Sales Leadership & GTM Search for AI and SaaS Vendors
I search for the sales leaders and go-to-market teams of AI, SaaS and cloud software vendors in DACH, the Nordics and Europe. Country Managers, VPs and Sales Directors come first, then the Account Executives, Sales Engineers and Forward Deployed Engineers they build their teams with.
In this market I filled the first two Sales Directors in Europe for an AI software vendor, based in the UK and France, and a Sales Director Finland for an application monitoring software vendor. Before search, I spent 25 years in enterprise software and infrastructure sales and was the first employee in Europe or DACH for five US tech vendors. 97% of my placements are still in role after 12 months.
The roles I fill in AI and SaaS
1. Country Manager, VP Sales and Sales Director
The leader who opens or grows a region, often as the vendor's first commercial hire in Europe. AI and SaaS companies scale fast, so I look for leaders who have built a team at a comparable stage and can sell a category the customer is still learning to buy.
2. Account Executives
Enterprise and mid-market sellers who can run a value-based sale where the budget line does not exist yet. I check the deals they closed themselves, how they build pipeline and how they work with Sales Engineers.
3. Global and Strategic Account Executives
Sellers for multinational customers, coordinating across countries and with headquarters on large, multi-year contracts.
4. Sales Engineers and Forward Deployed Engineers
Technical roles at the customer: proofs of concept, integration and the first production use. Forward Deployed Engineers are a new profile in Europe, and the pool of people who can do the job is small.
5. Business Development and Marketing
Partner and business development roles and product or field marketing, usually as part of a market entry or a regional build-out.
Why AI and SaaS vendors work with me
Many AI and SaaS vendors come to Europe with a product that works and no local team. I did that job five times myself as the first employee on the ground, so I know which first hires carry a region and which ones stall it.
What you get:
An operator's judgment from 25 years in enterprise software and infrastructure sales. One person on your search, from the briefing to the start date. A written 6-month replacement guarantee on every placement.
Hiring for an AI or SaaS vendor?
If you are hiring a sales leader or building your first team in DACH, the Nordics or Europe, let's talk.
A 30-minute call, confidential and without obligation.
Sales Leadership & GTM Search for AI and SaaS: FAQ
Which roles do you fill for AI and SaaS vendors?
Sales leadership first: Country Manager, VP Sales and Sales Director, often as the vendor's first commercial leader in Europe. Then the team they build: Account Executives, Sales Engineers, Forward Deployed Engineers, and SDRs once a senior AE is in place. For AI, GenAI, data platform, SaaS and cloud infrastructure vendors in DACH, the Nordics and Europe. One example: the first two Sales Directors in Europe for an AI software vendor, based in the UK and France.
How do you find salespeople who can really sell AI?
By testing for substance instead of buzzwords. The market is full of people who can say "AI" and short of people who can qualify a use case, recover a failed pilot and sell ROI to a sceptical buyer. I look for sellers who understand where enterprise AI delivers and where it does not, because that honesty is what closes deals with buyers who are tired of hype.
Can you find the first commercial leader for an AI vendor entering Europe?
Yes, first-in-region hiring is a core part of my work. Before I became a headhunter, I was the first employee in Europe or DACH for five US tech vendors in their startup phase and built their go-to-market. So I know what the first commercial hire has to do: build pipeline from zero and later the team, without an established territory. I screen specifically for that profile.
Do you recruit Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs)?
Yes, specifically the customer-facing, commercial end of the role. The Forward Deployed Engineer, a title made popular by Palantir and now hired by most AI application vendors, sits between sales engineering and delivery: part engineer, part operator, part account owner, working inside the customer to get AI from demo to production. I place commercially minded FDEs and FDE leadership, Manager and Head of Forward Deployed Engineering, the people who own the customer relationship and the business outcome. The profile is scarce in DACH and the Nordics, so confidential direct outreach works far better than job boards.
Do you also cover SaaS, cloud and quantum computing?
Yes. The work spans enterprise and mid-market SaaS, cloud and infrastructure, data platforms and emerging fields such as quantum computing. The common thread is complex, technical selling to several stakeholders, which is where my operator background helps most in judging a candidate.