Technology, Media and Telecoms Executive Recruitment

Senior Search for UK Technology, Media and Telecoms — Across Three Sub-Sectors

Exec Capital provides senior executive recruitment across the UK technology, media and telecoms (TMT) industry — covering UK-headquartered listed tech firms, UK technology scale-ups, UK operations of US and international tech firms, UK broadcast media and streaming, UK print and digital publishing, UK advertising and marketing services groups, UK network operators and mobile carriers, and UK fibre infrastructure firms. The UK TMT industry employs over one million workers across the supply chain and represents a share of the UK FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 listed firm cohort. The UK TMT senior search market is shaped by three distinct industry sub-sectors that warrant separate practitioner treatment — each with materially different senior hiring patterns, regulatory frameworks, and candidate pools. Beyond the three sub-sectors, UK TMT senior search operates against shared dimensions including the UK Ofcom regulatory framework, the UK technology PE and VC ownership landscape, the UK Online Safety Act 2023 implications for online platforms, and the UK Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act) introducing the CMA Strategic Market Status designation power.

Our practice covers UK TMT senior appointments across UK-headquartered listed tech firms (Sage Group, Auto Trader Group, Rightmove, Wise, Darktrace pre-2024 take-private, Computacenter, Softcat, Bytes Technology Group, Kainos), UK technology scale-ups across fintech and B2B SaaS (Revolut, Monzo, Starling Bank, Zilch, ClearBank, OakNorth, Snyk UK, Improbable, Multiverse, Onfido pre-2024 acquisition by Entrust), UK-rooted gaming firms (Sumo Group, Rebellion, Frontier Developments, Team17), UK broadcast media (BBC and BBC Studios, ITV, Channel 4, Sky), UK print and digital publishing (Reach, Future plc, DMGT, News UK, Pearson), UK advertising and marketing services groups (WPP, S4 Capital, Next 15 Group), UK telecoms operators (BT Group, Vodafone, Virgin Media O2, Three UK, TalkTalk), and UK fibre infrastructure firms (CityFibre, Openreach, Hyperoptic, Community Fibre). Every senior TMT mandate is led personally by Adrian Lawrence FCA. For senior CFO appointments at UK PE-backed TMT firms specifically, see our sister firm FD Capital.

The three UK TMT sub-sectors

UK TMT as a single industry term covers three distinct senior search markets. Each operates with materially different senior hiring patterns, candidate pools, regulatory frameworks, and commercial dynamics. Strong searches start with sub-sector clarity rather than treating UK TMT as undifferentiated.

1. Technology — UK-headquartered, scale-up, and US-presence cohorts

UK technology covers the largest UK TMT sub-sector by senior search volume, spanning UK-headquartered listed tech firms, UK technology scale-ups across multiple stages, UK operations of US and international tech firms, UK gaming firms, and UK enterprise software firms. The UK-headquartered listed tech cohort includes Sage Group (FTSE 100, Newcastle-headquartered, the largest UK-rooted enterprise software firm), Aveva (Schneider Electric-owned following the 2023 take-private acquisition), Auto Trader Group (FTSE 250, the UK automotive marketplace), Rightmove (FTSE 100, the UK property marketplace), Wise (FTSE 250, the multi-currency banking firm formerly known as TransferWise, listed via direct listing in 2021), Darktrace (Thoma Bravo-owned following the 2024 take-private acquisition), Computacenter (FTSE 250, UK technology services firm), Softcat (FTSE 250, UK B2B technology reseller), Bytes Technology Group (FTSE 250, UK B2B technology reseller), Kainos (FTSE 250, UK technology services firm), JTC Group (FTSE 250, UK fund administration technology firm), and NCC Group (UK cyber security firm).

The UK technology scale-up cohort operates across multiple verticals. UK fintech scale-ups include Revolut (private but pre-IPO, valued at over $45bn in the 2024 secondary tender, the largest UK-rooted fintech), Monzo (private with $5bn+ valuation following the 2024 secondary), Starling Bank (UK-domiciled challenger bank, founded 2014), Zilch (UK BNPL fintech), ClearBank (UK clearing bank), OakNorth (UK SME lender), Atom Bank (Durham-headquartered UK challenger bank), Marshmallow (UK insurtech), and a wide UK fintech scale-up community. UK B2B SaaS scale-ups include Snyk UK (developer security), Improbable (gaming and metaverse infrastructure), Multiverse (apprenticeship platform, founded by Euan Blair), Cleo (consumer fintech with B2B presence), Tessian (acquired by Proofpoint in 2024), Onfido (acquired by Entrust in 2024). For UK fintech-specific senior search treatment, see our Fintech Recruitment service.

UK operations of US and international tech firms include Google UK (Alphabet UK presence), Meta UK (the largest non-US Meta engineering hub), Apple UK, Amazon UK (Amazon European headquarters operations including Amazon Web Services UK and Amazon Studios), Microsoft UK, Salesforce UK, Adobe UK, Oracle UK, IBM UK, Workday UK, ServiceNow UK, Snowflake UK, Databricks UK, ARM Holdings (Cambridge-headquartered, SoftBank-owned, listed Nasdaq 2023 — the UK-rooted semiconductor IP firm), and the rapidly growing UK presence of OpenAI, Anthropic UK, Cohere UK, and other major AI firms following London’s emergence as the European AI senior hiring hub. UK gaming firms span Sumo Group (now CD Projekt-owned post-2024), Codemasters (Electronic Arts-owned post-2021), Rebellion, Frontier Developments (FTSE AIM-listed), Team17 (FTSE AIM-listed), and a UK gaming scale-up community. UK enterprise software firms include IRIS Software, Sage Group, Advanced (KKR-owned post-2022), Civica (private, formerly Partners Group-owned), and the UK PE-backed enterprise software cohort.

Senior search activity at UK technology firms covers Group CEO appointments at listed tech firms (typically internal succession or lateral from comparable UK or US tech firm senior leadership), Chief Technology Officer appointments (for dedicated CTO senior search treatment, see our CTO Recruitment service), Chief Product Officer appointments (CPO is typically the second most consequential UK technology firm senior leadership role after CEO), Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Commercial Officer appointments (with UK and international SaaS commercial track record at scale), Chief Marketing Officer appointments (for tech and SaaS-specific CMO context, see our Fractional CMO for Tech and SaaS service), Chief Customer Officer appointments at customer success-led SaaS firms, Chief People Officer appointments, and Chief Information Security Officer appointments at firms with cyber security posture requirements.

2. Media — broadcast, streaming, print, advertising, music

UK media covers a mature and structurally evolving sub-sector spanning UK broadcast and streaming firms, UK print and digital publishing firms, UK advertising and marketing services groups, and UK music and entertainment firms. UK broadcast and streaming includes the BBC (the UK public service broadcaster, with BBC Studios as the commercial arm), ITV (FTSE 250-listed, the largest UK commercial broadcaster, operating ITVX as the streaming platform), Channel 4 (UK public service broadcaster, government privatisation plans reversed in January 2023), Sky (Comcast-owned following the 2018 acquisition, with Sky UK operating as a major UK broadcaster, broadband, and mobile telecoms firm), STV (FTSE AIM-listed Scottish broadcaster), and UK operations of major US streaming firms (Netflix UK, Disney+ UK, Amazon Prime Video UK, Apple TV+ UK, Paramount+ UK).

UK print and digital publishing includes Reach (FTSE 250-listed, owner of the Mirror, Express, regional UK newspaper titles, and UK digital publishing operations), Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT, private following the 2022 take-private, owner of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, plus B2B publishing assets), News UK (News Corp subsidiary, owner of The Times, Sunday Times, and The Sun), Telegraph Media Group (sale process initiated in 2023, with the RedBird IMI consortium acquisition blocked by UK government in 2024 and the firm subsequently entering further sale processes), Future plc (FTSE 250-listed, UK and US specialist content publisher), Pearson (FTSE 100-listed, UK educational publisher and assessment firm with major US presence), and a UK regional newspaper and trade publishing community.

UK advertising and marketing services groups operate at scale across UK and global markets. WPP (FTSE 100-listed, the UK-headquartered global advertising and marketing services group with operations in over 100 countries, owner of agencies including Ogilvy, Wunderman Thompson, GroupM, Mindshare, Wavemaker, AKQA), S4 Capital (FTSE 250-listed, founded by Sir Martin Sorrell post-WPP, owner of Media.Monks), Next 15 Group (FTSE AIM-listed, UK marketing services group), and UK creative agencies operating as part of US-headquartered advertising holding groups (Publicis UK, Omnicom UK, Interpublic Group UK, Dentsu UK).

UK music and entertainment includes Universal Music UK (UMG subsidiary), Warner Music UK (Warner Music Group subsidiary), Sony Music UK (Sony Music Entertainment subsidiary), and a UK independent music label community. UK live entertainment and ticketing includes Live Nation UK, AEG Europe UK, and UK festival and venue operations.

Senior search activity at UK media firms covers Group CEO and Divisional MD appointments at the listed broadcasters and publishers (rare and highly consequential), Chief Editorial Officer and Editor-in-Chief appointments at major UK newspapers and digital publishers, Chief Content Officer and Director of Programming appointments at UK broadcasters, Chief Revenue Officer appointments (UK media is fundamentally an advertising-led commercial market with the secondary subscription and content licensing revenue streams), Chief Marketing Officer appointments, Chief Technology Officer appointments at firms with digital platform investment, Chief Data Officer appointments at firms operating first-party data platforms, and Chief Commercial Officer appointments at advertising and marketing services groups. Strong candidates demonstrate UK media track record, regulatory engagement credentials with Ofcom (for Ofcom-regulated broadcasters), and (at the major holding groups) UK and international commercial leadership credentials at scale.

3. Telecoms — network operators and infrastructure

UK telecoms covers a smaller but structurally important UK TMT sub-sector spanning UK network operators, UK mobile network operators, UK fibre infrastructure firms, and UK telecoms equipment and services firms. UK network operators include BT Group (FTSE 100-listed, the UK incumbent telecoms operator, owner of EE mobile, Openreach fibre infrastructure, BT Sport historically — sold to TNT Sports JV with Warner Bros Discovery in 2023, and BT Wholesale), Vodafone (FTSE 100-listed, the UK and international mobile and fixed-line operator), Virgin Media O2 (the UK joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica, formed in 2021 through the merger of Virgin Media UK and O2 UK), TalkTalk (private following the 2021 take-private by Toscafund and Macquarie), and Sky (Comcast-owned, operating as a major UK broadband and mobile virtual network operator alongside the broadcasting business).

UK mobile network operators include EE (BT Group subsidiary, the UK’s largest mobile network), Vodafone UK, O2 UK (Virgin Media O2), and Three UK (CK Hutchison subsidiary, with the Vodafone UK / Three UK merger approved by the UK Competition and Markets Authority in December 2024 subject to remedies — a transaction that materially reshapes UK mobile network market structure). UK fibre infrastructure firms include CityFibre (private, KKR and Goldman Sachs-backed, the largest UK alternative fibre infrastructure operator with UK rollout), Openreach (BT Group subsidiary operating the UK’s largest fibre network), Hyperoptic (private, UK urban fibre operator), Community Fibre (private, UK urban fibre operator), Gigaclear (CityFibre acquired in 2024), and a UK alternative network operator community delivering UK Government and private capital-backed fibre rollout.

UK telecoms equipment and services firms include Ericsson UK, Nokia UK, Cisco UK, Juniper Networks UK, and the UK telecoms services and consultancy community. ARM Holdings (Cambridge-headquartered, SoftBank-owned, listed Nasdaq 2023) is the UK-rooted semiconductor IP firm with telecoms equipment design IP licensing across UK and global telecoms equipment manufacturers.

Senior search activity at UK telecoms firms covers Group CEO and Divisional MD appointments at the major listed and JV operators (rare and highly consequential), Chief Network Officer and Network Operations Director appointments (UK telecoms is fundamentally an infrastructure-led commercial market), Chief Technology Officer appointments at firms with network and platform technology investment, Chief Commercial Officer appointments (with UK retail and B2B telecoms commercial track record), Chief Marketing Officer appointments, Chief Customer Officer appointments at customer service-led operators, Director of Regulatory Affairs appointments (UK telecoms operates under intensive Ofcom regulatory oversight including pricing, network sharing, and competition framework dimensions), and senior fibre rollout programme leadership at the alternative network operator cohort.

Senior TMT roles we recruit

Group CEO and Managing Director. Senior leadership at UK TMT firms across all three sub-sectors. Strong candidates bring sub-sector specificity (UK technology firm, UK media firm, UK telecoms firm credentials are not typically interchangeable at CEO level), UK and international leadership credentials at scale, and (at PE-backed firms) sponsor engagement credentials. UK TMT Group CEO appointments at the major listed firms are among the most consequential UK senior search activity — typical tenure 5-10 years, with UK and international visibility.

Chief Technology Officer and Chief Product Officer. Senior technology and product leadership at UK technology firms — the principal senior leadership roles below CEO at most UK technology firms. Strong candidates bring UK or international technology firm credentials at scale, software engineering or product management leadership credentials at team scale, and (at scale-up firms) UK and international scale-up track record. For dedicated CTO senior search context, see our CTO Recruitment service.

Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Commercial Officer. Senior commercial leadership at UK technology firms (with UK and international SaaS commercial track record), UK media firms (with advertising and content licensing commercial credentials), and UK telecoms firms (with UK retail and B2B telecoms commercial credentials). The CRO role has materially elevated at UK B2B SaaS firms over the past decade — UK SaaS firms now typically appoint a CRO with full UK and international revenue accountability covering sales, customer success, and revenue operations.

Chief Marketing Officer. Senior marketing leadership at UK TMT firms. Sub-sector-specific dimensions — UK technology firm CMO roles emphasise growth marketing, performance marketing, demand generation, and (at scale-up firms) brand-building credentials; UK media firm CMO roles operate differently with advertising sales support, content marketing, and audience development credentials; UK telecoms firm CMO roles emphasise UK retail brand management at scale alongside B2B brand and demand generation. For tech and SaaS-specific CMO senior search context, see our Fractional CMO for Tech and SaaS service.

Chief Digital Officer. Senior digital leadership at UK TMT firms with digital transformation requirements. Particularly relevant at UK media firms (digital transformation from print to digital, broadcast to streaming) and UK telecoms firms (digital customer experience, digital commercial operations). For dedicated CDO senior search context, see our Chief Digital Officer service.

Chief Information Security Officer. Senior cyber security leadership at UK technology firms with cyber security posture requirements (UK fintech firms, UK B2B SaaS firms operating regulated client data, UK telecoms firms, UK broadcasters with digital platform infrastructure, UK PE-backed technology firms with UK and international cyber security exposure). UK CISO roles operate against the UK Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018, the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the UK Online Safety Act 2023 (for relevant online platforms), and (at UK financial services-adjacent firms) FCA operational resilience requirements.

Chief Editorial Officer and Editor-in-Chief. Senior editorial leadership at UK media firms — the principal editorial role at UK newspapers and digital publishers. UK Editor-in-Chief appointments are among the most consequential UK media senior search activity, with public profile and editorial accountability. Strong candidates demonstrate UK editorial track record, UK newspaper or digital publisher leadership credentials, and UK and international editorial network.

Director of Programming and Chief Content Officer. Senior content leadership at UK broadcasters and streaming operators — covering UK and international content commissioning, content acquisition, and content strategy. The role has materially elevated at UK streaming operators with the maturation of streaming as a primary content distribution mechanism.

Chief Network Officer and Network Operations Director. Senior network and infrastructure leadership at UK telecoms operators. Strong candidates demonstrate UK network operator credentials, fibre and mobile network operations track record at scale, and (at the alternative network operator cohort) UK fibre rollout programme leadership credentials. UK Ofcom regulatory engagement credentials matter materially at this level.

Chief Financial Officer and Finance Director. Senior finance leadership at UK TMT firms. Sub-sector-specific dimensions vary — at UK technology firms, SaaS metrics fluency (ARR, NRR, CAC, LTV, payback period), UK and international SaaS revenue recognition, and (at PE-backed firms) covenant management and sponsor reporting; at UK media firms, advertising revenue accounting, content amortisation, and (at listed firms) FTSE-listed financial reporting requirements; at UK telecoms firms, infrastructure asset accounting, network capex management, and (at listed firms) FTSE-listed financial reporting requirements. For senior CFO appointments at UK TMT firms specifically, see our sister firm FD Capital.

The UK TMT senior search dimensions

Ofcom regulatory framework. UK telecoms and broadcast media firms operate under the Office of Communications (Ofcom) regulatory framework. UK Ofcom oversight covers UK telecoms market structure (including competition framework, network sharing, wholesale pricing including Openreach access pricing, and consumer protection), UK broadcasting standards (Broadcasting Code compliance, public service broadcaster obligations, broadcasting licensing), and increasingly UK online safety regulation following the UK Online Safety Act 2023. Senior commercial decision-making at UK telecoms and broadcast media firms operates against Ofcom regulatory framework. Strong candidates demonstrate Ofcom regulatory engagement credentials at the relevant authorisation type. For UK regulatory framework context, see Ofcom guidance.

UK Online Safety Act 2023. The UK Online Safety Act 2023 entered force in October 2023 with phased implementation through 2024-2025, introducing UK regulation of online platforms hosting user-generated content. The Act applies to UK and international online platforms with material UK user bases and introduces duties around illegal content, content harmful to children, and (for designated platforms) duties around adult user safety. UK senior team accountability under the Online Safety Act is material — strong UK technology and platform candidates operate fluently across the framework. Ofcom is the UK Online Safety Act regulator. For UK regulatory framework context, see Ofcom Online Safety guidance.

UK Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act). The DMCC Act received Royal Assent in May 2024 with phased implementation through 2024-2025, introducing the UK Strategic Market Status (SMS) designation power for the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Digital Markets Unit. Firms designated with SMS are subject to enforced conduct requirements and pro-competition interventions. The Act materially elevates UK digital market regulatory framework alongside the EU Digital Markets Act and equivalent international digital market regulatory frameworks. Senior commercial decision-making at major UK digital platforms operates against this framework. For UK regulatory framework context, see UK Government Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 guidance.

UK technology PE and VC ownership landscape. UK technology firms are PE-backed or VC-backed, with materially different senior hiring patterns from listed and US-headquartered firms. The UK technology PE landscape includes Permira (UK and European tech buyout firm with UK technology track record), Hg (UK and European tech buyout firm specialising in B2B SaaS, the UK-rooted technology PE firm), EQT (with UK technology PE activity), Thoma Bravo (US-rooted tech PE with growing UK presence including the 2024 Darktrace take-private), Vista Equity Partners UK, Bain Capital Tech Opportunities UK, Insight Partners UK (with growing UK growth equity activity), and UK growth and buyout PE activity. Senior candidates at UK PE-backed technology firms work substantively with sponsor reporting cycles, value creation plan delivery, and exit timeline alignment. For broader UK PE recruitment context, see our Private Equity Recruitment service.

UK technology workforce visa framework. UK technology senior hiring increasingly involves UK Skilled Worker visa sponsorship for international senior candidates, UK Innovator Founder visa support for senior founder appointments, and UK Global Talent visa engagement at the most senior technology research and engineering roles. UK Home Office sponsor licence accountability sits with senior firm leadership, with material compliance implications including senior individual accountability under UK immigration framework. Strong UK TMT senior search work calibrates the international candidate pool against UK visa framework reality. For UK regulatory framework context, see UK Visas and Immigration guidance.

Further reading

For role-specific senior hiring guides at the senior level relevant to UK TMT firms, see our CEO hiring guide, CFO hiring guide, COO hiring guide, CTO hiring guide, and the rest in our Knowledge Centre. For UK senior compensation including PE-backed technology firm equity structures, listed UK TMT firm LTIP arrangements, and US-style equity participation common at UK technology firms, see our Executive Compensation Guide and Equity and Incentives Guide.

For senior CFO appointments at UK TMT firms — including SaaS metrics fluency, advertising revenue accounting, infrastructure asset accounting, listed firm financial reporting, and PE-backed covenant management — see our sister firm FD Capital. For senior NED and Chair appointments at UK TMT firms including FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 listed contexts and UK PE-backed firm board appointments, see our sister firm NED Capital. For senior accountancy-qualified roles at UK TMT firms including Heads of Internal Audit and senior audit partner appointments, see our sister firm Accountancy Capital.

For UK TMT industry and regulatory context, see Ofcom for the UK telecoms and broadcast regulatory framework, Ofcom Online Safety for UK Online Safety Act 2023 framework, UK Government DMCC Act 2024 guidance, the UK Competition and Markets Authority for UK competition framework including digital market designation powers, the TheCityUK for the broader UK financial services trade body framework relevant to UK fintech, and techUK, the UK technology trade body. For UK gaming industry context, see UKIE, the UK games industry trade body. For UK creative industries and media context, see the UK Government Department for Culture, Media and Sport.