For decades, executive hiring relied on referrals, reputation and intuition. But as with many business functions, data has transformed what’s possible. Enter Talent Intelligence (TI)—the strategic use of workforce insights to improve how organisations plan, attract, and appoint leadership talent.

Beyond battle cards: A new definition

Talent Intelligence isn’t about competitive surveillance. It’s about using data to inform decisions, on skills, availability, diversity, mobility and hiring conditions. At Savannah, we define TI as the data-led design of faster, smarter leadership hiring strategies.

From opinion to algorithms

The rise of AI-powered platforms, like Savannah’s own MapX, means organisations can now analyse millions of profiles globally in real time. What once took weeks now takes hours. As shared in our recent LinkedIn Live, it’s like upgrading your recruitment pipeline from dial-up to fibre-speed.

Watch our latest LinkedIn session “Why is one in five leadership hires failing?”

Core components of modern TI

• Skill rarity and spread: How commonly do your required capabilities appear in the market?
• Mobility patterns: Are ideal candidates open to new opportunities?
• Diversity metrics: Where are the untapped inclusion opportunities?
• Engagement likelihood: Who’s likely to respond, and who’s currently in demand?

The 80/20 Rule: Tech + Human

Technology streamlines the first 80% of the search, mapping talent, spotting gaps, and analysing patterns. But the final 20%, including stakeholder alignment, narrative development and candidate interaction, remains a human-centred discipline.

That’s why Savannah combines technology with high-touch consulting. For example, calibration sessions allow hiring teams to view real candidate profiles against their brief, helping to stress-test assumptions and reduce “front-runner bias” before shortlisting.

The ROI of going faster and smarter

According to Gallup, longer recruitment cycles can undermine both engagement and outcomes. With TI, organisations make better-informed decisions earlier, saving weeks (sometimes months) per hire and reducing vacancy risk.

Over time, these advantages compound. Whether you’re hiring into a critical new capability or evaluating succession depth across your SLT, Talent Intelligence helps bring clarity, confidence, and agility to every stage of leadership hiring.

In short: TI isn’t just the future of hiring, it’s already a key differentiator.

Find out more about Talent Intelligence