I have built the companies, sold them, and then sat on the other side of the board table.

I am a multi-exit founder CEO, a Non-Executive Director, and an AI strategy and governance advisor. I work with founders, founding teams, scaleups and enterprise boards across healthcare, education and retail — from twenty-person startups to a global business with 41,000 employees.

I have been a consultant to the Department for Education and an advisor to the UK Government's AI Council. I received an MBE in 2016 for Services to Entrepreneurship. With my team at Bot Theory I built an AI curriculum for 11-17 year olds and ran machine learning workshops in UK schools.

What I actually do

Boards do not need another vendor deck. They need someone who has shipped, who has carried the liability, and who will say plainly which of your AI plans is a good idea and which is an incident waiting for a name.

• AI strategy: use case selection, sequencing, build-versus-buy, go-to-market
• AI governance: risk appetite, oversight models, assurance, ISO 42001 readiness
• Board effectiveness: turning AI from an agenda item into a decision record
• Team design: hiring and structuring the people who will own it

How I work

Move fast where the blast radius is small. Move deliberately where it is not. Write down which is which.

I keep engagements small and specific. Most start with a single paid session, some become a retainer, a few become a board seat. I do not sell implementation, which is why my advice on whether to build something can be trusted.