches since 2019. True also lists a dedicated Chief Information Security Officer function and a board of directors practice.
The firm is built around venture capital and private equity clients, and its site lists practices in AI, cybersecurity and defense tech, digital infrastructure and enterprise software. True says its clients rate it 9.0 out of 10 for speed, candidate quality and counsel, and that its global talent network holds more than 940,000 leaders. For companies that need a stopgap, True also runs fractional and interim hiring alongside full-time executive search. The practice is headquartered in Philadelphia, with managing directors in Boston, San Francisco, London and Stockholm.
6. Riviera Partners — Technology-Only Search For Engineering, Product, AI And Security Leaders
Riviera Partners works only in technology. Since 2001 it has placed leaders in product management, software engineering, IT, AI, machine learning and data, security and design, and it now has more than 120 team members and placements in over 25 countries. Its specialized practices cover AI, ML and data, cybersecurity, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, plus a practice for growth and emerging markets. Offices are listed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Bozeman, New York City, Providence and London.
The firm’s EMEA page shows the kind of roles it fills: a CISO at defense AI company Helsing, a Chief Data & Technology Officer at Tide, and a CTO at Granola. Riviera says more than 40% of its placements are women or professionals of color. It is a strong fit for a startup or scale-up hiring its first CTO or VP of Engineering, where engineering credibility matters as much as executive presence.
Roles: CTO, VP Engineering, CPO, CISO, heads of AI and data
Clients from startups to public companies
US and London offices
7. SPMB — Silicon Valley Boutique Covering CTO, CIO, CISO And Product Searches
SPMB has run executive searches since 1978 and describes its sweet spot as the intersection of innovation and scale: helping startups grow and helping large companies keep innovating. Its technology, AI and product group is split into separate functions for CTO and engineering, AI, data and analytics, CPO and product, CIO and IT, and CISO and security, each with its own search team and client list.
The firm says it closes hundreds of C-level searches a year for venture capital and private equity backed companies as well as multi-billion-dollar public companies, and it points to a Silicon Valley heritage that runs through four decades of tech cycles. Recent news on its site includes the placement of a Chief AI and Data Officer at Ford Motor Company. SPMB also recruits board members, so a growth company can use one firm for a technology executive and a director.
8. Korn Ferry — Digital And Technology Recruiting From Interim IT Leaders To CIOs
Korn Ferry’s digital and technology recruiters provide direct hire and interim IT recruitment for executives and professionals, for single hires and at scale. Under technology and digital officers, the firm lists sample roles including Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Digital Information Officer, Chief Digital Technology Officer, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Innovation Officer, with further groups for cloud and infrastructure, strategy and architecture, technology delivery and data.
A separate cybersecurity recruiting practice covers security leadership. Korn Ferry says it helps executives and boards align talent, organizational capabilities and culture to defend against cyber threats, and it also develops internal cyber talent rather than only recruiting from outside. That breadth makes Korn Ferry a practical option for a company that needs a new CIO and several senior IT hires below that role, or an interim technology leader while a permanent search runs.
9. Kirby Partners — Healthcare IT Executive Search For Health System CIOs And CISOs
Kirby Partners focuses on healthcare and IT executive search and says it has 37 years of experience in that niche. Its active search listings show the typical brief: a Chief Information Security Officer for Southern Illinois Healthcare, a Chief Technology Officer for University of Wisconsin Health and senior clinical applications roles at other health systems. The firm’s main office is in Lake Mary, Florida.
For hospital and health system boards, the value is specialization. A health system CIO has to manage electronic health record platforms, clinical applications and regulatory security demands, and a firm that recruits these roles every week will already know the candidate pool. Kirby Partners says candidates are typically presented within 30 business days, that the executives it places stay for an average of eight years, and that it reaches passive job seekers from diverse backgrounds.
Roles: health system CIO, CTO, CISO and IT leadership
Candidates typically presented in 30 business days, per the firm
Career coaching for healthcare IT executives
10. Christian & Timbers — AI And Technology C-Suite Search With A Dedicated Board Practice
Christian & Timbers positions itself as an executive search firm built for AI and technology, and its site traces the firm’s history back to 1980. Its C-suite practice lists the CTO, CIO, CISO, CPO, CPTO, Chief AI Officer and Chief Digital Officer among the roles it fills, and its product and technology page says the firm has placed more than 800 product and technology leaders. A separate cybersecurity practice reports more than 170 cybersecurity leaders placed, with typical placements including CEO, CISO, CRO and Chief Product Officer.
The firm’s published case studies show the kind of work involved: a first CTO hire at Atropos Health, a CISO hire at Acronis, and CTO hires at FLYR and Socure. Christian & Timbers says it has completed more than 5,000 C-suite searches and pairs proprietary talent research with AI-enabled search technology. It also runs a board practice, which is useful for a technology company that wants a CTO search and a technology-literate independent director from the same firm.
Roles: CTO, CIO, CISO, CPO, CPTO, Chief AI Officer, Chief Digital Officer
Sectors include AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, semiconductors, robotics, and aerospace and defense
Board searches run alongside executive searches
How To Choose An IT Or Technology Executive Search Firm
Do You Need A Technology Specialist Or A Generalist With A Technology Practice?
Large firms such as Heidrick & Struggles, Spencer Stuart and Egon Zehnder bring global reach, assessment tools and board relationships, which matter for an enterprise CIO search. Specialists such as Christian & Timbers, Riviera Partners and SPMB spend almost all of their time with technology leaders, so their networks among CTOs, product heads and security chiefs at growth companies tend to be deeper. Sector specialists like Kirby Partners make sense when the industry context, such as healthcare IT, matters more than the title.
Which Technology Leader Are You Actually Hiring?
Be precise about the role before you brief a firm. A CIO usually runs internal systems, infrastructure and enterprise transformation. A CTO usually owns the product platform and engineering. A CISO owns security risk and reports it to the board, and a CPO owns the roadmap. Combined titles like CPTO are common at scale-ups. A good firm will push back on a vague brief.
Should The Search Be Retained?
Most C-suite technology searches are retained, which means the firm is paid in stages to run an exclusive, structured process and approach candidates who are not looking. Contingency recruiters are paid only on placement and suit volume hiring below the executive level. Our guide to retained vs contingency search explains the trade-offs.
What Will A Technology Executive Search Cost?
Retained search fees are typically about one-third of the executive’s first-year total cash compensation, usually billed in instalments, with expenses on top. Agree what counts as compensation before signing. Our breakdown of executive search fees covers the common structures.
How Will Candidates Be Assessed?
Ask how the firm tests leadership, not only technical depth. Strong technology firms probe how a candidate built teams, made platform and vendor decisions, handled a security incident or delivered a transformation. Our guide to executive assessment explains what good assessment looks like.
What Happens After The Offer?
New technology leaders often inherit legacy systems, open security issues and a team that applied for the job. The first 90 days decide a lot. Ask whether the firm offers onboarding support or check-ins, and plan your own executive onboarding before the start date.
Conclusion
The right technology executive search firm depends on the role and the company. Global firms with technology officer practices suit enterprise CIO and CISO searches and board-facing roles. Specialist boutiques suit growth companies hiring CTOs, product leaders and engineering heads. Sector specialists suit industries where context drives success.
Whichever firm you choose, write a clear role brief, ask how candidates will be assessed and agree fees up front. For more guides, firm lists and leader interviews, visit our executive search hub.
