For when you need senior technology judgement, not a full-time hire
Technology and AI decisions are getting harder to make well, and not every business is ready to hire a full-time CTO to make them. I work as a fractional CTO for small and medium-sized businesses across the South West and UK-wide, providing senior technology leadership on an ongoing basis, alongside your existing team.
Most small and medium-sized businesses reach a point where technology and AI decisions start to outpace what the existing team can confidently judge on their own. A supplier proposes a new platform, an AI tool promises to save hours a week, or a legacy system needs replacing, and no one in the business is quite sure how to weigh up the options.
This is not a reflection on the team. It is simply that these decisions need someone who has made similar calls before, and who has no commercial interest in which way the decision goes. At the same time, a full-time CTO hire is often too expensive, or too early.
What a fractional CTO actually is
A fractional CTO is a senior technology leader who works with your business part-time, rather than as a full-time employee. Instead of hiring someone permanently and paying a full salary, you get access to the same level of experience and judgement, but only for the time your business genuinely needs. In practice, this means having someone senior to turn to when a big technology or AI decision comes up. The role sits alongside your existing team and management, providing oversight and direction rather than day-to-day hands-on work.
Who actually needs one
A scale-up whose systems are creaking under growth, where what worked for ten staff is starting to strain at fifty. An SME with ageing systems and no clear next step. A founder without a technical co-founder, needing someone to sense-check technical decisions. A business that has already done a piece of AI or process work and wants ongoing oversight, a named, senior technologist keeping an eye on the wider picture.
What the service covers
Strategic technology planning; supplier oversight, including reviewing proposals, contracts and technical claims before you commit; guidance on software projects already underway or being planned; security and risk; AI adoption, including where it is genuinely useful and where it is not worth pursuing yet; technology roadmaps; and ongoing support for whatever technology or AI questions come up between planned reviews.
What an engagement includes: regular meetings with leadership, direct involvement in specific decisions or projects, support with hiring for technical roles, and availability between sessions. What it does not include: it does not mean handing over control of your technology or your team; it works alongside your existing staff and management, not instead of them. How it is delivered: mostly remote, with in-person time available where it adds real value. What you receive: a named, senior point of contact, clear written recommendations where they are useful, and a working relationship that builds up genuine knowledge of your business over time.
Engagement models
- Advisory Sprint. A focused, time-limited piece of work centred on a specific decision.
- Board Advisor Retainer. A lighter, ongoing arrangement built around regular input rather than day-to-day involvement.
- Fractional CTO Retainer. A deeper, regular arrangement for a business that wants ongoing, hands-on technology leadership.
Pricing is agreed upfront for the specific engagement, based on what is actually needed.
How this connects to AI and process work
Fractional CTO support is often the natural next step after a piece of AI consultancy or process work has already been done. Rather than treating AI as a one-off project, ongoing fractional CTO support keeps oversight in place, so adoption stays safe, responsible and genuinely useful as the business and the technology around it keep changing.
What this tends to deliver
More confidence in technology and AI decisions; fewer costly missteps with suppliers or platforms, caught before contracts are signed; a clearer sense of technology priorities over the coming months; a named point of contact for questions that would otherwise sit unresolved; and better-informed hiring decisions when the business is ready to bring in permanent technical staff.
How an engagement works
- Initial conversation. We talk through where the business is and whether fractional CTO input is the right fit.
- Agree the engagement model and pricing for that specific engagement.
- Get up to speed on the business and its technology.
- Set direction and priorities.
- Stay involved for the decisions that matter.
- Review regularly.
Realistic use cases
Sense-checking a major software purchase before the contract is signed; preparing technology and systems for investment or a due diligence process; supporting the hiring of a permanent technical lead; setting a technology roadmap; providing board-level briefings on AI; resolving a long-standing legacy system problem; reviewing security and risk exposure; and acting as a technical sounding board for a founder without a technical co-founder.
Why work with me
More than 20 years of hands-on technology leadership experience, including 13 years as CTO of a security software company used by police forces and government organisations, which I founded and later exited, plus a certified penetration testing background. Over those 13 years, I made the architecture decisions, hiring judgements and platform choices behind a globally-deployed software platform.
I have also worked with St Eval Candle Company over several years, supporting their ecommerce platform, helping recruit for a Head of Technology role, and replacing a legacy production planning system; you can read more under case studies. I work independently: no software resale, no commission, and no vendor tie-ins.
Common questions before getting started
“Are we big enough to need this?” There is no minimum size requirement.
“How much of your time would we actually get?” This depends entirely on the engagement model agreed.
“What happens when we are ready for a full-time hire?” I can help write the role, assess candidates, and hand over cleanly.
“Will you work with our existing team, or instead of them?” Alongside them.
“Do you sign NDAs?” Yes.
If your business has technology or AI decisions that need a senior, independent view, and a full-time hire is not the right answer yet, this is worth a conversation. Arrange a callback using the form on this page.
Frequently asked questions
Are we big enough to need a fractional CTO?
There is no minimum size requirement. What matters is whether your business is facing technology or AI decisions that need senior, independent judgement.
How much of your time would we get?
This is set by the engagement model you choose, agreed upfront for your specific situation.
What happens when we're ready for a full-time CTO?
Fractional CTO support can help prepare for that moment, including writing the role, assessing candidates, and providing a structured handover.
Will you work with our existing team?
Yes, alongside your existing staff and management, not replacing anyone.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, before any detailed discussion of your business or technology takes place.
How does this connect to the AI work we've already discussed?
Fractional CTO support is a natural way to keep oversight in place after an initial AI or process project.