MitchelLake · The data and AI product seat
Head of Data and AI Product Executive Search
The head of data and AI product is the newest seat in the technology leadership layer and the least standard. MitchelLake appoints data, analytics and AI product leaders for companies building the capability into what they ship, and for those building it into how they run.
What the seat does at Series B to D, and in a scale-up
At Series B it is usually one person: the data platform, the analytics the business runs on, and the first model-backed features. By Series C and D it splits into data leadership (platform, governance, analytics) and AI product leadership (what the model is for, how it is shipped and how it is measured). The two need different people, and the second is far rarer than the first.
In a scale-up the seat decides whether AI is a feature or a product. The hire that gets that right has shipped both, has sat between product, engineering and the commercial team, and can say in plain terms what the model changes for a customer. A research credential alone does not do it.
What the market is doing
In October 2026, the last settled month on the wire, 6 strategic-hiring signals named a data or AI leadership seat, up from 2 in September 2026; 1,445 product launches were recorded against 829.
- Chief AI & AI product leadership: 6 of 1,256 executive appointments in October 2026 (0.5%), +0.3 points on the month before.
Live signal wire, settled calendar months only. The appointment mix is the Talent Market Index monthly movement rail; the wire itself is at strategic hiring and product launches.
Comparable mandate
We have run this search for this kind of role.