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, facilitates decision-making, and identifies new opportunities. Understand and communicate 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 E