Last year we asked Lewis Bantin which hires he expected to see in 2024, with his predictions for top five roles as below:
- CRO
- Revenue Operations
- Chief of Staff
- CISO
- Data & Solutions Architects
We asked Lewis to mark his own homework as to whether that played out across the year and whether he is changing his predictions for 2025. Here are his insights for the coming year:
1. Revenue teams continue to grow
The increasing focus on CRO and Revenue Operations teams across our portfolio was confirmed from our prediction for 2024. For example, we saw Greville Coe join CSL as CRO, helping to further expand the company’s secure connectivity services into new IoT verticals such as payments and telehealth. We also saw growth in the revenue teams at compliance platform ISMS, with Ross Down joining as VP Customer Success and Ian Bellamy as VP Growth.
Revenue Operations also took centre stage at our Growth Summit in September, where many portfolio companies shared how investing in this area has improved their ability to deliver growth, and improve forecasting, especially in today’s lower growth environment. When you don’t have market tailwinds behind you, or a cheap cost of money, you need to work harder to create value, usually by targeting your ideal clients and by sharpening your competitive edge over rivals. Rev Ops has become essential in driving these improvements.
2. Chief of Staff role still not a common hire in the UK
While the Chief of Staff role has grown in prominence globally, it remains rare in the UK, with its adoption often only at large cap companies. Instead, we’ve seen increased investment in People teams and the appointment of Heads of Transformation to address many of the challenges this role might otherwise handle. It would also be true that in our portfolio, our Commercial Team plays some of this role!
Since Covid, People functions have taken on broader responsibilities, moving beyond traditional HR tasks to focus on engaging and motivating teams, which in turn drives growth. As well as these teams having a broadening remit, they are often now much more involved in recruitment with a notable trend this year of growth in in-house recruitment teams, whether fully in-house or outsourced but embedded. This approach reduces hiring costs and creates teams that better understand the business.
Heads of Transformation have also become crucial, particularly for businesses undergoing significant change. For example, as Insurance Insider is no longer part of the Delinian Group following ECI’s carve out deal, it has needed leaders to establish new structures quickly. Similarly, other companies that are pursuing acquisitions are bringing in specialists to integrate these businesses at pace.
3. AI and the hiring hype cycle
AI’s influence continues to grow, but its impact on hiring has shifted. Initially, businesses focussed on hiring “scientists” to build AI tools, but as the hype cycle wanes, the emphasis has moved to roles that maintain and optimise these systems, and the fuel for these systems: data.
This transition has created a gap. Many data scientists thrive on variety and intellectual challenge, while maintaining and tweaking existing systems often involves slower, iterative work. Going forward, we expect to see an increase in data engineers with AI experience, supported by teams using AI-powered tools. Whereas larger, bespoke AI projects will likely be outsourced to the real specialists.
Additionally, data governance and compliance are becoming increasingly important areas for businesses, bringing a sharper focus to roles that help companies navigate the legalities of data harvesting while optimising their AI systems. We expect we will see more legislation and litigation around privacy and the use of data (see Apple fined $95m for Siri “listening” in).
4. Heads of Engineering and more focus on cyber
Our prediction about the rise of CISO hires proved accurate, with cyber threats becoming a critical Board-level discussion in 2024. Within our portfolio, Ash Patel, our Cyber Growth Specialist, has helped businesses strengthen their frameworks, but many companies in the broader market remain vulnerable – with almost 70% of European companies still not providing their employees with any cyber training at all, according to Statista.
As cyber threats grow, CTOs are under increasing pressure, often stretching their responsibilities to the limit. To support them, we’re seeing more companies invest in roles like Heads of Engineering, who can manage teams, ensure deadlines are met, and maintain productivity while allowing CTOs to focus on strategy.
5. Challenges hiring at the C level
Hiring at the C-level has been particularly challenging over the last 12 months. With growth harder to achieve in the current market, candidates are more cautious, prioritising cash today over jam tomorrow!
To attract top talent, companies need a compelling growth strategy and the ability to instil confidence in their prospects. Non-executive hires or specialists are becoming more common, providing expertise without increasing the full-time headcount. At ECI, our Growth Specialists provide access to skills in areas like Tech and People without companies requiring permanent hires.
As we expect more deal volume in 2025, we anticipate more movement at the C-level. New investors will seek to grow management teams and that will lead to senior executives such as COOs and CFOs to potentially find new leadership roles, including CEO positions. This shift could ease the current hiring challenges and bring new opportunities for businesses to attract top-tier talent.
Looking ahead to 2025
When we consider our hiring trends predictions, it’s clear that businesses need to remain agile, focussing on roles that drive value and resilience. Whether through Revenue Ops, Heads of Transformation, or VPs of Engineering, the key to success lies in adapting to the challenges of today’s market while preparing for tomorrow’s opportunities.
