AI operations for the UK mid-market.
Mike Fraser works with leadership teams whose AI has moved past pilots but not yet into reliable, measurable operation.
Fractional and project-based engagements. Based near the M4 corridor, working UK-wide on a remote-first basis with in-person time for key milestones.
The AI Middle
Past the pilots, short of a return.
Your organisation has made AI investments. Some tools are in use, and a pilot or two may have shown promise. But nobody owns the outcome. Finance is unsure whether the numbers stack up. Operations is running on tools that were never properly integrated. IT believes it has the situation in hand. The board is asking questions nobody has a clean answer to.
This is the AI Middle: the gap between early pilots and a governed, measurable AI programme that delivers. It is where most mid-market businesses are, and it is where the most value is being lost.
Read about closing the AI Middle ›Services
The AI Middle
From experimentation to governed, measured operation.
Assessing where your AI programme stands, what it will take to close the gap between pilot and governed operation, and owning that transition alongside your leadership team.
Read more ›Operational diligence
A senior outside view, applied to specific questions inside the business.
Where AI spend is going. Whether the Finance or Operations function is getting a measurable return. What the board paper should say.
Read more ›Transaction diligence
Technology work, written for transactions.
Tech and cyber diligence for buyers. Pre-exit preparation for sellers. Both written for the people commissioning them.
Read more ›Engagements
The AI Middle
The AI Middle diagnostic
Where your AI programme stands, and what it will take to close the gap.
A structured assessment of tools, measurement, governance and accountability over two to four weeks, delivered as a board paper and a working plan.
Read more ›The AI Middle
AI in Finance and Operations
The function-level engagement.
Governance, measurement, and accountability installed in the two functions where AI should be producing a visible return.
Read more ›Operational diligence
AI strategy
A board-ready view of where AI matters, and where it does not.
A considered position on AI, written for governance rather than the IT roadmap.
Read more ›Operational diligence
IT Waste Finder
A measured look at where the IT budget is going.
An external review of licensing, MSP scope, and infrastructure contracts. Recoverable spend, where it exists, is typically 15 to 30 per cent. Delivered in two to four weeks.
Read more ›About Mike
Mike Fraser has spent 15 years in technology leadership across listed and mid-market UK businesses: Reed Business Information at RELX, Wilmington Plc, Oxford Royale Academy, and National Milk Records at AB Foods. Independent since 2024.
He began as a software engineer and worked up to the board, so he understands AI from the model up and the business from the top down. An MBA from Henley and a Digital MBA from CTO Academy fill in the commercial side. That mix is what lets him explain technical decisions in terms a board can act on.
His current focus is the AI Middle: the transition from AI experimentation to AI that is governed, measured, and delivering a return the board can see. Nine acquisitions and three divestments across his career mean M&A and integration are familiar territory rather than an occasional brief.
Read more about Mike ›15 yrs
Technology leadership
9
Acquisitions, tech DD & integration
3
Divestments, separation & carve-out
£15-100m
Typical client revenue
In their words
"Hard working, solution-orientated, and committed to delivering the right technology to solve business problems."Terry Sweeney, Non-Executive Director & Chair · Wilmington Plc
"Reliable, driven, solution-focussed and always professional through the integration of London offices and working practices."Tony Bainbridge, Director · Wilmington Plc
"His management style is second to none, brings out the best in the whole team and gives superb direction."Sandra Dibling, Corporate Relationship Manager · Oxford Royale Academy
Self-serve toolkits for IT leaders
Not every organisation needs an outside CTO on retainer. Some need a structure they can run themselves, this quarter, without a new hire or a consulting engagement. BoardReadyIT publishes practical toolkits: the Board-Ready IT Spend Toolkit, the Cyber Essentials Plus Playbook, and the Board Reporting Toolkit.
Insights
Practical writing on AI operations, governance, and return for boards and leadership teams.
18 May 2026
Where AI Is Working in Mid-Sized Businesses
Faster software delivery, AI in product development, and agentic automation across departments.
16 February 2026
You Sign Off Millions in IT Spend. Can You Say What You're Getting?
The questions most CFOs aren't asking, and should be.
2 January 2026
95% of AI Projects Fail. Yours Doesn't Have to.
What a CFO should actually ask before approving a six-figure AI proposal.
Contact
Get in touch about your AI programme
Send a couple of lines on where you are and what is not working. I'll tell you whether it's something I can help with, and if not, I'll point you in the right direction.
Based near the M4 corridor, working UK-wide on a remote-first basis with in-person time for key milestones.