Executive AI leadership, on a monthly retainer
A Chief AI Officer for your business without the full-time hire. We sit with your leadership team, own AI strategy, governance and investment decisions, and keep the plan current as the technology changes, with direct access between meetings and a quarterly written assessment.
Service 11
No 17040048
Retained
From £6,500 a month
Up to two days a month, rolling quarterly
Up to two days a month of executive time, plus direct access between meetings. Extra days and build work are quoted separately. Retained on a rolling quarterly basis.
Who it is for
- Organisations where AI is now strategic, with several initiatives that need one accountable leader.
- Leadership teams who need AI governance, policy and investment decisions owned at board level.
- Companies that need senior AI leadership now and cannot yet define a full-time role.
What the work covers
Strategic direction and recalibration
AI changes faster than most business plans. We set the direction with your leadership team: which parts of the business AI should change, which it should leave alone, and what that means for the next year. Each quarter we write an assessment of what is working, what has moved in the market and what to adjust, and we recalibrate the plan with you. The aim is a strategy that stays current without being rewritten every time a new model is announced.
Governance, risk and policy
As AI spreads through a business, someone has to own the rules. We set and maintain the AI usage policy, the data rules for what may be shared with which tools, the approval points for new systems and the register of everything in use. Risk is assessed in proportion: a staff writing tool is not treated like a customer-facing assistant. We work alongside your legal and compliance advisers on UK GDPR, as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, and sector rules, and we do not give legal advice.
Investment and capital allocation
Leadership teams are asked to fund AI projects, tools, platforms and hires, often all at once. We help decide what to fund, in what order and on what evidence, and write down the reasoning so the decision can be revisited honestly later. Each investment has an agreed measure of whether it worked. Just as important is stopping things: a pilot that is not earning its place should end, and part of the role is saying so before more money follows it.
Operating model change
AI that works changes how people work, and that is where many initiatives stall. We look at which roles and processes change, who owns each AI system day to day, how staff are trained, and where people must stay in the loop. We help your leadership team decide whether AI capability sits centrally or in each function, and when it is time to hire, so that change is planned rather than left to happen tool by tool.
Independence from suppliers
Many of the people advising on AI also sell it. We are independent of any AI vendor, and any commercial relationship with a supplier we recommend is disclosed to you first. That lets us give a straight view on large contracts, platform commitments and vendor claims, test them against your own cases where possible, and protect your ability to change supplier later. Strategy comes from someone who still builds, so we can tell when a claim does not match how the technology behaves.
Board-level reporting
Boards need to know what AI the business uses, what it costs, what risks it carries and whether it is delivering. We report at that level: AI as a standing item at the monthly leadership meeting, and a quarterly written assessment the board can read and question. This differs from the fractional AI lead. The lead spends the days hands-on, delivering and overseeing projects. The Chief AI Officer spends them at executive level, owning strategy, governance and investment decisions, and accountable for the results.
Where the role focuses
These are illustrations of the kind of work, not client results.
AI policy and governance
Usage policies, data rules, approval points and a register of every AI system, owned and kept current. Example only.
Investment decisions
Which AI projects, tools and hires to fund, when, and how to measure the return. Example only.
Quarterly recalibration
A written assessment each quarter of what is working, what has changed in the market and what to adjust. Example only.
What you get
Independent of any AI vendor. Any commercial relationship with a supplier we recommend is disclosed to you first.
- 01Attendance at your monthly leadership meeting, with AI as a standing item.
- 02AI strategy, policy and governance owned and kept current.
- 03Investment and supplier decisions made with you, with the reasoning written down.
- 04A quarterly written strategic assessment and roadmap update.
- 05Direct access between meetings, with a reply within one working day.
What changes
- One executive accountable for AI strategy, governance and investment.
- An AI policy, data rules and register that the leadership team owns and keeps current.
- Investment decisions with the reasoning written down and a measure agreed for each.
- A board that receives a regular, plain account of AI use, cost and risk.
- A plan that is recalibrated each quarter as the technology and the business change.
How it runs
- Up to two days a month of executive time, from £6,500 a month.
- AI as a standing item at your monthly leadership meeting.
- A quarterly written assessment and roadmap update.
- Direct access between meetings, with a reply within one working day.
- Retained on a rolling quarterly basis; most engagements run six months or more.
What you supply
- A sponsor at chief executive or board level.
- A seat at the leadership meeting and access to the AI initiatives in flight.
- Information on AI spend, suppliers and plans.
Limits
- Up to two days a month of leadership and oversight, not unlimited delivery. Hands-on build work is quoted separately or covered by the fractional AI lead.
- Not legal advice. We work with your legal and compliance advisers.
- Retained on a rolling quarterly basis; most engagements run six months or more.
How it works
- 01
Fit call
A 20-minute call with the sponsor to see whether the role fits.
- 02
First quarter
AI estate mapped, governance and policy set, roadmap agreed.
- 03
Monthly
Leadership meetings, decisions and direct access between them.
- 04
Quarterly
A written assessment and recalibration of the plan.
Who you get
Evidence from our own work
Paul Redman, our founder: 25 years of software engineering, and the person who designed, built and runs ReplyOS, ReplyBench, ReplyScore and Slipmark. Strategy from someone who still builds.
About Paul RedmanWhere it fits
The role often follows a diagnostic or a fractional AI lead once AI becomes strategic, and some businesses run both, with the lead delivering what the Chief AI Officer sets.
Questions before you start
How much does a fractional Chief AI Officer cost?
From £6,500 a month for up to two days of executive time, plus direct access between meetings, retained on a rolling quarterly basis. Extra days are quoted separately.
How is this different from the fractional AI lead?
Both are two days a month, but the work differs. The fractional AI lead spends them hands-on, delivering and overseeing projects. The Chief AI Officer spends them at executive level: in your leadership meetings, owning AI strategy, governance and investment decisions, and accountable for the results. Some businesses have both.
Can you work alongside our CTO?
Yes, that is the usual arrangement. The role adds dedicated AI leadership alongside your technology leadership rather than replacing it.
How long do engagements last?
Retained quarterly, with most expected to run six months or more as the first quarter sets the foundations.
What is the next step?
Tell us where AI sits in your business in the contact form. We arrange a 20-minute call with your sponsor.
Who does the fractional Chief AI Officer report to?
Usually to the chief executive or the board sponsor named at the start. We attend the monthly leadership meeting and write the quarterly assessment for that audience, so accountability sits at the same level as the decisions being made.
Can you help us write an AI policy?
Yes, it is usually one of the first pieces of work. We draft the usage policy, data rules and approval points with your leadership team, and work alongside your legal and compliance advisers, who remain responsible for legal advice.
What happens in the first quarter?
We map the AI already in use across the business, set governance and policy, and agree a roadmap with the leadership team. The first quarterly assessment then reports on where things stand and what to adjust.
Tell us what needs to work better.
Describe the process and the tools involved. If it looks like a fit we will arrange a 20-minute call.