What I do
Every engagement is designed to the actual situation. Most start with a conversation - not a fixed package, not a discovery fee.
Who I work with
I have experience across a range of sectors. The common thread isn't industry - it's businesses where technology decisions have real commercial consequences and where an independent view makes a difference.
Ongoing
Most mid-market businesses don't have anyone in-house who really understands the technology world and the vendors in it. So when a vendor pitches, or a contract comes up for renewal, or a major platform decision needs to be made - there's no one to cut through it.
That's what this relationship fixes. I get to know your business - what's core to it, what matters commercially, who the right partners are - and I become the person you trust to connect that to the technology world. You stop relying on Google, stop following in competitors' tracks, and stop taking vendor advice at face value.
Your IT manager knows how to run IT. They don't know how vendors think, how proposals are built, or what's actually being sold to them. I do - because I've been on that side.
Also works alongside existing technology leaders
If you already have a CIO, CTO, or technology lead but they need additional bandwidth, a trusted peer for a specific engagement, or an independent view on something they're working through - I can support that too. Sometimes the most useful thing is a second opinion from someone who's been in the same seat.
Project / Advisory
Most AI advisory starts outside in - pitch the technology, then find a use case to fit the business around. That's how you end up with expensive pilots that go nowhere.
The right approach is inside out. Start by going into the business to find the real opportunities - whether they're AI, automation, or something else entirely - then go to market with a clear brief.
I work with your team to understand where work is genuinely slow, costly, or error-prone. From there we work out what would actually help, prioritise it commercially, and help you find the right partners to build it. I don't build the technology - I make sure you're building the right things with the right people.
Project
I spent years running a managed services and consulting business. I know how managed service agreements are structured, where scope gaps get hidden, how pricing is built, and what a good deal looks like. Most businesses signing or renegotiating a contract don't have anyone in the room who knows any of that.
A business switches managed service providers based on price or sales pitch, without understanding the scope differences or opportunities. They find the gap in service after the fact. This is the engagement that prevents that.
Also relevant for MSPs and consultancies
If you run a technology consultancy or MSP and want an outside perspective on your go-to-market, pricing, margin, or operational maturity - I can help with that too. I've been on that side of the table - I know how the commercial model works, where the margin is, and what good looks like. I know where the problems usually are.
Project
A technology strategy built around what your business is actually trying to do - not a vendor's product roadmap with your logo on it. I'll ask the right questions first, understand the commercial situation and constraints, and then work out what the right technology direction looks like.
The output is something your board will fund and your team can execute - not a document that requires another consultant to interpret.
Project
Most businesses talk to their incumbent vendor, get a price or two, and call that a market check. It isn't. A properly run sourcing process forces the market to compete on ideas, approach, and price - and surfaces options you didn't know existed. That competitive tension is where you get a genuinely better outcome.
Having written bids from the vendor side, I know exactly how responses are constructed to look compelling while leaving the real commitments vague. I help you design a process that gets past the pitch.
This isn't just for large procurement exercises. Mid-market businesses and NFPs often go to market for technology services once every few years - without the experience to run it well. That's where an outside perspective pays for itself - not just in price, but in what you actually end up with.
Project
Technology risk and commercial assessment for acquisitions, PE investments, and transactions. The question I'm answering isn't "what technology do they have" - it's "what does this mean for the deal, what are the risks, and what's the commercial implication."
I work with your advisors and the target's team to build the right picture, then translate it into something a board or investment committee can act on. Commercial judgment, not a technical audit.
Engagement model
Retainer
Ongoing
For fractional CIO and ongoing advisory. Monthly retainer, terms agreed upfront. Right for businesses that need consistent senior technology input rather than one-off help.
Initiative
Targeted engagement
For a specific, bounded piece of work - a platform decision, a procurement process, a technology review. We'll estimate the time required upfront so you know what you're committing to, without locking into an ongoing arrangement.
Ad hoc
By the day
For specific decisions or situations where you need a senior independent view without a full engagement. Billed at a day rate, no ongoing commitment required.
Start here
No charge, no pitch. Just a direct conversation about what's going on and whether I can help.