Sectors | Technology entrants and regulated seats
CTO, CISO and country manager search for technology firms entering the Gulf.
From the same desk as the infrastructure work: the country manager and the first engineering and sales leaders for a technology firm opening in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Riyadh, and the CTO, CISO and Head of AI seats a licence or a regulator expects to see named.
Seats like these open quietly. If you lead technology entrants and regulated seats work and would consider a move, including into or out of the Gulf, talk to me in confidence.
Not ready to brief? Get a pay benchmark for your open seats
A benchmark of your open seats carries no fee. A full compensation study is a fixed-fee piece, credited against a search.
Last reviewed , the date of the market facts on this page.
Looking at your next move? See this page for leaders
Hiring for one of these seats? See this page for clients
The seats
- Country manager and general manager for a technology entrant
- First head of engineering, first head of sales and solutions
- CTO for a licensed or regulated firm
- CISO and head of information security
- Head of AI and data protection leads
What is driving hiring, and the timelines
- Entrants keep arriving. DIFC counted 1,677 AI and fintech firms at the end of 2025, up 35% (DIFC, via Dubai Media Office).
- The security pool is short. Deloitte reports that Saudi Arabia's cyber shortage has passed 18,000 professionals (Deloitte, March 2026).
- Senior AI pay is high. Head or Director of AI in the UAE: AED 70,000 to 120,000 a month (Michael Page UAE Salary Guide 2026, via Arabian Business).
How I work here
Retained or engaged search for the leadership seat, with a talent map up front. I don't run volume engineering or sales hiring.
Why clients use me here
- Searches filled across the GCC, Europe and North America
- Executive search in energy and EPC across the Middle East
- Retained mandates for multinational engineering groups, through their subsidiaries
- Recruitment teams built and trained
- Your search page, live from day one
- A shortlist in 10 working days, in writing
How a retained search runs
Map
Who has delivered this scope, where they sit, what they cost.
Shortlist
People who have agreed to be introduced, with a written assessment of each, within 10 working days on a retained or engaged search.
Start date
Offer, notice and relocation handled through to day one.
How retained search works, and when engaged search fits better
Questions clients ask
- We're a software firm opening in Riyadh. Is that work you take?
- Yes, for the country manager and the first senior seats. Your first hires decide the next three years.
Terms
Retained or engaged, with a fee on signing. Retained: three stages, on signing, on the shortlist and at the start date. Engaged: a fee on signing, credited in full against the final fee. Both exclusive, both with a shortlist within 10 working days. How the terms work
Brief me on a technology entrants and regulated seats seat
The more you tell me, the more useful my first reply. I'll come back within one working day.
Thank you.
I'll be in touch within one working day. If it's urgent, call me on +971 58 585 2790.
Other seats open? Get a pay benchmark for them while you wait.
Seats I search for in this family
- Country manager and general manager for a technology entrant
- First head of engineering, first head of sales and solutions
- CTO for a licensed or regulated firm
- CISO and head of information security
- Head of AI and data protection leads
Most of these searches are confidential and never advertised. Published ones are on the careers page.
What they pay
| Seat | Published pay | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CISO, UAE | Average base AED 305,600 a year; top tenth about AED 986,000 | Published figure: PayScale |
| CISO, Saudi Arabia | Average base SAR 620,500 a year | Published figure: PayScale |
| Head or director of AI, UAE | AED 70,000 to 120,000 a month | Published figure: Michael Page UAE Salary Guide 2026, via Arabian Business |
Published figures from the sources named, not my own data. Base pay unless stated; Gulf packages usually add housing, transport and schooling. For your own seat, ask for a confidential market check.
How a confidential conversation works
- A call, not a form. What you run today, what you would move for, and what you would not.
- Nothing shared without your say-so. Your profile goes to a client only with your permission for that one role.
- The real package, in writing, before you interview: base, housing, schooling, bonus and relocation.
- The move handled: notice, visas and family questions, into or out of the Gulf.
- You never pay a fee.
Register and share your CV
I read every profile myself. If a technology entrants and regulated seats seat fits, I'll call you; if not, I'll keep you in mind, only with your permission.
Thank you. You're in the talent network.
I'll read your details myself. If there's a role that fits now, I'll call you, usually within a week. If not, I'll keep you in mind for the next one.
Want to know what your seat pays elsewhere? Ask for a confidential market check.
Confidential by default. Your profile is never shared with a client, or described in a way that could identify you, unless you have agreed to that specific role. You can ask what I hold about you, or ask me to delete it, at lloyd@millerandwoodall.com.
Salary guide · Bottleneck index
Sources
- Dubai Media Office, DIFC annual results for 2025
- Deloitte, "Tackling the cybersecurity talent gap in the Middle East", March 2026
- Arabian Business, UAE salary guide 2026
A first Gulf hire, or a seat the regulator wants named?
Tell me the seat and the date. Not ready to brief? Ask for a pay benchmark for your open seats.
Open to the right move?
Register in confidence, or ask what your seat pays elsewhere.