● UK ● EMEA ● US ● APAC
Driving intelligent growth in the AI era.
DATAHEAD is the strategic talent and delivery partner for Data, AI, Cloud and Engineering. We connect exceptional people with high-impact transformation mandates, and deliver the work alongside them.
50+
Companies Trust Us
4
Regions We Recruit Across
15+
Years Specialising in Data & AI
Trusted by leading organisations
One partner | End to end
Search. Build. Deliver.
Most providers do one part of the job. DATAHEAD covers the full journey, securing the leaders who set direction, building the teams that scale, and delivering the transformation itself.
01
SEARCH
Securing the leaders who drive transformation.
Retained executive search for board, C-suite and mission-critical appointments across Technology, Data, AI, Finance, Operations and Commercial. We start with the business challenge, not the job title.
✔ Retained executive search
✔ Board & C-suite appointments
✔ Fractional & interim leadership
02
BUILD
Building the teams that scale your data function.
Permanent and contract recruitment across the full data, AI and cloud landscape, from specialist engineers and architects to analysts and delivery managers. The capability that turns a roadmap into a working team.
✔ Permanent & contract recruitment
✔ Retained & contingent / growth hiring
✔ Data, AI, cloud & analytics specialists
03
DELIVER
Turning strategy into operational reality.
Consultancy, embedded specialists, outcome-based SOWs and managed offshore engineering, senior UK-led delivery paired with a certified global team. We close the gap between intent and execution.
✔ Consultancy & advisory
✔ Embedded & SOW delivery
✔ ISO 27001 & 42001 certified offshore
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
The expertise behind intelligent growth.
Across the modern data function, we place the people who set the strategy, apply the AI, turn data into decisions and run the platforms beneath it.
Securing the leaders who drive transformation.
DATAHEAD is the strategic talent and delivery partner for Data, AI, Cloud and Engineering. We connect exceptional people with high-impact transformation mandates, and deliver the work alongside them.
Analytics and decision intelligence
Turning data into better business decisions. From marketing science and commercial analytics to forecasting, experimentation and optimisation, we help organisations uncover insights that drive growth and performance.
Generative AI & Applied AI
Machine learning, Generative AI, intelligent automation and AI products that solve real business challenges. We help organisations design, scale and deploy AI solutions that improve productivity and accelerate innovation.
Data platforms & Cloud
Building the scalable foundations for modern data and AI. We design and deliver cloud-native data platforms, engineering capabilities, governance and MLOps solutions that enable secure, reliable and AI-ready infrastructure.
THE CLARITY PROBLEM
Why most data hires fail.
Most organisations hire around job descriptions, not business outcomes. A brilliant data scientist working on the wrong problem is just expensive overhead. The hiring challenge isn't a talent shortage, it's a clarity shortage.
We start with the business outcome, not the job title. Aligning talent strategy with organisational goals delivers faster hiring, stronger retention, and leaders who create measurable impact from day one.
40-50%
of senior hires fail within 18 months
£200K
average cost of a single bad senior hire
3–6 months
to fill a specialised data role conventionally
HOW WE WORK
Most recruiters rush to shortlist.
We start by understanding.
STEP 01
Context
We map the business challenge, not just the job title. What does success actually look like?
STEP 02
Search
Access to passive talent most recruiters never find, long-term relationships with senior leaders not on the market.
STEP 03
Precision
Shortlists built for impact, not volume. Every candidate calibrated to your culture and outcomes.
STEP 04
Partnership
We track performance beyond day one. Success means retention, growth, and measurable business impact.
SELECTED WORK
What clients say.
Trusted by 50+ leading organisations across finance, media, tech and regulated industries.
"DATAHEAD has been a major asset in scaling Amazon AGI across Europe. Despite our rigorous bar for technical and leadership talent, they've consistently delivered exceptional candidates, including Polish nationals based abroad, which is incredibly hard to source. Beyond recruitment, they provide genuine market intelligence that has helped refine our talent strategy. A true partner, agile, insightful, and fully aligned with our standards of excellence."
— Amazon Talent Acquisition, AGI Science & Tech Recruitment
-
Challenge
Securing senior leadership talent to drive Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) engineering across the EMEA region. The role required a highly specialised leader with both deep technical expertise and the ability to operate at scale within a complex global organisation.
Approach
We focused exclusively on passive talent - senior econometricians and measurement leaders who weren't on the market but would move for the right opportunity. Using deep, pre-existing relationships across Marketing Science and Media, we engaged them directly across multiple markets, bypassing the job boards that had already failed WPP's internal teams.
Outcome
Successfully secured a senior leader to head AGI engineering across the EMEA region. Delivered a seamless end-to-end hiring process,from initial outreach to offer acceptance, reinforcing DATAHEAD’s ability to place senior, high-impact talent in critical AI leadership roles.
"I had the pleasure of working with Akram, an exceptional consultant who went above and beyond to support us with a range of crucial hires. His expertise in the data & analytics field is evident from the moment you start working with him. Akram effortlessly delivered results that precisely matched our requirements, all while maintaining remarkable speed and efficiency. It's rare to find a professional who can consistently deliver top-notch talent, but Akram is the real deal! If you need someone who can get the job done, I highly recommend reaching out to Akram for all your recruitment needs."
— Global Managing Partner, WPP Media
-
Challenge
Amid a major industry shift toward data-led decision-making, WPP needed to rapidly scale its Marketing Science and Measurement capability. Demand for senior econometrics and measurement talent far exceeded supply, making these hires both business-critical and highly competitive.
Approach
Using deep, pre-existing relationships across Marketing Science and Media, we engaged senior, passive measurement leaders directly across multiple markets.
Outcome
Successfully secured a Global Head of Cloud to lead the transformation agenda, accelerating cloud maturity and delivering secure, scalable platforms to support long-term digital growth.
"During our cloud transformation, Akram / DATAHEAD demonstrated an ability to think beyond traditional recruitment approaches. Several exceptionally strong technology leaders who helped us address complex cloud and architecture challenges were successfully introduced into the organisation. Akram's ability to bring in leadership talent from outside our usual networks proved particularly valuable to the programme."
— Global CIO, Aspen Insurance
-
Challenge
Preparing for IPO and acquisition, Aspen Insurance Group required senior cloud leadership capable of delivering enterprise-scale transformation—not maintaining legacy infrastructure. The brief demanded a shift from traditional industry profiles to leaders with deep, hands-on cloud transformation expertise.
Approach
Partnered closely with the CIO and Executive Committee to redefine the hiring strategy, prioritising cloud-native transformation experience over sector background. Conducted a targeted executive search, focusing on leaders with a proven track record in scaling secure, enterprise cloud environments.
Outcome
Successfully secured a Global Head of Cloud to lead the transformation agenda, accelerating cloud maturity and delivering secure, scalable platforms to support long-term digital growth.
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