Why it’s time for vendors to look beyond the C-suite – and how to reach the decision-makers who actually move the needle

No modern innovation has been as fast-moving, far-reaching, or misunderstood as AI. So, if the question of who’s responsible for buying decisions feels obvious, you may already be working from the wrong assumptions.

AI doesn’t fit neatly into any single product category, nor does it fall squarely under a single team’s responsibility. Its scope and application vary widely across sectors, business models, and internal structures — because unlike traditional software, AI has no fixed shape. It can be a product, a capability, a service, or even a strategic enabler.

In some organizations, it’s used to optimize existing workflows; in others, it drives entirely new revenue streams.

This flexibility makes AI both powerful and complex, demanding cross-functional collaboration, governance oversight, and continuous iteration when it comes to acquisition. So, it’s not a one-off procurement decision, but an evolving strategy — one that often involves longer, less centralized buying processes and is shaped by those closest to the challenge being solved.

Yet many vendors still approach AI sales with their conventional playbooks — over-prioritising time with the C-suite. Though tech headlines tend to focus on global giants, many of the most pragmatic AI decisions are happening lower down the org chart — and further down the company size scale, with mid-sized, ambitious businesses often the ones moving fastest. 

This results in vendors overlooking the mid-level leaders who actually evaluate solutions, build business cases, and shape internal momentum. 

So, as the market moves from first-wave hype into real-world implementation, it's time to reassess who really drives AI buying decisions.

We’ll explore what the modern AI buying committee looks like, highlight the pivotal role of VPs and Directors, and offer guidance on how vendors can connect with the people who truly move the needle.

These insights are based on research conducted by Informa in July 2025, which combined analysis of more than 100 AI buyer profiles with in-depth interviews across finance, healthcare, retail, and other key sectors.

It’s a timely reminder that the real opportunity lies not in chasing assumed power — but in recognizing where influence actually lives.

 

 

Rethinking who really drives the deal

It’s important to clarify upfront that the C-suite still plays an integral role in most AI buying decisions. And in highly regulated industries such as banking or healthcare — where AI investments may carry strategic, reputational, or compliance risks — executive sign-off is often essential.

But landing a meeting with a CTO or CIO is no longer a guaranteed win for enterprise AI vendors, because when it comes to AI, the traditional enterprise sales playbook doesn’t always apply.

Our research shows AI buying is becoming less centralized, more collaborative, and increasingly shaped by the teams closest to implementation. They’re the ones solving practical, high-impact business challenges — and influencing decisions earlier and more directly.

And this shift is happening at scale. AI is now one of the biggest drivers of enterprise growth, with IT budgets forecast to grow 5% year-on-year through 2030. And adoption isn’t limited to large enterprises either — more than 60% of SMEs have already made at least one AI-related purchase in the past two years.

That kind of uptake has added pressure to streamline evaluation and accelerate implementation. As a result, decision-making is shifting down the org chart — and AI buying today is shaped more by influence than hierarchy. 

VPs and Directors aren’t just influencers — in many cases, they control their departmental budgets and have the authority to greenlight spend. They’re the ones assessing feasibility, building the business case, and shortlisting vendors — often well before any C-suite involvement.

We saw this clearly in our recent research. At one global tech and e-commerce leader, director-level managers lead AI teams and are empowered to recommend vendors for enterprise-wide rollouts — with minimal executive intervention.

Meanwhile, at a leading consumer health brand, GenAI teams work directly with procurement to evaluate and select solutions collaboratively. Both examples reflect a broader shift from top-down control to cross-functional ownership.

This shift has major implications for vendor strategy: mid-level leaders aren’t gatekeepers — they’re power players. And by aligning outreach with how AI buying really happens, vendors can tailor messaging to the right roles, in the right settings, at the right stage of the journey.

 

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Inside the modern AI buying committee

In most organizations, AI buying decisions rarely rest with one person — they’re shaped by a cross-functional group of stakeholders. This is the AI buying committee — and it typically includes technical leads, department heads, procurement, legal, compliance, and executive sponsors when needed.

Each member plays a distinct role. Some validate technical feasibility, while others assess risk or ensure alignment with business strategy. Collectively, they form the real centre of gravity in the buying process.

However, the way these committees reach decisions can vary significantly. 

At a high-growth online retailer, for instance, AI tools are procured at the team level. Individual engineering groups manage their own tech stacks, with Directors of Data Science shortlisting vendors based on performance and integration ease.

Here, the C-suite only steps in if spend thresholds are triggered — and by then, the decision is often already made.

At a leading consumer health brand, the approach is more structured. A GenAI team works directly with procurement to evaluate options, involving legal early to address compliance concerns. Final sign-off may sit with senior leadership, but the recommendation begins at mid-level.

These examples reflect a broader trend: AI buying is collaborative, context-dependent, and heavily shaped by mid-level leadership.

And while structures vary, a handful of roles appear again and again as the real drivers of progress — especially in the early and middle stages of the buying journey.

According to our research, we found these to be the most influential non-C-suite roles:

• VP of Technology / Head of Engineering: Owns implementation feasibility and scalability, and is often the technical authority on vendor fit.

• Director of Data / AI / ML: Drives hands-on evaluation and pilots, and is frequently the person who shortlists vendors.

• Head of Product / Innovation Lead: Connects the use case to commercial or customer value, playing a key role in building the internal business case.

• Procurement Manager: Manages contracts, vendor onboarding, and risk sign-off — making them a crucial stakeholder once a recommendation is made.

These are the people shaping what’s bought, how fast it moves, and whether your pitch ever makes it to the boardroom.

 

 

Don’t overlook SMEs: the surprising AI front-runners

Hand in hand with the focus on the C-suite, vendors often find themselves chasing the most recognizable names — the enterprise brands they assume are best placed to invest heavily in AI.

But those same organizations tend to come with tangled hierarchies, complex procurement processes, and cautious rollouts that can drag on for months.

By contrast, small and mid-sized businesses are typically more pragmatic, agile, and open to change. In many cases, they’re already deep into implementation while their enterprise counterparts are still forming steering committees.

With fewer layers of governance and a sharper eye on day-to-day impact, SMEs are often the ones piloting real-world AI use cases — not just talking about them.

And that speed translates into opportunity. As one exhibitor at The AI Summit put it:

“We were surprised by how far some of the mid-sized clients had already got — a few were testing tools we hadn’t even expected to be on their radar yet. The big guys are still stuck in monitoring mode.”

While global logos might look good in a pitch deck, many of the most valuable early wins are coming from leaner organizations — with the budget, buy-in and urgency to move.

So, vendors serious about building strong AI partnerships, SMEs shouldn’t be seen as a fallback — they’re a proving ground.

 

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Making contact where influence lives

Once you understand who’s really influencing AI buying decisions — and how buying committees work — the next question is simple: how do you get in front of them?

We found that VPs, Directors, and technical leads are often the primary drivers of AI implementation — and in many SMEs, they’re frequently the final buyer. In larger enterprises, they guide evaluation, shortlist vendors, and lead internal alignment well before the C-suite enters the picture.

They’re also the people vendors are most likely to meet at industry events — not just because they’re more accessible, but because they’re actively researching. By the time they’re open to conversation, they’ve often already done 70% of the work: identifying the need, mapping requirements, and reviewing options.

As such, despite being more accessible, these mid-level leaders rarely respond to generic outreach. What they value are high-context, relevant conversations — the kind that speak directly to their role, need, or business case.

In an event setting, hosted buyer programs are ideal for enabling this. When done well, they create curated, one-to-one meetings between vendors and buyers actively exploring solutions.

Unlike open-floor demos or speed-networking sessions, these meetings are focused. They’re role-specific, problem-led, and built around real project timelines.

Crucially, they’re designed for the kinds of stakeholders often overlooked by traditional enterprise sales models — including:

• Directors of Data Science and Engineering

• VPs of Product, AI, or Innovation

• Technical program leads with budget authority

• Heads of AI labs or platform teams with defined use cases

In decentralized organizations, these are often the roles making early recommendations — and shaping whether vendors even make the shortlist.

That’s why hosted buyer programs are gaining traction: they offer an efficient, high-impact way to connect with the people doing the work — not just those signing it off.

It stands to reason: if AI adoption is collaborative and cross-functional, then selling AI has to be too. Events that bring both sides of the table together — through structured, pre-qualified conversations like those in a hosted buyer program — offer one of the most direct routes to pipeline growth.

 

 

Reframing the route to AI buyers

AI adoption has entered a new phase — one where implementation, not experimentation, is the priority. And as buying patterns shift and influence becomes more distributed, vendors who cling to outdated assumptions about who holds the power risk missing the people who actually shape the deal.

The C-suite still matters, especially in regulated sectors. But in many others, the reality is that most AI buying journeys are started — and steered — by VPs, Directors, and technical leads who operate closer to the problem. These are the roles responsible for feasibility, alignment, and momentum.

To reach them, vendors need to rethink how and where they engage. Events remain one of the most effective ways to connect, but it’s not enough to simply show up and hope. Structured formats such as hosted buyer programs facilitate the right conversations, with the right people, at the right moment in the buying journey.

And as AI continues to evolve, so too will the shape of its buying committees. But one thing is already clear: real influence often sits further down the org chart — and recognizing that may be the most strategic move a vendor can make.

 

Opportunities to reach AI buyers