Our client faced a challenge many organisations are now encountering: significant investment in AI, but limited clarity on the leadership profile required to operationalise those ambitions at scale. At the outset, the assumption was that the market contained a broad pool of experienced senior AI product leaders. However, our analysis revealed a far more fragmented and immature talent landscape. Candidates typically fell into one of two categories: highly technical AI specialists with limited commercial or operational ownership, or transformation leaders with strong business credentials but insufficient hands-on AI product expertise. The real challenge was not simply identifying talent, but defining what exceptional leadership looked like within the context of the client’s strategy, operating model, and stage of AI maturity. In a rapidly evolving market with few established benchmarks, the client needed a clearer view of the capabilities, experiences, and leadership characteristics that exist and were most likely to drive AI adoption and commercial impact at scale within their business.
Savannah conducted a two-phase mapping project across the UK, Ireland, and selected international markets, reviewing approximately 7,500 profiles and assessing around 900 senior AI and product leaders. We calibrated the market against six core dimensions including product enablement, AI depth, strategy, commercial value realisation, and governance. Rather than restricting the search to direct sector competitors, we mapped talent across consultancies, AI-native technology firms, consumer platforms, and regulated enterprises. This enabled the client to understand where the strongest combinations of AI, product, and enterprise transformation capability actually existed.
The project revealed that true MD-level AI product enablement leaders were exceptionally scarce, particularly those with experience operating across federated and multi-brand environments. Savannah identified a relevant market of just 150 candidates from an initial population of nearly 900, ultimately curating a high-quality shortlist aligned to the client’s future operating model. Alongside candidate delivery, we provided market intelligence on talent availability, mobility, organisational structures, and emerging capability trends, enabling the client to refine both the role design and long-term AI leadership strategy.
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