Stop guessing on talent.

Hire using proven Experts and their networks.

Hunt Club Expert

John J. Higginson

CTO @ Curriculum Associates | Board Member | Tech Advisor

Hunt Club is a new type of search firm that seamlessly integrates service, tech, and network effects to help companies find visionary talent and build stronger teams.

As an Expert in the Hunt Club community, I am thrilled to extend my expertise and experience to the Hunt Club community. Some of the areas I can be helpful:

Define what a great tech or product leader looks like including the right profile for your company’s specific needs
Leverage my network for candidate introductions
Assist in creating the assessment process
Help review, assess, and/or vet candidates
Provide strategic advice on building and scaling high-performing product and engineering teams

Get In Touch

About John J. Higginson

John J. Higginson is an accomplished technology leader with a strong background in driving innovation and building high-performance teams. Serving in the past as the CPTO of Groupon, CTO at Enova, CPTO at Florist Transworld Delivery, CTO at Applied Systems, and the CTO at Chief, John has a proven track record of building and leading strong technology teams at growing and transformational companies. Now, as the Chief Technology Officer at Curriculum Associates, he is dedicated to enhancing K-12 education through advanced technology solutions.

As Chief Product and Technology Officer at Chief, built and led a team of over 100, delivering comprehensive digital experiences and contributing to the company's unicorn valuation.
Oversaw a global team of 900+, as Chief Product and Technology Officer at Groupon, enhancing mobile apps, websites, and infrastructure, serving millions of consumers and merchants worldwide.
As CTO at Enova International, he led technology efforts that served over 4 million customers and processed more than $18 billion in loan originations.
One of the early employees of Applied Systems Inc and later CTO, scaled Applied Systems from an early startup to a PE exit of more than $300M.
A passionate advocate for diversity, John mentors emerging women tech leaders and supports underrepresented communities through programs like 1871's WMNTech and i.c. stars.
An experienced tech advisor, he has provided guidance on technology and product strategy to companies in a variety of industries from intelligent buildings to insurtech
Active in various boards, including Havoc Shield and Zengines, providing strategic direction and oversight.
John holds a B.A. from Northern Illinois University and an M.S. in IT and Privacy Law, with honors from The UIC Law School, and is a frequent writer on technology, tech law, and leadership topics.

Do You Have the Right Tech Leadership To Drive Transformation?

Do you have the right tech leadership to drive meaningful transformation, or could resistance at the top put everything at risk?

John J. Higginson breaks down the key ways to assess your tech leadership—and what helpful tips to consider if gaps exist.

Read John's Insights

John J. Higginson
Out of Office

⚖️ How I would describe my leadership style in one fell swoop: Autonomy coupled with accountability.I don't micromanage people. I want to hire smart people that can run their area of the team. But we agree on outcomes and I hold them absolutely accountable for those results. From a personal standpoint, I like to debate things, hear different points of view. And I have a healthy sense of humor (lots and lots of "dad jokes") which hopefully makes work a bit more fun.

🥃 The tech/AI innovation I wish existed is: I really want a personal robot to do things like dishes, laundry, maybe make me an old-fashioned.

🛸 A fictional character I'd want on my tech/product team is: Lt. Uhura from the original Star Trek series. No matter what the alien language or technology, she could make sure people communicated.

❄️ The next destination on my travel bucket list is: Stretch goal: Space, just the ISS would be cool. On earth: Antarctica.

📓 The personal habit that contributes most to my success is: I take notes throughout the day and then review them at night. It's to help remember things I need to do but I also find it gives me a broader perspective on if I'm spending my time and energy on the right things.

Who are Hunt Club Experts?

Learn More

Hunt Club Experts are well-connected industry leaders, executives, and high performers who refer people in their network for positions with Hunt Club client organizations.

The Expert Network represents a wide range of industries and functions. Experts are among the top minds in their fields, including visionary marketing executives, first-rate technology leaders, and more.