Brent Stokes

Director of AI Strategy & Technical Recruiting

Recruiting Specialties

AI & Machine Learning (LLMs, MLOps, NLP, Reinforcement Learning)
Agentic Systems & Physical AI
Robotics & Computer Vision
Cloud Infrastructure
Application Development
Network Infrastructure
Security – IT / OT / ICS
SAP & ERP (Functional & Technical)
Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)

CONNECT

Roles Placed

Head of AI, Director of Machine Learning, LLM Engineer, Principal AI Engineer, MLOps Architect, AI Research Scientist, Robotics Engineer, CTO, Cloud Infrastructure Lead, Cybersecurity Director, SAP Functional Lead, and more.

Fun Fact

Brent previously lived in the Dominican Republic and has many stories to share of his time there.

Favorite Social Activity

When he's not rock climbing with the family, you'll likely find him running, golfing, or having a cigar at his local cigar lounge.

Favorite Vacation Spot

Brent prefers any warm beach, as long as there's no agenda and no plans.

About Brent Stokes

Brent Stokes is Blue Signal’s Director of AI Recruiting & Strategy, specializing in executive search for high-impact artificial intelligence and emerging tech talent. With over a decade of experience in deep tech recruiting and hundreds of successful placements, Brent helps companies—from pre-seed startups to Fortune 100 innovation labs—build the leadership and engineering teams behind tomorrow’s breakthroughs.

His work centers on the most transformative areas of AI: Agentic Systems, Robotics, Physical AI, LLMs and Foundation Models, Neural Networks, DSP, MLOps, Applied AI, and frontier model innovation. He connects organizations with visionary talent—leaders and experts who build generative agents, perception stacks, reinforcement learning pipelines, and scalable, domain-specific AI systems.

Brent doesn’t just fill roles—he acts as a strategic advisor. By aligning talent strategy with product roadmaps and funding stages, he helps clients scale smarter and faster. His approach is data-driven, confidential, and tailored to the urgency of hypergrowth tech hiring.

He has also successfully delivered talent across IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, SAP/ERP, and enterprise asset management. This broader experience gives him the agility to support clients navigating digital transformation, rapid scaling, or new product launches in any vertical.

Search Focus

Executive & Confidential Search
(C-Suite Executives, Board-Level Leadership, Vice Presidents, Directors, Confidential Leadership Placements)
AI Leadership & Technical Talent
(Chief AI Officer, AI Leadership, Machine Learning, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Technical Leadership)
Emerging Technology & Innovation Strategy
(Emerging Technologies, Innovation Leadership, Digital Innovation, Product Strategy, Technology Roadmaps)
Digital & Business Transformation
(Digital Transformation, Business Process Optimization, Change Management, Enterprise Transformation, Operational Excellence)
Functional & Management Consulting
(Management Consulting, Strategy Consulting, Organizational Effectiveness, Business Advisory, Process Improvement)
Enterprise Implementations & Program Leadership
(ERP Implementations, Enterprise Software Deployment, Program Management, Project Leadership, Systems Integration)
Technology Infrastructure & Business Applications
(Enterprise Applications, Cloud Infrastructure, IT Leadership, Business Systems, Software Solutions, Infrastructure Management)
Technology & Operational Security
(Cybersecurity, Information Security, Operational Security, Risk Management, Governance, Compliance, Security Architecture)

Featured Podcast

Testimonials

"Brent's professionalism and hard work during the recruitment, interview, hiring, and on boarding process was absolutely amazing! The initial interview was fine but then COVID hit, and we all know what kind of world we lived in after that. Brent, in my opinion, went above and beyond keeping me in the loop to touch base with me to see how me and my family were doing as well as keeping me informed of where the company I ended up at was in the hiring process. I can't say enough about how comfortable and helpful Brent was throughout the whole process."

“We were struggling to find quality candidates for an entry-level sales role, so we started working with Blue Signal. Brent proved to be adept at locating great candidates and connecting them with us, resulting in a new hire that we're looking forward to working with.”