2024's Impact on 2025: What Finance, Tech & GTM Leaders Need to Know

Finance Hiring

WHAT WE SAW IN 2024

The Evolving Definition of the "Finance Business Partner"

Economic uncertainty and recovery underscored the heightened importance and necessity of integrated Finance functions. Companies increasingly recognized that lacking the "right lens" on performance, along with reliable forecasting and insightful analytics, hindered their ability to drive transformation and implement innovative growth strategies.

HOW THIS TREND WILL AFFECT 2025

From Reporting the News to Performance Driver

To achieve strategic growth goals, Finance teams must focus on well-defined KPIs that support their operating cadence and use them to drive accountability across the organization. This requires prioritizing leaders who can collaborate across functions, influence decisions, and act as strategic partners to foster growth. Furthermore, Finance leaders must be willing to take calculated risks to propel growth, even if it means stepping beyond traditional financial management practices.

Brace For Talent Scarcity

Consequently, this evolving trend continues to redefine the modern CFO archetype. As such, we may continue to see scarcity in the talent pool as many leaders haven’t yet adjusted to these new role demands. Craig Sigovich, Hunt Club’s Finance Practice Lead, suggests prioritizing these key competencies centered on influencing change and looking beyond industry experience as CFOs are more fungible between industries and business models. Hiring talent from diverse backgrounds uncovers leaders uniquely positioned to bring fresh perspectives and bold, innovative strategies—qualities essential for guiding organizations through transformative times.

“Finance leadership in 2025 will continue to focus on driving performance and change. The irony is finance roles are traditionally rooted in technical and analytic competencies. While these skills remain key, organizations must prioritize a leader’s ability to influence and work cross-functionally. Look for a solution-driven business partner who demonstrates a forward-looking mindset.”

Craig Sigovich, Finance Practice Leader at Hunt Club

Tech/Engineering Hiring 

WHAT WE SAW IN 2024

All Eyes On Technical Chops

Across many industries, but with outsized repercussions on tech companies, we saw an increase in RIFs (reductions in force), and many non-technical middle managers were impacted. This reflected a broader shift towards leaner, more specialized teams in response to evolving business needs.

HOW THIS TREND WILL AFFECT 2025

Technical Skills Are the Bare Minimum — Upskill To Stay Competitive

This trend is expected to persist into 2025 as businesses continue to embrace technology-driven, leaner structures. As automation, AI, and data analysis grow, companies will likely streamline roles that don't align with digital transformation. To stay competitive, all talent—across every level—will need to bring strong technical expertise to the table just to play, ensuring they can collaborate effectively with their tech-focused peers.

WHAT WE SAW IN 2024

Cash Is King For Top Tech & Engineering Talent

Top engineers became increasingly difficult to retain as well-funded AI companies attracted the top 1% of engineering talent. To keep up in the technical talent war, companies increased their base pay offers instead of focusing on equity to meet immediate talent needs for key roles.

HOW THIS TREND WILL AFFECT 2025

Provide Purpose And The Paycheck

Jobs in AI will continue to be popular with Engineering leaders, so cash will remain important to attract top candidates. But through countless conversations with technical talent in 2024, there’s one more motivating factor influencing their decisions: the opportunity to work on world-changing technology in a purpose-driven environment.

Kan Ta, Hunt Club’s Tech & Engineering Practice Lead, suggests companies emphasize their “north star” during the interview process. Ensure every interviewer is clearly communicating the purpose and impact of the company's product or mission to avoid sending mixed messages to the candidate. For some engineers, the opportunity to contribute to world-changing technologies, such as AI, may outweigh financial incentives. Presenting a strong, consistent vision could be the difference-maker in your top-choice candidate accepting an offer. 

Supporting this sentiment is Jonathan Ozeran, an Expert in the Hunt Club ExpertAccess Program.

“Because top AI talent is in such high demand, and because their skills are so specialized and hard to come by, they’re more likely to be flooded with opportunities. As this is the case, they might have their choice of where to devote their time and skills, and are more apt to seek real purpose instead of just a paycheck. Ask yourself: Is your workplace merely a job for them? Or is it a place for real chance where top minds can come in and build something great?”

Jonathan Ozeran, VP of Generative AI at Tempus 

Go-To-Market Hiring

WHAT WE SAW IN 2024

Impending Inflection Point

After two years of volatility, organizations sought to solidify their foundation before pursuing further expansion. GTM leaders prioritized stability, took fewer risks, and refined revenue models in their quest for profitability. But in preparation for strategic growth in 2025, companies are at an inflection point: Can their current GTM leaders drive their next growth phase?

HOW THIS TREND WILL AFFECT 2025

Proven Playbooks Are Front and Center

With a renewed focus on sustainable growth, it’s imperative to assess your leadership team’s ability to pivot to this new mandate. 

For example, a $30M company looking to scale to $40-$50M may lack the right team or CRO to get there. As a result, companies will be prioritizing leaders with proven track records and clear strategies—those who can execute with a defined playbook, rather than relying on luck.

WHAT WE SAW IN 2024

Elusive Bullseye Candidates

At the same time, finding "bullseye" candidates became more challenging than ever. As roles evolved to require cross-functional teamwork, the ideal candidate had to possess technical skills, but also thrive in a collaborative, dynamic, nebulous environment. This shift made it harder to pinpoint individuals who met all the specific criteria traditionally associated with a perfect fit, namely, a "bullseye" candidate.

HOW THIS TREND WILL AFFECT 2025

Build an A-Team With Archetypes

In 2025, understanding key executive archetypes will be crucial for assessing top talent and identifying potential gaps in your leadership team. After thousands of searches, we’ve realized something to consider: nearly every leadership search benefits from considering multiple archetypes—each bringing unique strengths to the role. By focusing on key archetypes rather than rigid qualifications, you unlock a broader, more adaptable pool of leaders equipped to drive success in varied ways.

To affirm, Hunt Club Expert and Chief Revenue Officer at Thinkific, Amanda Malko, tells us this shift is being driven by the increasing need for revenue teams to work seamlessly together—combining a wide range of qualifications and role-blurring to ensure a well-rounded GTM candidate.

“There’s a macro trend that I see where marketing and sales have radically changed in the last five years and there’s a lot of blurring of lines between the two functions. Roles, scope, and goals are starting to converge. Companies demanding tighter alignment between revenue teams and the pressures to drive ongoing value in every facet of a business.”

Amanda Malko, CRO at Thinkific

Final Thought: Everyone's scrambling to figure out the next hiring strategy, and while no one has all the answers, we can’t afford to ignore the trends shaping the future. The key—no matter if you're hiring in finance, GTM, or tech—is adaptability and a relentless rethinking of how we approach talent. Do you have the right leaders in place now to drive 2025 success? Is your hiring strategy aligned to find and develop these leaders? If not, why?