Senior AI leadership on a fractional basis
Most regulated organisations now have AI in production somewhere, and a board that is accountable for it. Fewer have a single senior person who owns how AI is governed, how its risks are managed, and how the organisation answers to a regulator. A full-time Chief AI Officer is the obvious way to close that gap, and for many organisations it is more appointment than the current stage of work justifies. A fractional Chief AI Officer gives you the same accountability at board level for a defined number of days each month.
The role is not advisory in the sit-on-the-sidelines sense. A fractional Chief AI Officer holds the mandate: they own the AI governance framework, they sit between the board and the delivery teams, and they carry the reporting line into the board or the risk committee. The difference from a permanent hire is the shape of the commitment, not the seniority of the person or the weight of what they are responsible for.
When organisations bring one in
There are a few points where the need becomes concrete rather than theoretical.
The first is regulatory. The EU AI Act has staged obligations running through 2025 and 2026, and UK-regulated firms face sector expectations from the FCA, the ICO and others that already treat AI as a governance matter. When a board asks "are we ready, and who owns that", the honest answer often reveals that no one person does. A fractional Chief AI Officer is who owns it.
The second is scale of use. AI moves from one or two pilots to a portfolio of systems, some of them making or informing decisions about customers. At that point informal oversight stops being enough, and the organisation needs a framework, an inventory, and a person accountable for both.
The third is assurance. A board, an auditor, an insurer or a large client asks for evidence that AI is being managed responsibly, and the organisation has the practice in place but not the documented governance to show for it. ISO 42001 is increasingly the standard that question is measured against, and readiness for it is squarely part of this role.
The fourth is capability. The organisation has capable data and technology people, but no one at a senior level whose job is specifically the governance, risk and board-facing side of AI. Hiring that person full time is a twelve-month commitment and a senior salary. A fractional appointment covers the same ground while the need is still taking its final shape.
What the engagement covers
A fractional Chief AI Officer engagement with Navitec is built around board-level accountability for AI, delivered across a defined and predictable commitment. The scope is set with you, and typically includes:
Governance framework. A single, documented framework for how AI is proposed, approved, deployed and monitored across the organisation, sized to your sector and your risk appetite rather than a generic template.
Regulatory readiness. A clear read on your obligations under the EU AI Act and the relevant UK regime, what they mean for your specific systems, and a prioritised path to readiness rather than a compliance panic.
ISO 42001 and assurance. Preparation for the AI management-system standard where that is the right target, and the documented evidence that answers an auditor, an insurer or a client.
Risk and inventory. A live inventory of where AI is in use, the risk each system carries, and the controls that sit against it, so that oversight is based on what is actually running.
Board reporting. Regular, plain reporting into the board or the risk committee, so that accountability is visible and the people who carry it can discharge it.
Team and decisions. Working alongside your existing data, technology and risk people, so the capability stays in the organisation and the governance is something the teams own rather than something done to them.
How it works
The commitment is agreed privately with each client and reviewed as the work develops, so it matches the stage the organisation is at rather than a fixed package. The shape of the engagement, and its terms, are set with you directly.
The first ninety days are the same in shape whoever the client is. The opening weeks establish the picture: where AI is in use, what governance already exists, what the regulatory exposure is, and where the real gaps sit. From there the framework is put in place, the board reporting line is set up, and the priority risks are addressed in order. By the end of the first quarter the organisation has a working governance framework, a board that can see how AI is being managed, and a prioritised plan for the regulatory and assurance work that follows.
After that the role settles into a steady rhythm: maintaining the framework, keeping the inventory and the risk picture current, preparing the organisation for the next regulatory milestone or assurance requirement, and reporting into the board on a regular cadence.
Who it is for
This engagement is built for regulated organisations: financial services, healthcare, legal, and the public sector, where AI is in use and the governance of it is a board responsibility. It suits organisations that need senior accountability for AI now, and for whom a full-time Chief AI Officer is more than the current stage of work requires.
It is a fit whether you are early, with AI in a handful of places and no framework yet, or further on, with a portfolio in production and a board asking harder questions than the current oversight can answer.
This engagement sits within the wider Advisory practice.
Where to start
The AI Governance Assessment is the fastest way to see where you stand. It takes about ten minutes, maps your organisation against the four maturity stages and the seven governance domains, and gives you a written read on where the gaps are. It is the same picture a fractional Chief AI Officer engagement starts from, and it is free.
If you would rather talk it through first, get in touch and we will arrange a conversation.