Defence is being rewritten in digital services. As governments and primes accelerate digital transformation, the consultancies that win will be defined less by technology or funding than by the calibre of the people leading them. In our 2026 report, Sheffield Haworth examines the leadership trends shaping defence digital services, and what it takes to build teams that can bridge digital innovation, defence credibility and operational execution.
Drawing on our CxO and board-level networks across technology, defence and adjacent markets, we set out where leadership demand is heading, the shifts every scaling business should plan for, and the practical moves that separate the firms that scale from those that stall.
Four shifts that will shape leadership demand. One clear view on how to get ahead of them.
