The undervalued talent crisis in media
Opinion
Senior operators matter more than ever, yet many media businesses still struggle to find a place for them, says recruiter Steve Doyle.
Despite no shortage of experienced, high-quality operators, the pressure on media talent has rarely been greater than in the last 18 months. The dominance of platforms, the adoption of AI, and tougher market conditions for start-ups make it even more difficult to scale than before, and fewer businesses ultimately break through.
That said, this is still a vast marketplace full of opportunities, and smart decisions will deliver strong results. A challenge currently seen across the market is a mis-evaluation of senior talent, with highly valuable people losing roles in short-term cost-cutting exercises, which inevitably leads to long-term pain for businesses.
Amid ongoing layoffs, businesses appear to be focusing on operational efficiencies, with higher salaries the most likely targets. This has meant an increased number of senior-level folk losing their roles.
Cost is visible. Influence, commercial experience, judgement and relationships are not. This undervalues the contributions these leaders can make to the business.
Assessed through a narrow lens
By losing senior-level representatives, you are losing key relationships that will help your business grow sustainably over the long term. The result is that some of the most commercially valuable operators are being assessed through the narrowest possible lens.
This misreading of timing is particularly acute for senior women returning to the workforce after career breaks. Non-linear progression is too often interpreted as a loss of momentum or capability, when in reality many of these operators return with sharper judgement, broader perspective, and highly relevant commercial experience — yet are assessed through the same narrow, visibility-biased lens.
In practice, senior operators are expensive on paper, slower to hire and more difficult to slot in, especially when dealing with legacy teams. Yet, by contrast, they are best placed to navigate uncertainty and manage crises.
Furthermore, they are the most credible with clients and partners with the longest-standing relationships.
When organisations are optimised for efficiency rather than resilience (which is more prescient than ever), the misfit becomes more apparent. Narrow job descriptions marginalise commercial experience and judgement from commercially accountable leaders at the forefront of the market.
Inevitably, when these redundancies arise, they erode the overall confidence in the marketplace. However, these are typically structural, not personal, and must be evaluated accordingly.
Many senior operators who lose their roles haven’t failed; they’ve been displaced by restructures, M&A, pivots or wholesale cost-cutting.
In today’s talent market, the same senior-level CV can be read very differently depending on whether the market is in a growth phase or the contraction we’re experiencing now. This means that availability is interpreted as a risk, and timing is a proxy for quality. Sometimes this shortcuts the full evaluation of business challenges, which are often due to the product rather than leadership.
Under pressure, media businesses default to familiar stories rather than demonstrable capability. This further undervalues experienced operators who don’t fit fashionable or linear narratives.
In uncertain markets, hiring practices place greater emphasis on risk avoidance, and decision-makers look for safety in brand names, known backgrounds and category familiarity.
Senior operators are disproportionately affected by this because they have broader backgrounds and have crossed cycles, categories, and business models that don’t necessarily tick every box. That breadth is being mistaken for a lack of fit.
A brimming talent pool
The opportunity now is a brimming talent pool of immediately available, highly skilled, and motivated senior people who are willing and flexible to maximise their value to interested businesses.
With a quiet rebalancing of expectations on both sides, there can be significant value returned to the market and access to decision-makers across all sales organisations, and this is becoming increasingly central to how value is created.
When seeking leadership that delivers real value in 2026, smarter organisations assess credibility and sphere of influence, not just org chart fit. Much of what these leaders achieve occurs outside the office, away from the direct gaze of their boards. A willingness to shape a role that prioritises scope over title fosters strong, sustainable alliances where clarity and specificity are paramount.
To reassert the core truth: the issue is not a lack of talent, but how value is being recognised and measured in the current market.
Cycle downturns always surface mispricing. In this cycle, that mispricing is most visible in senior, commercially credible operators. The consequence here is that organisations that default to narrow evaluation will feel the impact later, often quietly and incrementally.
In truth, the current market presents a rare opportunity to recognise value others are overlooking and those who recalibrate how they assess experience and influence are likely to emerge stronger when conditions shift again.
Steve Doyle is director at Four Stars Digital Recruitment