Most search firms learn your market on your time. We only recruit in yours.
Insight Technology Search recruits leaders in semiconductors, photonics, robotics, sensors, and power systems — and nothing else. These are the only markets we work in, which is exactly why we know them cold. You don't need to explain what an epitaxy engineer does or why a photonics VP of Sales is almost impossible to find. We already know.
Why we exist
We're Lucy Rayden and Chris Thiel, and we started ITS in 2017 because we kept watching the same hire go wrong the same way.
A deep tech company needs a critical leader. They hand the search to a generalist firm that doesn't understand the niche — so the firm sends CVs that look right on paper and are wrong in the room. Months pass. The role sits open. The team loses momentum. And the company is told, the market's just tough right now — when the real problem was a brief nobody challenged and a recruiter who never understood the market in the first place.
We built ITS to do the opposite of that:
Specialists, not generalists. We work in a handful of deep tech markets and nowhere else. Depth beats breadth when one wrong hire costs you eighteen months of development.
Real search, not a database lookup. The leaders worth hiring are not applying to job ads. We go and find them — including the ones who aren't looking.
The truth, even when you don't want it. If your spec is killing the search, your compensation is off the market, or what you're asking for doesn't exist — we'll tell you. Some firms just keep looking and waste your time. We'd rather have the uncomfortable conversation early.
Small on purpose
We're founder-owned and independent — and we intend to stay that way. It gives us the flexibility our clients need.
When you work with ITS, you work with the people whose names are on the company. Not a partner who wins the pitch and then disappears. Not a junior account manager you've never met running the search while the senior name takes the credit. The person you meet is the person doing the work.
Being small is a deliberate advantage, not a stage we're trying to grow out of:
No handoffs. One senior team, start to finish. Nothing gets lost between the people who sold the search and the people who run it — because they're the same people.
We move fast and change direction faster. No committee, no process bureaucracy to defend. If a search isn't working, we can rethink the approach in a day, not a quarter.
We answer to you, not to a corporate revenue target. We can afford to tell you the truth precisely because we're not protecting a big firm's machinery. Our reputation is the business.
Small enough to care about every search. Deep enough to deliver them — 140+ times, across 16 countries.
Hear From Our Founders
Want to learn how Insight Technology Search was built and what drives our approach?
Listen to Leadership Insights — the podcast for people building and leading in deep tech and specialist technology markets.
Hosted by Lucy Rayden, each episode features candid conversations with leaders navigating growth, hiring, culture, and complexity in fast-evolving sectors.
Our hiring team
While most executive search companies have only one person dedicated to the deep tech we provide an entire team.
-
Lucy Rayden
Managing Partner and Co- Founder
"Lucy knows the industry, so she asks the right questions. It takes decades to build that kind of expertise."
Lucy is the strategic force behind Insight Technology Search. From Customer Relationships, Operations, Strategy & Finance she oversees it all. Lucy loves learning and reading to constantly improve how we operate and how we can be that little bit better tomorrow, than we are today.
Without Lucy, the commercial business doesn’t work. We're sure there are many things she does that we don’t see to keep our business successful, but here's what we do know: she's a natural born leader who never forgets to give professional joy to her colleagues and clients. -
Chris Thiel
Director and Co-Founder
“Many search firms kind of run the search and then serve it back to you. Chris is much more proactive. He runs the process, but he also manages it. I appreciate that.“
Fluent in 4 languages, there’s not much Chris doesn’t know about communicating internationally with our global clients.
As co-founder of Insight, Chris has a genuine drive to get things done and keep his customers happy. To balance his active work life, Chris can often be found kitesurfing on lakes or snowboarding, depending on the season. -
Chris Brooker
Senior Executive Search Consultant
Mr B is a straight talking, experienced recruiter who turns around critical roles for our major global clients. He has the results to back this up.
His ability to succeed on even the most complex and demanding of global searches is second to none. -
Michelle Klue
Executive Search Consultant
With expertise in full-cycle IT recruitment, Michelle excels in sourcing and placing candidates for complex roles in software development, systems development, and IT infrastructure. Her strong understanding of technical requirements allows her to precisely match candidates with specific project needs.
Her experience with top-tier multinational clients like Sony, ARM, Intel, and BMW highlights her capability in managing complex, high-stakes recruitment projects. -
Seamus Cullen
Executive Search Consultant
Mr. Cullen — he’s an expert in his field, he has a strong interest in Technology and he has a background in Psychology.
He’s self aware and he wants to learn, which is why you can count on him to succeed. He impresses our clients with his ability to understand, find and attract the right people! -
Christian Lorigan
Operations Manager
Miss Lorigan, the voice of reason at ITS. Calm, collected, and highly skilled at juggling all the detailed complexities behind the scenes. Kind and thoughtful making sure everyone in the team is well looked after, she’s always got your back.
Did we mention she speaks three languages? -
Christina Murphy
Project Manager
Christina Murphy is the devil in the detail. She keeps us all in check and ensures our processes are rigorously followed.
She has an HR and recruiting background, as well as speaking 3 languages. She's a kind-hearted individual who will tell you straight if she needs to!
