Technology advice for the UK mid-market.
Mike Fraser works with boards and leadership teams on the technology decisions that need a senior outside view: diligence, transactions, and board reporting.
Fractional and project-based engagements. Based near the M4 corridor, working UK-wide on a remote-first basis with in-person time for board meetings and key milestones.
Services
Operational diligence
A senior outside view, applied to specific questions inside the business.
Where the IT budget is going. What the AI position should be. Whether the ERP project is salvageable. 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 ›Organisation and capability
The technology function, reviewed against the next stage of growth.
An independent read on whether the digital product programme is on a path to commercial return. A structured view of whether the team fits the next stage.
Read more ›Engagements
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 ›Operational diligence
AI strategy
A considered position on AI, for the next board paper.
A board-ready view of where AI matters for the business and where it does not, written for governance rather than the IT roadmap.
Read more ›Operational diligence
ERP rescue
An independent read on whether the ERP or CRM programme is salvageable.
A short engagement to assess scope, supplier, and likely landing point, and to write the board paper that follows.
Read more ›Operational diligence
Board reporting
Technology, reported in language the board can act on.
A working set of KPIs, a one-page format, and the discipline to maintain both across the year.
Read more ›Transaction diligence
Tech and cyber due diligence
Technology diligence, written in the language of the deal.
A properly-scoped review of the target's technology, focused on the questions the investment committee needs answered.
Read more ›Transaction diligence
Pre-exit technology readiness
Technology in good order, well ahead of the sale.
A pre-exit review of the estate, so the issues a buyer would discount for are dealt with on your timetable, not theirs.
Read more ›Organisation and capability
Programme reset
A digital product programme, redirected to commercial return.
An independent review of a stalled or underperforming digital product programme, with a written recommendation the board can act on.
Read more ›Organisation and capability
Team and structure review
Your technology team, reviewed for the next stage of growth.
A structured assessment of the shape, seniority and capability of the technology function, and what the next twelve months call for.
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.
His work covers strategy reviews for boards, technology diligence for transactions, and hands-on transformation when the business has outgrown the structure around it. Nine acquisitions and three divestments across his career, which means M&A is familiar territory rather than an occasional brief.
He began as a software engineer and worked up to the board, so he understands technology from the code 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.
Read more about Mike ›15 yrs
Technology leadership
9
Acquisitions, tech DD & integration
3
Divestments, separation & carve-out
£10-100m
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 technology, AI, and risk 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 technology
Send a couple of lines on what you're weighing up. 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 board meetings and key milestones.