Executive Moves and Hiring Trends in Software, Fintech, Mobile Games & Internet (2018–2025)
This guide covers executive moves in software, internet, fintech, and mobile games sectors. It brings together our quarterly “Candidate Moves” reports into one evolving resource, offering a high-level view of the senior leaders shaping the digital economy.
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Key roles tracked: CEO, CTO, CPO, CFO, CPTO, CMO, CRO, CCO, CSO, CPO
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Sectors include: SaaS, mobile games, fintech, AI, mobile apps, e-commerce, and enterprise tech
We reference industry-leading sources such as Tech.EU, UKTN, PocketGamer.biz, and other news sites – alongside official company announcements — to compile our executive moves reports.
Executive Moves and Hiring Trends in Tech (CEO, CTO, CPO, CFO & More)
We’ve tracked a growing number of hires into executive roles such as CEO, Chief Product Officer (CPO), CTO, CFO, Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO), Chief Customer Officer (CCO), and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). Over the past several years, several consistent themes have emerged across the senior-level moves. While this isn’t a quantitative analysis, the patterns reflect real-world shifts in how companies build their leadership teams:
Cross-Sector Transitions
Executives are increasingly moving between industries – with software, mobile games, fintech, and AI companies hiring talent across sector boundaries. This fluidity suggests a demand for broad digital leadership experience over niche specialization.
Blended Product & Tech Leadership
We’re seeing more hybrid roles like Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO), or tech leaders stepping into commercial and strategic roles. This reflects the convergence of product, platform, and business model innovation.
Deepening the C-Suite
The classic CEO-CFO-CTO lineup is expanding. Roles such as Chief People Officer, Chief Customer Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer are becoming more prominent – a sign of growing organizational complexity and customer focus.
Increased Focus on Diversity and Inclusion
There’s a growing trend of appointing women to top executive roles, signaling a commitment to diversity and inclusion within the tech industry.
Executive Moves by Quarter (2018–2025) in Software, Internet, Fintech, and Mobile Games
The following quarterly reports highlight some of the most notable executive hirings in the tech, software, fintech, mobile games, and internet sectors. These individual updates reflect the broader trends discussed above.
2024
Highlights: Dan Michelson (CEO, RLDatix), Valeri Liborski (CTO, Yahoo), Alexis Bonte (CEO, Stillfront)
Highlights: Sabrina Farmer (CTO, GitLab), Matthew Bromberg (CEO, Unity), Philip Moyer (CEO, Vimeo)
Candidate Moves – Spring 2024
Highlights: Mark Moffat (CEO, IFS), Lidiane Jones (CEO, Bumble), Daniel Svard (co-CEO, Drest)
2023
Candidate Moves – Winter 2023
Highlights: Sam Altman (CEO, OpenAI), Kevin Cornils (CEO, Beauty Pie), Jim Whitehurst (CEO, Unity)
Candidate Moves – Summer 2023
Highlights: Simon Walsh (CEO, Advanced), Dylan Jadeja (CEO, Riot Games), Tom Wallis (CRO, Comparethemarket.com)
2022
Candidate Moves – Winter 2022
Highlights: Leslie Berland (CMO, Peloton), Meri Williams (CTO, Pleo), Sarah Stellini (CEO, Hero Gaming)
Candidate Moves – Autumn 2022
Highlights: Alex Gersh (CFO, Paysafe), George Arison (CEO, Grindr), Phil Hardin (CFO, Scopely)
Candidate Moves – Summer 2022
Highlights: Nick Beighton (CEO, MatchesFashion), Matt Hicks (CEO, Red Hat), Saad Choudri (CEO, Miniclip)
Candidate Moves – Spring 2022
Highlights: Carlos Jimenez (CPO, Factorial HR), James Caviness (Chief Product Officer, Lendable), Patrick Jonker (CEO, Hero Gaming)
2021
Candidate Moves – Summer 2021
Highlights: Paul Cooper (CEO, Tungsten Network), Isabelle Pinson (Chief Commercial and Product Officer, Moneyfarm), Brian Mattingley (Chairman, Playtech)
Candidate Moves – Spring 2021
Highlights: Zoe Harris (CMO, On the Beach Group), Alexandre Pelletier-Normand (CEO, Rovio Entertainment), James Keating (CMO, UKFast)
Candidate Moves -Winter 2021
Highlights: Ben Carter (CMO, Purplebricks), Geoffroy Lefebvre (CEO, Yoox Net-a-Porter Group), Alex Gersh (CFO, Sportradar)
2020
Candidate Moves – Autumn 2020
Highlights: Jean-Charles Lacoste (COO, Secret Escapes), Paul Cormier (CEO, Red Hat), Barbara Messing (CMO, Roblox)
Candidate Moves – Summer 2020
Highlights: Sasha Astafyeva (Partner, Atomico), Jim Szafranski (CEO, Prezi)
2019
Candidate Moves – Winter 2019
Highlights: Rupert Spiegelberg (CEO, Doctorlink), Nicola Thompson (COO, Made.com), Jurgen Post (CEO, Miniclip)
Candidate Moves – Autumn 2019
Highlights: Bill McDermott (CEO, ServiceNow), Richard Ambrose (CEO, Azimo), Harsh Sinha (CTO, TransferWise)
Candidate Moves – Summer 2019
Highlights: Jackie Lee-Joe (CMO, Netflix), Melissa Di Donato (CEO, SUSE), Neil Edwards (CFO, Zoopla)
Candidate Moves – Spring 2019
Highlights: Vic Darvey (COO, Purplebricks), Jim Freeman (CTO, Zalando), Rob Bartholomew (Chief Product Officer, Creative Assembly)
2018
Candidate Moves – 2018
Highlights: Mathew Dunn (CFO, ASOS), John O’Reilly (CEO, Rank Group), Matt Swann (CTO, Booking.com)
This evolving resource highlights the most significant executive moves in software, internet, fintech, and mobile games sectors from recent years. By tracking senior leadership changes across these fast-moving industries, we aim to provide valuable insight into the evolving priorities and strategies of the digital economy.
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