The Evolution of Tech Leadership in Europe: 40 Years of Transformation
July 29, 2026 – As technology continues to reshape every sector of the economy, executive search firms are seeing a fundamental shift in the profile of leaders organizations need to remain competitive. Companies are no longer seeking executives with deep technical expertise alone—they are prioritizing transformational leaders who can navigate disruption, lead enterprise-wide change, and align emerging technologies with long-term business strategy. Across Europe, this evolution is redefining how technology leadership is assessed and recruited.
In a recent conversation with Hunt Scanlon Media, Raffaele Jacovelli, managing director at Hightech Partners, discussed how leadership expectations have changed over the past four decades, the growing demand for AI and cybersecurity executives, and why the future of executive search depends as much on evaluating human potential as technical credentials.
Since its creation in 1985, Hightech Partners has been at the forefront of identifying and developing technology leaders across Europe. From the early days of IT infrastructure and operational excellence to today’s era of artificial intelligence and digital ecosystems, the firm has witnessed— and guided—the profound evolution of what it means to lead in technology.
“When the firm was founded, we had been supporting the major American technology companies to expand in Europe,” Mr. Jacovelli said. “There were very few leaders that could claim a long track record and expertise in similar roles, hence we had to evaluate both ability and potential. After the internet bubble burst in 2000 and Lehman Brothers crash in 2008, companies have shifted to a more conservative approach hiring people that had already covered role as close as possible to the perfect.”
“Two decades later, due to the structural shortage and the different set of competences required, companies are forced to hire combining hard and soft skills looking to the candidate’s potential rather than purely track record,” Mr. Jacovelli continued. “Technology has become the engine of business strategy, and tech leaders are now expected to act as strategic business partners and transformation enablers. With the rise of digital transformation and AI, the skills and qualities sought in technology executives have shifted from purely technical to profoundly human. The leaders who stand out today combine strategic vision, curiosity, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. They can navigate uncertainty, inspire cross-functional teams, and translate emerging technologies into value creation.”
The Rise of Soft Skills
Soft skills have become increasingly decisive, according to Mr. Jacovelli. “As AI and automation take on more technical complexity, success depends less on coding skills and more on a leader’s ability to embrace change, learn continuously, and foster innovation cultures,” he explained. “We look less for pure ‘tech’ leaders and more for ‘transformational’ leaders, people who can bridge technology with human potential and help organizations evolve responsibly in an AI-driven world.”
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“Any company today is forced to become a technology company, hence the skill set required is no longer exclusive to the tech domain,” Mr. Jacovelli added. “The best digital leaders today are multidisciplinary thinkers, open to all disciplines, from data ethics and design thinking to sustainability and behavioral science. This shift towards cross-functional, human-centric leadership is redefining what success looks like in technology.”
Hunt Scanlon also asked Mr. Jacovelli what emerging technologies are driving the most demand for new executive talent in Europe right now. “We have started preaching clients and candidate back in 2017 about the Tsunami and was about to arrive as many enabling technologies were reaching the maturity stage that would enable the AI to explode,” he said. “Nowadays, across Europe, AI is undoubtedly the strongest driver of new executive demand. Organizations are racing to define their AI strategies, but many lack the leadership capabilities to make this transition tangible. Companies now seek executives who can transform their businesses into intelligent enterprises, where AI is not an experiment but an integrated, responsible, and scalable part of operations.”
Raffaele Jacovelli is managing director at digital-focused executive search firm Hightech Partners. The firm leverages forward-looking methods such as big data analysis and artificial intelligence into the executive search process to help companies embrace new ways of working. Hightech Partners has offices in Brussels and Geneva, Switzerland with local partners across the major regions of Europe. The firm also founded ITP Worldwide, an alliance of specialized search and consulting firms in the technology industry in the U.S. and Asia. Since joining Hightech Partners in 2006, Mr. Jacovelli has facilitated hundreds of top-level international recruitments. His areas of expertise include software, hardware, and services, ranging from artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to real-time and high-performance computing to cybersecurity, IoT, mobile, cloud, Saas, and PaaS.
“That’s why Hightech Partners developed its AI Readiness Program in 2025, to help clients assess their maturity, identify capability gaps, and define the leadership roadmap required to become truly AI-ready,” Mr. Jacovelli said.” In parallel, cybersecurity is rising rapidly on the C-suite agenda. The acceleration of generative and agentic AI has dramatically increased exposure to cyber risks, from data breaches to algorithmic manipulation. As a result, the demand for forward-thinking CISOs and cyber risk leaders has surged. Beyond AI and cybersecurity, other domains such as cloud transformation, IoT ecosystems, and data analytics continue to fuel leadership demand.”
“Yet increasingly, success in these fields depends not on technical depth alone, but on the ability to orchestrate complex systems, align stakeholders, and embed a culture of innovation across the enterprise,” he added.
Hightech Partners – HTP Group has long supported traditional industries such as manufacturing, energy, finance, healthcare in their digital transformation journeys. “In these sectors, the challenge is rarely just technological. It’s human,” Mr. Jacovelli explained. “The biggest obstacle for transformation leaders is often organizational readiness. Many legacy organizations are not yet technology ready. They rely on legacy systems, hierarchical structures, and deeply ingrained ways of working that can slow change. When a tech-savvy executive enters such an environment, success depends on his ability to lead cultural change, to educate, motivate, and gradually shift mindsets.”
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“These leaders must communicate not only how to transform, but why transformation is essential,” he continued. “This takes time, empathy, and strong sponsorship from the top. The most successful executives are those who can blend technical credibility with interpersonal influence, bridging generational and cultural divides within the same company. At Hightech Partners, we see these capabilities as essential to what we call AI-Readiness, mentioned above.”
Within the firm’s AI readiness program, Hightech Partners identified 12 power skills that enable leaders to drive transformation in an AI-driven world, among them emotional intelligence, critical and adaptive thinking, and ethical decision-making. “These skills are at the heart of modern leadership and define those who can successfully bridge technology and people,” Mr. Jacovelli said. “We often see that transformation succeeds when leadership teams adopt a long-term view, allowing new digital leaders the space to build trust and drive sustainable, people-first change. With our largest team of certified Birkman consultants in Europe, we also help clients strengthen collaboration and alignment within their leadership teams through our high performing team workshop, a program designed to build mutual understanding, clarify purpose, and translate shared vision into actionable plans.”
Cultural Intelligence and Diversity
Mr. Jacovelli also told Hunt Scanlon that cultural intelligence and diversity have become central to leadership success in technology. In Europe especially, where executives lead teams spread across multiple countries and cultures, the ability to navigate diversity is not optional, it’s essential.
“Understanding local decision-making norms, communication styles, and organizational expectations directly influences performance and cohesion,” he said. “Beyond geography, diversity of thought is a powerful driver of innovation. Bringing together leaders from different backgrounds, genders, and experiences leads to more creative problem-solving and better business outcomes. Digital transformation is not one-dimensional; it requires different perspectives, critical debate, and openness to change. That’s why Hightech Partners has long integrated cultural intelligence and diversity assessments into its executive search methodology.”
Just as technology reshapes industries, it is also transforming the field of executive search itself, according to Mr. Jacovelli. At Hightech Partners, they see AI and data-driven tools as powerful enablers of efficiency and insight, but never as replacements for human judgment. Today, the firm uses AI in 10 out of the 12 steps of its search process.
“This includes everything from market mapping and candidate sourcing to competency modeling, predictive analytics, and project management,” Mr. Jacovelli explained. “These technologies, combined with an agile, sprint driven approach, allow us to move faster, uncover hidden talent, and ensure our searches are more inclusive and evidence based, without limiting to the obvious targets. However, the final evaluation and decision-making steps remain entirely human-driven, consistent with our values and in full alignment with the principles of the EU AI Act. Understanding personality, culture, ethics, and potential cannot be automated, and that’s where our expertise lies.”
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
