CIO Executive Search

Transforming great brands since 2001

Meet today’s CIO.

Imagine the future of work and visualise the expectations of customers decades from now. Organisations need leaders equipped to navigate change and unite people and technology with innovative, inclusive leadership.

A CIO executive search service you can depend on

There are hundreds of executive search firms; we’re different because we specialise in connecting extraordinary CIO talent with ambitious organisations.

All the organisations we partner with have one common goal, to attract authentic CIOs with the passion and talent to transform lives.

If you’re searching for CIO and IT leadership jobs in the UK get in touch for a confidential conversation. If you’re looking for an exceptional IT leader, talk to our experts today.

Formidable Market Insights

As part of the £1bn global talent and technology recruitment company Nash Squared, we help produce the world’s largest digital leadership survey. We also publish salary surveys and specialist reports on aspects such as Cyber Security.
An Unparalleled Network

We’ve built great relationships with talented CIOs by working with them throughout their career. Events such as our CIO candidate workshop also attract hundreds of CIOs, and Crimson’s Women in Tech network supports female trailblazers.
CIO Search Expertise

Our executive search team were handpicked based on a proven track record of over half a century. Their partners include public and private sector organisations, universities, charities, government agencies, NHS trusts and local authorities.
Demonstrable Technology Knowledge

Our understanding of technology exceeds that of a typical executive search firm; as an IT consultancy and a Microsoft Gold Partner, we understand the challenges our customers face. Our Practice Director also has a background in IT leadership.

Partner with UK leading CIO, executive search experts

Iain McKeand spent ten years in IT leadership before transitioning into the world of headhunting. His experience in executive recruitment, search, and selection within the technology space spans over 25 years and includes global assignments. Iain is one of the UK’s leading experts in strategic CIO search and a trusted advisor to some of the UK’s most successful CIOs.

Christine is an esteemed Executive Researcher with over 20 years’ experience sourcing global CIOs. She operates at board level in a consultative and discreet manner. Formally a Project Manager and Executive Assistant, Christine is Prince2 qualified. Her approach is methodical; from project timelines to longlisting, Christine delivers unrivalled candidate and customer care.

Iain McKeand

Practice Director
Christine Dineen

Senior Researcher

The Crimson CIO workshop was full of great insight regarding the importance of online branding from a recruitment perspective. An interactive agenda also offered some valuable networking opportunities – a must-attend for those considering their next role.

Sarah Read
Senior SAP Programme Manager, Meggitt

Christine is one of the most professional, dedicated, committed and hard-working people I have ever worked with. Her ability to manage conflicting priorities and achieve positive outcomes is exceptional. She also has excellent client relationship skills and the ability to motivate a team to achieve its objectives. Anyone lucky enough to work with Christine will appreciate what a valuable asset she is to any organisation.

John Whiting
Managing Director, Excellence in Leadership

Iain handled his assignments with a very high degree of diligence, and he was able to get an accurate fix on our requirements very quickly. His personable demeanour, his strong sense of professionalism and ultimately the results he delivered were highly consistent with what you would expect from someone operating at the very top of their game.

Gary Turner
Co-Founder and Managing Director, Xero

We engaged with Crimson last year to support us with our first senior IT hire. They were extremely professional and very personable in their approach and interactions. The communication was excellent, and we were provided with very high-calibre candidates, they helped us with a very efficient short-listing process to whittle down to the top candidates for the role and our business. Excellent service and I would not hesitate to recommend them to others.”

Richard Dickson
HR Director, James Cowper Kreston

Humanise your CIO executive search

Every CIO executive search is unique; we provide an affordable end-to-end service keeping our candidates and customers informed every step of the way.

Discovery: First and foremost, we want to understand the culture of the organisation, your objectives, and the nature of the role.

Engagement: We will present a document detailing the search,including candidate requirements, a project timetable, and our key recommendations.

Search: We will conduct formal research in parallel with network search and an advertising campaign to attract a high calibre pool of candidates within a competitive marketplace.

Selection: Our experts will qualify and reference each application before providing you with a longlist to review.

Onboarding: We support stakeholders and candidates by advising them on offer negation and confirmation, formal acceptance of contract and agreement of start date.

Review: Continuous improvement is key to moving forward. During the review, we revisit your search to help you and us develop key takeaways.

Contact our CIO executive search team for a confidential discussion.

Start your search today

Discover more

We run events and workshops that support IT leaders. Together with our parent company Nash Squared, we publish the world’s largest report on technology and talent trends.