Head of Information Technology, Business Engagement, North America

Pacific International Recruitment is an established international Executive Search firm with nearly 30 years of proven success in placing senior leadership and critical management positions. Headquartered in London, with strategic offices in Düsseldorf and Philadelphia, we support clients and candidates across EMEA and the United States.

Pacific has been exclusively retained by gategroup, the world’s leading inflight catering and hospitality provider, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. With operations in over 60 countries and more than 40,000 employees, Gategroup combines global scale, operational excellence, innovation, and sustainability to deliver exceptional passenger experiences worldwide.

The Regional Head IT Business Engagement position plays a critical role in advancing the company's IT business strategy. Acting as the primary liaison between IT and the business, responsible for North America region, this role promotes IT services and capabilities while ensuring the delivery of IT solutions that meet business needs. Additionally, the role serves as a bridge between different regions, functions, and executive levels to drive business technology strategy development, solution identification, service management, risk management, and relationship management.

This role requires a well-rounded IT executive who combines strategic thinking, operational leadership, and stakeholder management capabilities, and who can effectively balance growth, transformation, and day-to-day operational excellence in a complex, matrixed environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Managing the Regional IT team, you ensure the deployment of agreed IT roadmaps, oversee the implementation of IT solutions, and drive successful rollouts across the organization and to customers.
• Ensure the efficient delivery of all regional IT services, including IT support, infrastructure management, and regional application maintenance, while aligning IT initiatives with corporate objectives across the region.
• Act as key escalation point between IT and business across all functional IT areas and ensure all third-party vendors are identified and managed. Ensure solution compatibility with company standards.
• Collaborates with business leadership and stakeholders to identify opportunities, prioritize projects, and oversee regional investment intake processes, as well as in the budget planning.
• Creates a shared vision for solutions, facilitate decision-making, and identify new opportunities. Understand and communicates IT service levels and priorities to the business.
• Develops and implements a process for consolidating business roadmaps, prioritizing demands, and presenting for investment approval. Reinforce solution concepts and support new investments for IT-related topics.
• Ensures thorough analysis of business requirements to recommend solutions meeting business needs. Collaborates with architecture, design, and operations teams to ensure solution compatibility with company standards.
• Identify, screen, and evaluate new solution opportunities to address internal and external customer needs.
• Negotiate and agree on service levels with IT CoE and Operations, monitor performance, and act as an escalation point for critical service problems.
• Balance service costs with business demands when handling new requirements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or Business Administration, or equivalent experience
• Preferred: Master’s degree in IT Management, Business Administration, or Digital Transformation
• 10 years of experience in IT and business-facing technology roles
• 10 years of leadership experience, including managing regional or multi-country IT teams
• Proven experience defining and executing regional IT strategies and roadmaps aligned with global IT direction
• Strong background in regional IT service delivery and operations, including infrastructure, applications, and support
• Demonstrated ability to operate in complex, multinational environments and partner with senior business leadership
• Experience managing IT budgets, vendor relationships, and service performance
• Broad understanding of enterprise IT services, including applications, infrastructure, workplace, and operations
• Solid knowledge of IT service management (ITIL) and service delivery models
• Understanding of technology roadmapping, portfolio management, and demand prioritization
• Familiarity with digital transformation topics (including automation and AI) as enablers within business solutions
• Certifications in ITIL, COBIT, or similar IT governance / service frameworks (preferred)
• Excellent English skills; additional major languages are an advantage
• Strategic & Business-Oriented Thinking: Translates business strategy into clear regional IT roadmaps and priorities aligned with global IT direction.
• IT Leadership & Accountability: Takes full ownership for regional IT performance, service quality, cost efficiency, and risk management.
• People Leadership & Talent Development: Leads and develops regional IT and Business Engagement teams, fostering accountability, engagement, and performance.
• Stakeholder & Relationship Management: Builds trusted partnerships with regional business leaders and acts as the primary escalation point between IT and the business.
• Execution & Operational Discipline: Balances innovation, standardization, and operational excellence to deliver reliable IT services under changing business demands.

For further information on this position and a confidential discussion about your career please contact:

Arsa Lekaj

Arsa.Lekaj@pacific-international.com

About Pacific:

Pacific International, a globally recognized retained Executive Search firm, is dedicated to empowering Fortune 500, FTSE 100, and high-growth enterprises in building exceptional C-suite, senior-level, and strategic leadership teams while championing diversity and inclusion. Our adaptability, agility, and forward-thinking ethos distinguish us in the ever-evolving business landscape. Since 1997, we have been dedicated to building lasting client partnerships based on trust and reliability, and a proven track record of successful C-suite and mid- to senior-level leadership project delivery across many key industries globally.

Diversity Statement:

At Pacific International, diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of who we are and what we do. Our commitment to these values is unwavering and we proudly champion diversity on behalf of our clients in every Executive Search mandate we undertake. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. In pursuit of these objectives, we actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities.