For businesses that have outgrown ad hoc technology decisions but don't need - or can't yet justify - a full-time CIO. I become the senior technology person in your corner, for a set number of days each week or month.
Sound familiar?
Vendor pitches nobody can properly evaluate
Proposals arrive, and there's no one in the business who knows how they're built or what to push back on.
A major contract renewal coming up
Managed services, telco or a core platform - and a sense you're about to sign the same deal again without testing it.
IT runs, but nobody owns the direction
Your IT manager or provider keeps things working. Nobody is connecting technology to where the business is going.
The board is asking questions
AI, cyber risk, a roadmap, the budget - and no one at the executive table owns the answer.
Spend has grown without a plan
Subscriptions, projects and contracts have accumulated, and it's hard to say what's essential.
Change is coming
Growth, an acquisition or a leadership change that's about to put pressure on the technology.
What you get
Most mid-market businesses don't have anyone in-house who really understands the technology world and the vendors in it. I get to know your business - what's core to it, what matters commercially, who the right partners are - and become the person you trust to connect that to the technology world.
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.
How it works
01
A conversation about the situation
No charge, no pitch. We talk through what's going on and whether a fractional CIO is the right answer - sometimes it isn't, and I'll say so.
02
A set number of days each week or month
A retainer with terms agreed upfront - the days, the fee, confidentiality, and how either of us ends the arrangement.
03
Getting into it properly
Getting to know the business, the people, the vendors, the contracts and the spend. Finding the risks and the quick wins, then agreeing the priorities that matter most.
04
An ongoing rhythm
A regular cadence that fits your business, with access to the right people and information - not filtered through one contact.
Options compared
| Fractional CIO | Full-time CIO | Your MSP or vendor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Set days per week or month, flexible | Full-time salary and hire | Bundled into a services contract |
| Seniority | Executive-level, from day one | Executive-level, once you find the right person | Varies with the account team |
| Independence | No vendor relationships or referral fees | Independent of vendors | Advice can be shaped by what they sell |
| Business context | Learns your business and stays with it | Deep, once embedded | Focused on the services they provide |
| Best fit | Senior input without a full-time role | Technology central enough to need a full-time executive | Day-to-day operations |
Why me
20+ years across every side of the technology industry - CEO, MSP operator, strategy consultant, technical architect and internal support engineer. I've written the proposals, built the pricing models, run the P&L and reported to PE investors.
As a CEO, I was also effectively the CIO for most of my tenure - owning technology strategy, systems, vendors and budget, and reporting to the board on technology risk and investment. I've done this job, not just advised on it.
I've also been a trusted technology advisor to the CEOs and CIOs of client organisations, including a Queensland Government agency - influencing decisions in organisations where I had no formal authority. That's the fractional CIO role in a sentence.
Already have a CIO or technology lead?
I also work alongside existing technology leaders who need extra bandwidth, a trusted peer for a specific piece of work, or an independent view on something they're working through.
Common questions
A fractional CIO is a senior technology executive who works with your business part-time - a set number of days each week or month - providing the strategic leadership of a chief information officer without the cost of a full-time hire.
It's agreed upfront, based on what's going on in the business - a set number of days each week or each month. Less time suits ongoing direction and vendor oversight; more suits a period with a major initiative or decision. It can change as the business does.
Terms are agreed before any work starts, including how either of us ends the arrangement. The agreement is a safety net for both of us - not a way of working.
No - that isn't the aim. Often the provider is fine but the contract or the direction isn't. I'll tell you what I find and you decide what to do with it.
I don't have commercial relationships with any vendor or partner - no referral fees, no preferred suppliers. What I bring is 20 years of market experience: who's credible, who to be cautious of, and where the gaps usually are.
Yes. With the right collaborative tools it works well regardless of location. If you're Brisbane-based I'll generally work face to face - the relationship is better for it.
When technology is central enough to the business to need a full-time executive every day. Recognising that point is part of the job - as a CEO I formalised a dedicated technology leadership role as part of a planned succession and handed over cleanly. If you reach that point, I'll help you define the role and make the handover work.
A consultant usually delivers a project and leaves. A fractional CIO stays - learning the business, owning the technology direction alongside you, and being accountable for it over time.
Start here
No charge, no pitch. If it's not the right fit, I'll tell you directly.