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Signals from the market: how tech transformation is reimagining leadership and structure

Liam Edwards 6 Aug 2025

AI/ML infrastructure and personalisation

Everyone’s talking about it, and for good reason. AI has moved from the lab to the boardroom. CTOs are leading the buildout of infrastructure that’s not only technically sound but strategically aligned. This is reshaping teams: data scientists and ML engineers are no longer siloed. They’re embedded in cross-functional squads alongside product, risk, and operations.

Take insurance, for example. Predictive underwriting isn’t a future ambition, it’s happening now. Actuarial teams are partnering with cloud AI specialists to deploy real-time risk models. The result? Faster decisions, sharper insights, and more agile organizations.

Cloud migration: the organizational shift behind the tech

Across industries, CIOs and CTOs tell us the same thing: cloud isn’t just a tech choice, it’s a structural shift. Yes, there’s continued investment in cloud engineering, infrastructure and architecture, and cyber. But beyond that, organizations are rebuilding how teams operate. Banks are leading the charge, already cloud-native and insurers are catching up quickly racing to modernize legacy systems once considered too complex to update.

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What we’re seeing as a result is flatter infrastructure teams and compliance embedded into delivery teams. And leadership is evolving too, CIOs are steering the transformation, overseeing system evolution, while CTOs architect the future with cloud-native tools.

The companies getting it right aren’t just migrating workloads – they’re redesigning how they work.

From outsourcing to ownership: the GCC shift

In our conversations with clients, one theme keeps surfacing: the pendulum is swinging back. After years of outsourcing, firms are actively reclaiming core capabilities. They’re looking for tighter control, faster decision-making, and in-house teams more closely aligned to the business mission.

Engineering drawing .Parts for industrial construction.Technology background. We’re seeing a significant uptick in investment into Global Capability Centres (GCCs), particularly in India and Southeast Asia. What were once viewed as cost centres are now being positioned as hubs of innovation and scale. Hedge funds, insurers, and VCs are building out GCCs to house product, data, operations, and engineering teams that are fully embedded in global strategy.

And from a talent perspective, this is a leadership shift too. There’s growing demand for people who can bridge cultures, scale teams in complex ecosystems, and lead meaningful transformation across borders. The organizations getting this right are placing human capital at the centre of their global design, and it’s reshaping the blueprint for growth. These are the people turning GCCs into strategic assets.

The COO’s new mandate: lead the digital charge

Talk to any forward-looking business and you’ll hear it: today’s COO isn’t just the operator, it’s the transformer. From AI pilots, enterprise automation roadmaps and cloud adoption: the COO is no longer just the custodian of operations, they’re at the helm of digital transformation.

Today’s COOs are expected to bring more than operational rigour. They need tech fluency, a strong grasp of cloud, automation, AI, and the ability to translate those technologies into strategic decisions. It’s not enough to understand the tools; they’re now leading the change.

And they’re doing it from the front line. The most effective COOs are upskilling teams, breaking down silos, embedding digital ways of working, and ensuring ROI. In many ways, the COO has become the connective tissue between business, tech, and execution.

The talent behind the change

Through close partnerships with our global clients, we’ve seen how organizational structures are being reimagined in response to cloud transformation, AI acceleration, insourcing strategies, and evolving leadership roles.

By combining executive search, market intelligence, and organizational insight, we connect these shifts with the right leadership, people who can drive meaningful, measurable change. The organizations leading the charge are hiring differently and thinking differently about how they build teams.

I’d love to hear how your organization is approaching these shifts, and whether you’re seeing the same trends?

Liam Edwards

Liam is a Senior Associate, within Leathwaite’s Hong Kong office and is a core member of the Global Technology Officer, COO and Digital practices. Liam works with clients across industry sectors with a focus on C-level appointments within technology, operations,…

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