REBECCA HASTINGS

Founder of Lucent Search. Retained executive search for senior AI, data and technology leadership.

Rebecca works with CEOs, boards and senior leadership teams on senior AI, data and technology appointments.

She leads every Lucent search personally — from understanding the business problem and shaping the requirement through to interpreting the market, assessing candidates and advising on the final appointment.

Clients may arrive with a clear view of the person they need. Rebecca will challenge that view where the evidence suggests the role, expectations or market assumptions need to change.

Rebecca’s role is not simply to execute a brief.

Clients may arrive with a very clear view of the person they need. Part of the work is testing whether the role, expectations and market assumptions are aligned.

That may mean revisiting compensation, scope or reporting lines in light of market feedback, or probing more deeply where a candidate’s evidence does not yet support the initial impression.

Where the evidence suggests the role or search needs to change, Rebecca will bring that perspective into the conversation early.

CANDID JUDGEMENT

Candid judgement is part of the job.

That includes saying when the evidence points somewhere different from the original brief.

Why is AI investment not translating into business value?

Should AI sit with the CIO, CTO, CDO/CDAO or a dedicated Chief AI Officer?

Does the existing technology leadership have what the next phase requires?

What kind of executive will actually work in this organisation?

THE QUESTIONS THIS WORK RAISES

BEYOND EXECUTIVE SEARCH

Executive search informed by what is happening inside organisations.

Rebecca’s perspective is informed by work beyond executive search.

Recent work has included enterprise AI strategy, senior leadership interviews, external market research and analysis of the barriers organisations encounter when putting AI into practice.

She has also led original research into AI and data leadership, spoken to senior business audiences and spent years interviewing executives and operators, most recently through What Strategy Becomes.

Rebecca Hastings in discussion with senior business leaders

FOUNDER-LED SEARCH

Founder-led means Rebecca stays involved.

Lucent is deliberately small.

The person discussing the assignment with you at the beginning is the person leading the work.

Rebecca remains directly involved in the important judgements throughout the assignment: defining the requirement, interpreting market evidence, assessing candidates and advising when decisions become difficult.

There is no handover between winning the assignment and delivering it; Rebecca remains accountable for the work throughout.

Clients choose Lucent because they want Rebecca involved in the appointment.

Rebecca has worked in technology and executive search and strategy since 2011, with assignments spanning CIO, CTO, digital, product, data, engineering and wider technology leadership.

Across those assignments, the common thread has been senior appointments where understanding the business behind the brief matters as much as identifying candidates.

TRACK RECORD

A track record across senior technology leadership.

“

Rebecca is more than just a recruiter; she's a valued business partner who assists me in locating, attracting and recruiting top-notch candidates. Rebecca employs a more comprehensive and systematic approach, yielding superior results. The candidates she presents consistently surpass the quality of those sourced by most other recruiters.

MATT LITTLE

Chair and NED | Tech, Cyber and AI

Rebecca has an incredible amount of knowledge in supporting businesses to define the role that is required. She provided invaluable insight into the market, the role, and relevant industry information. Her service is extremely efficient because she’s clear in what and how she will provide it. And then she acts on it — quickly. I also like that her ideas are fresh and different from others

JESSICA IGOE

HR Director

“

Rebecca is more than just a recruiter; she's a valued business partner who assists me in locating, attracting and recruiting top-notch candidates. Rebecca employs a more comprehensive and systematic approach, yielding superior results. The candidates she presents consistently surpass the quality of those sourced by most other recruiters.

MATT LITTLE

Chair and NED | Tech, Cyber and AI

“

Rebecca has an incredible amount of knowledge in supporting businesses to define the role that is required. She provided invaluable insight into the market, the role, and relevant industry information. Her service is extremely efficient because she’s clear in what and how she will provide it. And then she acts on it — quickly. I also like that her ideas are fresh and different from others

JESSICA IGOE

HR Director

CLIENT PERSPECTIVES

SELECTED ORGANISATIONS

Her search track record includes work for organisations such as:

OVO · Tesco Bank · V&A Dundee · Student Loans Company
Modulr · Edinburgh Airport · SimAnalytica · Bloom Procurement

Many clients have worked with Rebecca more than once, including after moving into different organisations.

OVO

V&A Dundee

Modulr

SimAnalytica

Tesco Bank

Student Loans Company

Edinburgh Airport

Bloom Procurement

“

I’ve worked closely with Rebecca on key hires for two separate organisations.
She brings a wealth and depth of knowledge and understanding to shaping the opportunity and the range of candidates. By the time Rebecca is presenting a shortlist, you know they have gone through her rigorous process, which inspires confidence that you will be dealing with an outstanding future colleague.

STUART BELL

CTO & CPTO | AI Strategy, Delivery & Innovation Leadership

WHAT CLIENTS SAY

What clients value about working with Rebecca

Her analysis focuses particularly on the leadership decisions organisations are making around AI, data and technology: where responsibility should sit, what executives need to deliver and how to distinguish credible experience from persuasive presentation.

RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS