Christian Pobbig runs Beyond Chiefs from Hamburg.
Beyond Chiefs is AI Executive Search.
AI Executive Search is AI leadership for decision-makers in DACH.
That is a mandate. Not a tool. Not a job hunt.
Christian Pobbig searches for the person who will own the AI decision. Not the software that writes a list.
What AI executive search is — and what it is not
AI executive search finds the leadership that owns the yes when the house deploys AI.
It is not AI inside executive search. It is not a tool that produces longlists. It is not a candidate looking for a job.
If you searched for AI-in-search, you are in another category.
Who buys the mandate
The board. The CEO. The CHRO. The advisory board. PE and investor-backed houses.
Not the candidate. Not HR as an order desk with no signature.
The mandate needs a name that owns the call. Without that name, the search is a purchase order.
Which seats the mandate covers
CAIO. Head of AI. AI on the board.
DACH first: Germany, then Switzerland, then Austria
The mandate starts in Germany. Then Switzerland. Then Austria.
Hamburg is the firm’s seat. Not the category. DACH Mittelstand stays a separate spoke.
What the longlist has to carry
The longlist has to carry the seat, not the phrase.
Anyone who cannot own the yes does not belong on it. Reporting line. One name that does not split the call.
A list without a bearer is not a longlist. It is inventory.
Retained search, not a tool, not RPO
Retained. One mandate. One partner.
Not a tool. Not RPO. Not a volume-hire machine.
If you are ready to give the mandate, write Christian Pobbig.
When fractional or interim is the wrong first buy
If the house still has no bearer for the yes, fractional or interim is the wrong first buy. Form comes after the seat. Buy the form first and you buy time without a name. Fractional CAIO and interim CAIO stay other pages.
Questions decision-makers actually ask
What is AI executive search — and what is it not?
AI executive search is retained search for AI leadership. Christian Pobbig and Beyond Chiefs look for the person who will own the AI decision in DACH. It is not AI inside the search process, not a tool, not a job hunt. A mandate buys the seat. A list from software is the wrong page.
Who is the mandate for — and who is it not for?
For the board, the CEO, the CHRO, the advisory board, and PE that must fill an AI seat. Not for candidates. Not for HR without a signature. The buyer of this page is the decision-maker. The candidate is not.
Which seats does an AI executive search mandate cover?
CAIO, Head of AI, AI on the board. The mandate names the seat. It does not write it as an essay.
When is fractional or interim the wrong first step?
When nobody yet owns the yes. Fractional and interim are forms after the seat, not a substitute for it. Buy the form first and you buy time without a name. The fractional and interim pages stay the spokes.