Global Technology-Focused Search Firm Riviera Partners Appoints James Ryan, Ph.D. To Lead Its EMEA AI, ML & Data Practice

James and his team focus on leading key functional leadership placements in AI and ML, Data Science, Data, & Analytics across sectors and asset classes throughout EMEA

London, April 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Riviera Partners, the leading global executive search firm specializing in executive leadership placements in Technology, Engineering, Product, Design, AI/ML, and Data talent, has promoted James Ryan, Ph.D. to lead its AI, ML, and Data practice in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Based out of London, James is a key leader among the EMEA team, which has expanded to seven Partners and 21 team members throughout five countries, making it one of the largest and most experienced PDT (Product, Data & Technology) search consultancies on the continent. The team already boasts an impressive track record across all European regions, operating across the UK, DACH, France, the Nordics, Benelux, Southern and Eastern Europe.

James joined Riviera in the fall of 2023 as a Partner, specifically to build out their capability in data-driven technology propositions in the EMEA regions. Before Riviera, James spent more than five years at Erevena, where he built and led their European CTO Practice & Global Data Science Practice, specializing in Technical NEDs, CTO, VP of Engineering, Data Science Leadership, and the Technical side of Product.

Riviera Partners is a specialist partner supporting organisations to capture the potential that AI, ML and Data offer across Software, Financial Services, Consumer, ClimateTech, HealthTech, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, and beyond. Clients include many of Europe’s most exciting companies, including Personio, Bumble, Motorway, GetYourGuide, Builder.ai, Sorare, Cerabyte and Unobravo. This work and these partnerships have also driven Riviera’s expansion in the Middle East and Africa, where they now support some of the regions’ most exciting companies through growth and transformation.

Said James: “As we transition from the advent of the Data Age into AI, ML and Data being the mechanisms and drivers of the industry, we are not only seeing widespread disruption across all sectors and business stages but also the need for a partner that can be trusted to help understand this evolving function and navigate the new language that quantifies the vast opportunities provided by these advancements. Every facet of how we build technologies, discover new solutions, interact with our customers and partners, even store the fast quantities of data now being captured for interrogation and utility, is advancing at an exhilarating pace. It really is an exciting time and a fundamental change to how we view our operations and the world within which they compete.”

“In addition to the immense growth of Riviera Partners across EMEA, the call for AI, ML, and Data leadership and the supporting teams has become more prominent,” said Glenn Murphy, Riviera Partners’ Managing Partner for EMEA. “James’ focus on these complex and burgeoning requirements makes great sense. His expertise in data, engineering, and emerging technologies enables us to differentiate in the market, bringing real understanding and sophistication to how we uniquely deliver for our partners in a function and space that is now critical to business success.”

About Riviera Partners
Riviera Partners is a global driver of innovation for today’s most influential companies – expertly placing executive talent in the crucial areas of Technology, Engineering, Product, Design, AI, ML, and Data. Riviera combines over two decades of executive search and recruiting expertise with a proprietary platform that uses machine learning to score and predict the best candidate for a company's specific needs, driving successful outcomes. As a result, the company has become the go-to talent partner for leading private equity investors, venture capitalists, public companies, and technology innovators. Learn more about Riviera Partners at www.rivierapartners.com, and follow us on LinkedIn.