Digital Recruitment @DigiRecComp

Money20/20 Europe is still one of the best places to get a real read on fintech. Not from reports. From conversations. I’ll be there discussing executive hiring, boards, leadership retention, interim demand & growth challenges across fintech. Attending? Let’s connect.

“IT hiring is up 18% this year already.” Despite everything else happening in the market. That tells you one thing: Digital capability is no longer optional. It’s core infrastructure. The businesses still investing here are the ones thinking long term.

Money20/20 talks growth. Few talk leadership risk. Fintech hiring isn’t slowing—it’s more disciplined. Boards want operators who've handled pressure, restructures & scale. DRC Search data tells a different story than headlines. I'll be at Money20/20 Europe—exec shifts. Coffee?

Everyone at Money20/20 will talk growth. Few will talk leadership risk. Fintech exec hiring isn’t slowing—it’s getting sharper. Boards now want operators who’ve scaled under pressure, not just growth stories. If you’re at Money20/20, open to compare notes over coffee.

“The biggest shift in marketing isn’t volume. It’s role design.” Generalists are growing. Specialists are declining. Fewer silos. More commercial ownership. Broader accountability. Top candidates already work this way. The market is catching up.

“The marketing market isn’t flat. It’s uneven.” Headline data says stable. Reality says selective. Some regions up 6–8%. Others down double digits. Demand is shifting fast. Not a slow market. A selective one.

“Marketing roles are down 20%+ YoY in early 2026.” Marketing matters. But expectations changed. Less brand. More revenue accountability. More commercial integration. Hiring briefs are already reflecting the shift.

“Sales hiring is up 50%+ in early 2026.” Not a coincidence. When markets tighten, hiring moves closer to revenue. Sales is accelerating faster than any other function in the North West. Commercial operators are back at the centre.

“Hiring hasn’t slowed. It’s been filtered.” 34,000+ professional vacancies were added in the North West last year. But the story isn’t volume. It’s intent. Hiring is shifting toward revenue, technical capability, and operational resilience. Not contraction. Precision.

Growth is back in the South West—but controlled. +7.9% hiring into 2026 IT, engineering & sales leading Marketing ↓ 17% ROI-led hiring: Tech, revenue, delivery ↑ Brand & non-essential ↓ Fewer companies driving growth = more competition & higher hiring pressure.

The IT hiring market didn’t slow. It got sharper. +15.2% roles in 2025 +18.1% in early 2026 Engineering ↑ Infra & leadership ↑ Support ↓ This isn’t volume hiring. It’s capability hiring. The bar is higher—and the talent gap is widening.

Marketing hiring isn’t down. It’s evolving. Flat on paper. Fragmented in reality. London dominates Regions rising Tech ↓ | Consumer ↑ But the real shift: Generalists up Specialists down CMOs aren’t hiring for channels anymore. They’re hiring for impact.

The North West talent market has shifted. More roles. Higher bar. Sales ↑ Tech dominating Marketing tightening London clients aren’t asking “who’s best?” anymore. They’re asking: “Who delivers impact in 12 months?” That’s the new hiring brief.

Most salary surveys miss this 👇 They show pay— not why hires succeed or fail. 2026: ↑ salaries, ↓ tenure, ↑ expectations. Reports: C-Suite & NED Report: digitalrecruitmentcompany.com/index.php?opti… UK Permanent Report: digitalrecruitmentcompany.com/index.php?opti… UK Contract Report: digitalrecruitmentcompany.com/index.php?opti…

EVP reality check 👇 “Salary gets attention. Structure gets acceptance.” 54% hybrid. 19% remote. Portfolio careers rising. Top talent compares lifestyles, not offers. If it’s just salary + bonus— wrong league. Full survey: digitalrecruitmentcompany.com/index.php?opti…

AI + leadership shift 👇 Not demand—structure. 78% using AI. Data ↑. Governance = board. Need operators, not just tech leaders. Org charts changed. Hiring hasn’t. Full report: digitalrecruitmentcompany.com/index.php?opti…

Founder reality check 👇 “£180K for a CTO should be competitive.” Market: £160K–£310K. The problem isn’t salary—it’s thinking. Not just a tech leader. You need a builder, scaler, operator. Benchmarks help. Clarity wins. Full report👇🏽: digitalrecruitmentcompany.com/index.php?opti…

Contract market shift 👇 Not cheaper. Sharper. CTOs: £2.9k/day CPOs: £3.1k/day AI talent: premium It’s not about cost—it’s outcomes. No scope. No speed. No impact. No top talent. Full survey: digitalrecruitmentcompany.com/index.php?opti…

Candidate Behaviour “81% move for salary. Only 23% stay for it.” 2026 UK Salary Survey: WLB (46%), flexibility & growth drive retention. Yet hiring still fixates on pay. C-Suite hires aren’t about capability— they’re about alignment. digitalrecruitmentcompany.com/index.php?opti…

C-Suite Launch “Most boards  still underestimate the cost of leadership.” Our 2026 C-Suite & NED Salary Survey is live. CTOs £310K Chief Data £450K+ Equity rising NEDs 0.25–1% Not inflation—competition. Hiring in 2026? It’s more than salary. digitalrecruitmentcompany.com/index.php?opti…