Sales Leadership & GTM Search · Technology Vendors · DACH, Nordics & Europe
An operator, not a recruiter.
I help technology vendors hire the sales leaders who grow their business in Europe: Country Managers, VPs and Sales Directors, and the teams they build. With the judgment of someone who has done the job himself.
I’m Jan Nordh. I spent 25 years in enterprise technology sales and led EMEA teams of up to 140 people. For five US tech vendors in their startup phase, among them Brocade, Decru and EqualLogic, I was the first employee in Europe or DACH and built the go-to-market. I personally lead every search, from briefing to close.
30-minute call · Confidential · No obligation
Manager Magazin Top-Experte 2025 · 4× Headhunter of the Year (Experteer, 2016 to 2019) · 5-star rating on Bestcruiter
Alex
Group CEO
“We have been working successfully with Jan Nordh for several years, particularly in filling challenging sales roles within the IT security sector. […] Thanks to his support, we have excellently filled multiple key positions within our sales team.”
PERFORMANCE
By the Numbers
280+
Placements since 2007
97%
Still in role after 12 months
6
Replacements in 19 years
100%
Repeat clients
Leadership searches across DACH, the Nordics, the UK, France and Luxembourg.
Selected leadership searches
VP DACH
Leading cybersecurity vendor.
VP and General Manager, Germany
Japanese enterprise storage vendor.
First two Sales Directors in Europe
AI software vendor. Its first commercial leaders on the ground, based in the UK and France.
GTM Sales Director DACH
Nordic security services provider.
Sales Director Finland
Application monitoring software vendor.
VP Software Engineering, Global
Education software vendor, based in Luxembourg.
When companies call me
Hiring sales leadership
You need a Country Manager, VP or Sales Director who builds the business and the team behind it.
Entering Europe
You are a technology vendor entering DACH or the Nordics and need your first leader on the ground.
Building the team
Your leader is in place and now needs Account Executives and Sales Engineers who fit the sales motion.
How I assess the fit
I hire for the system, not the symptom.
A weak pipeline is rarely one problem. It is positioning, messaging, go-to-market and team, all at once. A strong sales leader sees the whole commercial system, and that is what I assess for, the way a hiring manager would. Not a keyword on a CV.
Your business
Market, growth stage, customers and sales motion. What the hire has to deliver commercially.
Your team
Leadership, resources, territory and expectations. Whether the conditions for success are really in place.
The candidate
Proven results, technical depth and the real reason for a move. How well all of that matches your situation.
Your search, personally led.
Operator, not a recruiter
The person you hire is the one who delivers, every phase, no juniors, no handoffs. What disappoints buyers is usually a larger firm where a junior ran the mandate, not the principal. A senior who runs every phase himself is the answer to that, not the risk. The proof is continuity: some of my client relationships run beyond a decade.
On the ground since 1986.
I have been based in Munich since 1986 and know first-hand how decisions, salaries and careers work in this market. I work with candidates and clients in their own language: German, Swedish or English. For leadership roles elsewhere in Europe, from France to Finland, I run every search myself. The network is one I built over 25 years as an operator and 19 years in search, not a list bought in from outside.
What Clients Say
Endorsements from Executives
Alex
Group CEO
"We have been working successfully with Jan Nordh for several years, particularly in filling challenging sales roles within the IT security sector. Mr. Nordh not only understands our market segment but also impresses with his deep knowledge of candidate profiles, his thorough pre-select process, and his honest, reliable communication. Thanks to his support, we have excellently filled multiple key positions within our sales team. We value the collaboration highly and can thoroughly recommend Jan Nordh."
Lothar
Sales Director DACH
Mr. Nordh has proven to be a reliable, competent, and loyal partner over all the years of our collaboration. He has not only impressed us with his knowledge of the industry but also with his personal values. We look forward to continuing our trusting and professional collaboration in the event of any future needs and can highly recommend his company.
André
Sales VP
This is an absolute 5 stars, as most of the Headhunters I met never had this kind of Empathy for the candidates. It is very important for him to have the right fit for the company, but also for the candidates. The best Headhunter! It was a big pleasure!
Christine
HR Director DACH
Nordh Executive Search / Mr. Nordh has successfully supported us in Germany in the last 7 years as well as in the years before with the identification and placement of suitable candidates for our company.
Why Work With Me
Operator, Not Recruiter
25+ years in enterprise IT sales (storage, cybersecurity, software)
Former hiring manager & candidate
Real-world KPIs, GTM frameworks, territory design, comp plans
Built the GTM for US Tech Startups 5 US startups, first employee in Europe or DACH First hire on the ground, every time Market entry and scale-up, from the inside
High-Performer Network VP → SDR, trusted relationships across DACH & Nordics 19 years of followership 97% retention across placements
Where I search
Technology vendors in three markets, from the first hire in a region to the regional VP.
Cybersecurity
Sales leaders and GTM teams for security vendors, from first hire to regional VP.
Infrastructure and storage
Sales and presales leadership for datacenter and infrastructure vendors.
Selected Candidates testimonials
Andreas
Mr. Nordh was very professional during the process, but even more important is to mention that he does really care about the candidates. He was always very interested in having preparation calls and also to know how the interview went.
Michael
Mr. Nordh knows his business very well. I always felt well looked after and supported throughout the application process thanks to his reliable and professional approach. At every stage, I trusted his guidance and appreciated the way he managed the process.
Dirk
Was by far the best headhunter consultation in years! Professional, very good tips, on target.
Rainer
As I said, Jan Nordh is a master in his field and his network and expertise are unrivaled. I had contact with several headhunters, but no one with his industry knowledge and experience managed to convince me to place my professional fate in his hands!
Podcast with job-related content
Discover My Podcast – Your Insider’s Guide to Career Success and Headhunting.
Tune in, join me! I constantly publish fresh materials.
Julian W.
That’s ultimately the goal of the podcast:
Not just creating “content,” but sharing perspectives that help people gain more clarity about their own positioning and direction. And honestly, I find your approach very compelling. The combination of self-reflection, clear goal definition, and the intelligent use of AI will, in my view, become a real differentiator in the market over the coming years. Many candidates talk very broadly about their next step. The ones who truly move forward usually have a much clearer understanding of where they want to go and why.
