Digital Science today announced that Daniel Hook will take up the newly created role of Chief Scientific Officer at parent company Holtzbrinck Group, with Stephen Leicht, currently President, succeeding him as Chief Executive Officer effective 1 August 2026.
Hook has served as CEO of Digital Science for 11 years and has been with the company for 16, having co-founded Symplectic , one of Digital Science’s earliest portfolio companies. He helped build Digital Science into one of the world’s leading technology businesses serving the global research community. In his new role, he will help shape long-term strategy in science, research and innovation across the wider Holtzbrinck Group , while remaining closely connected to Digital Science.
“I have believed for some time that the right length of leadership for a business like Digital Science is about a decade,” said Daniel Hook . “The moment has come to pass the baton. I could not be more pleased to be handing it to my long-term colleague Steve, who has been a partner, counsel and friend. He knows Digital Science as well as anyone, and he shares the values that make it what it is. My exciting new role at Holtzbrinck will keep me close to the research community and to Digital Science. This is not an ending, but the very deliberate beginning of a next chapter.”
Leicht steps in with a clear focus on Digital Science’s next phase of growth. “I take on this role with a deep sense of responsibility and real excitement for what lies ahead,” said Steve Leicht . “Digital Science has a rare combination of trusted products, talented people and a clear sense of purpose. As research, technology and AI converge, our opportunity to serve the global research community has never been greater — and that is where my focus will be. Our values carry forward unchanged, and we’ll keep investing in the talent that drives the business. I’m grateful to Daniel for a partnership that has shaped both this company and me. I look forward to building on that foundation.”
Leicht has been part of the Digital Science story since 2013, when the company invested in ÜberResearch, which he co-founded and which evolved into Dimensions , now Digital Science’s flagship research intelligence platform. He joined the executive team in 2016 as Chief Operating Officer, leading the company’s commercial, operational, and corporate functions, and became President in 2023. Earlier in his career, he served as EVP & COO of Collexis Holdings, acquired by Reed Elsevier in 2010, and held leadership roles at IBM.
Stefan von Holtzbrinck , CEO, Holtzbrinck Group, said: “Daniel has built Digital Science into one of the most successful data-driven companies in science, and we at Holtzbrinck are enormously grateful for it. I now look forward to his new role, where his expertise, network and integrity will be instrumental to Holtzbrinck’s mission and success — within the science community and well beyond.
“I am equally glad to be working more closely with Steve. Having known his strengths for over a decade, I am delighted he has taken on the CEO role, and confident Digital Science is in the best possible hands.”
About Digital Science
Digital Science is an AI-focused technology company providing innovative solutions to complex challenges faced by researchers, universities, governments, funders, industry, and publishers. We work in partnership to advance global research for the benefit of society. Through our brands – Altmetric, Dimensions, Figshare, IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, metaphacts, Overleaf, ReadCube, Symplectic, and Writefull – we believe when we solve problems together, we drive progress for all. Visit digital-science.com and follow Digital Science on Bluesky , on X or on LinkedIn .
Media contact
David Ellis , Manager, Media & PR, Digital Science: Mobile +61 447 783 023, d.ellis@digital-science.co