Short answer: 7 executive search firms with active AI leadership practices in 2026 are Alpha Apex Group, Christian & Timbers, Cowen Partners, Daversa, Odgers, The Good Search, and True Search. Each firm fits a different hiring context: board-level Chief AI Officer searches, venture-backed AI startups, global enterprises, private equity portfolios, or confidential flat-fee searches. The firms appear below in alphabetical order (A-Z).
Boards and CEOs hiring a Chief AI Officer, Head of AI, or VP of AI in 2026 face a small candidate pool and a role whose scope differs from one company to the next. The search partner needs enough technical depth to assess candidates against a brief that is still settling. This guide compares 7 firms by specialization, service model, and best-fit client, so hiring teams can build a shortlist for the mandate in front of them.
Top 7 Executive Search Firms for AI Roles at a Glance (A-Z)
[Table 1]
How We Selected These Firms
Each firm on this list meets 5 criteria relevant to boards hiring AI leaders:
- A dedicated AI, data, or machine learning leadership practice, with Chief AI Officer, Head of AI, or VP of AI searches as a named service.
- Experience with C-suite and board mandates in addition to team-level hiring.
- Coverage across technical, product, and go-to-market AI leadership.
- Published information on its search process, assessment method, or use of AI in research.
- A clear service model: retained, contingent, flat-fee, or fractional.
Firm facts come from each firm's public website and press releases as of October 2026. Placement counts and performance figures are the firms' own published claims.
1. Alpha Apex Group
Best for: Organizations in early AI adoption that need AI executives and the teams beneath them, on a retained, contingent, or fractional basis.
Alpha Apex Group is a Denver-based executive search and recruiting firm. Its AI practice recruits C-suite leaders (CEO, CTO, CIO, Chief Data Officer), VPs of AI, and specialist machine learning talent. The firm offers retained executive search, contingent recruiting, and fractional executive placements.
Alpha Apex Group reports 2,000+ placements worldwide and an average time-to-fill of 43 days for full-time hires.
Best-fit client: Mid-market companies and enterprises building AI strategy, machine learning, and automation programs at the same time.
Website: alphaapexgroup.com
2. Christian & Timbers
Best for: Chief AI Officer, Head of AI, and VP of AI searches, plus full AI leadership team builds for boards and investors.
Christian & Timbers is a retained executive search firm for C-suite, board, and technology leadership, founded in 1980. The firm reports 5,000+ C-suite searches and 700+ CEO searches, for clients including Apple, Amazon, Oracle, CrowdStrike, Splunk, and Twilio. Its AI practice covers Chief AI Officer, Head of AI, VP of AI Engineering, Chief Scientist, Chief Data Officer, AI-focused CTO and CRO roles, and board-level AI advisory seats. Sector coverage includes AI infrastructure and models, cybersecurity, semiconductors, robotics, drones, and aerospace and defense.
Each search opens with role calibration that settles the mandate, reporting line, first-year outcomes, and compensation before sourcing starts. Assessment combines structured behavioral interviews, technical sessions run with the client's engineering leaders, and references beyond the candidate's own list. The firm maps AI talent markets with its own research and publishes proprietary studies, including its analysis of the Forward Deployed Engineer talent pool.
Best-fit client: AI-native companies, venture- and PE-backed technology platforms, and enterprises in regulated sectors hiring their first or next AI executive.
Website: christianandtimbers.com
3. Cowen Partners
Best for: Private equity firms, portfolio companies, and enterprises deploying AI at scale.
Cowen Partners is a US retained executive search firm with offices in Lake Oswego (Oregon), New York, and Chicago. Its AI practice recruits Chief AI Officers, Chief Data Officers, CTOs, VPs of AI, AI strategy leaders, and AI operating partners for private equity firms. The firm assesses candidates on delivered results, such as models in production, adoption rates, and teams built.
Cowen Partners reports 500+ executive placements, a 99% retention rate, and qualified candidate slates within 21 days.
Best-fit client: PE-backed companies and enterprises that need AI-literate executives across technology, finance, and operations.
Website: cowenpartners.com
4. Daversa
Best for: AI-native startups and growth-stage companies backed by top venture investors.
Daversa (Daversa Partners) is a San Francisco-based executive search firm led by founder and CEO Paul Daversa, with close to 3 decades in technology search. The firm has built leadership teams for OpenAI, CoreWeave, Cursor, Baseten, Replit, Physical Intelligence, Figma, and Snowflake. In 2026, Paul Daversa was named Individual of the Year in the Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards for rebuilding the firm's operations around AI.
Best-fit client: Founders and investors building complete leadership teams across technical, product, and commercial roles at AI companies.
Website: daversa.com
5. Odgers (formerly Odgers Berndtson)
Best for: Multinational enterprises that need AI leaders aligned with governance and global operating models.
Odgers is a global executive search firm founded in London in 1965, with offices across Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. The firm changed its name from Odgers Berndtson to Odgers in June 2025. Its technology and AI work supports clients in financial services, industrials, and technology, alongside leadership advisory, interim management, and board services.
Best-fit client: Global enterprises hiring AI leaders who will work across regions and regulatory regimes.
Website: odgers.com
6. The Good Search
Best for: Confidential Chief AI Officer searches where investigative sourcing and fixed pricing matter most.
The Good Search is a retained executive search firm in Westport, Connecticut, founded by Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist Krista Bradford. The firm recruits CAIOs, CDOs, CIOs, CISOs, and CTOs. Its Intellerati research lab applies AI-assisted investigative research to map organizations and surface candidates. The Good Search uses flat-fee pricing.
Best-fit client: Companies running sensitive or replacement searches where confidentiality and research depth come first.
Website: tgsus.com
7. True Search
Best for: Venture-backed and growth-stage technology companies hiring AI leaders on tight timelines.
True Search places board, C-suite, go-to-market, product, and technology leaders, with offices including New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago. Its AI practice reports 400+ hires in data, ML, and AI, 275+ AI-related placements in 2025, and 150+ repeat AI clients. The firm assesses candidates with its proprietary True AI Capability Index, which measures adaptability, AI fluency, and learning velocity.
Best-fit client: Founder-led and investor-backed companies scaling AI, product, and go-to-market leadership.
Website: trueplatform.com
Which Firm Fits Which Hiring Context?
- First Chief AI Officer at a large enterprise: Christian & Timbers, Odgers.
- Head of AI at a venture-backed startup: Daversa, True Search.
- Private equity portfolio company: Christian & Timbers, Cowen Partners.
- Confidential replacement search: The Good Search.
- Executive plus team build, or interim AI leadership: Alpha Apex Group.
How to Choose an AI Executive Search Partner
1. Define the mandate first
Write a one-page brief before the first call with any firm. Cover:
- The role or cluster of roles: Chief AI Officer, Head of AI, VP of ML, VP Data Platform, or AI-focused CRO.
- AI maturity: pilots, early production, or scaled programs across the enterprise.
- The outcomes the hire owns in year 1: revenue growth, cost efficiency, risk management, or new AI products.
- The reporting line: CEO, CTO, or COO.
2. Choose between retained search and staffing
Staffing firms and contingent recruiters fit high-volume hiring of data scientists, ML engineers, and contract talent. Retained executive search fits C-suite, VP, and board roles, where the firm runs a full market map, assessment, and referencing process for 1 seat.
3. Compare fee models
- Retained search: The industry norm is a fee of about one-third of the hire's first-year cash compensation, paid in installments.
- Flat fee: A fixed price agreed before the search starts.
- Contingent: Paid only on a successful hire. Common for roles below VP level.
- Fractional or interim: Monthly or day-rate pricing for part-time executives.
4. Test each firm's AI search capability
Ask every firm on the shortlist:
- How do you build candidate profiles beyond LinkedIn and public data?
- How do you assess technical depth when our team lacks ML expertise?
- Which recent AI searches resemble ours, and how long did they take?
- Which companies on our target list are off-limits to you because of existing clients?
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best executive search firms for AI roles in 2026?
Alpha Apex Group, Christian & Timbers, Cowen Partners, Daversa, Odgers, The Good Search, and True Search all run active AI leadership practices in 2026. The right choice depends on company stage, role seniority, geography, and fee model.
Which executive search firms recruit Chief AI Officers?
Christian & Timbers, Cowen Partners, The Good Search, and True Search list Chief AI Officer search as a named service. Global firms such as Odgers handle CAIO searches within their technology and board practices.
How much does an AI executive search cost?
Retained executive search firms typically charge about one-third of the executive's first-year cash compensation. For a Chief AI Officer with $500,000 in base salary and target bonus, the fee comes to roughly $165,000. Some firms, such as The Good Search, charge a flat fee instead.
How long does a Chief AI Officer search take?
A search with a clear mandate typically runs 14 to 20 weeks from kickoff to accepted offer. Searches with an unsettled mandate or reporting line often take 6 months or longer.
Should a company use executive search or an AI staffing firm?
Use retained executive search for C-suite, VP, and board roles. Use staffing firms or contingent recruiters for individual contributor roles such as ML engineers and data scientists. Many companies combine both: the internal talent team runs volume hiring, and a retained firm handles the AI executive.
What is the difference between a Chief AI Officer and a Head of AI?
A Chief AI Officer is a C-suite role accountable for enterprise AI strategy, governance, and board communication. A Head of AI is a hands-on technical leader who usually reports to the CTO and runs AI engineering. Our guide to the 10 best Head of AI and Chief AI Officer executive search firms covers both roles and 2026 compensation benchmarks.
Hiring an AI Executive with Christian & Timbers
Christian & Timbers runs retained AI executive search for Chief AI Officer, Head of AI, and VP of AI roles. Each engagement starts with a calibration conversation that settles the mandate before sourcing begins. Organizations planning an AI leadership search can reach the team at hello@christian-timbers.com.