Fractional CTO · UK-wide
Fractional CTO support for organisations making board-level technology decisions
Mike Fraser helps leadership teams make better decisions about IT, AI, cyber risk and change, with senior judgement they can take to the board.
THE PROBLEM
When no one owns technology at executive level
Most mid-market businesses run without a technology leader on the executive team. The work doesn't disappear. It lands on the FD, who ends up making technology decisions they were never trained for, on top of a full-time finance role. Or it lands nowhere, and the business runs on systems that fall further behind each year.
These businesses don't need a full-time CTO. They need someone who can own the technology strategy, hold suppliers to account, and translate what's actually happening into terms the board can act on. That gap, between outsourced IT support and executive-level technology leadership, is where risk and cost build up without anyone owning it.
HOW MIKE HELPS
Senior technology judgement, where the board needs it.
Fractional CTO support
Ongoing ownership of the technology agenda alongside your leadership team: strategy, suppliers, and the decisions in between.
Board-level decision support
IT, AI, cyber and change decisions translated into terms the board can weigh, challenge and act on.
Independent guidance on IT, AI and cyber risk
An outside, vendor-free view before you sign, invest, or have to explain a major technology decision.
CREDIBILITY
I've spent 15 years in technology leadership as CTO, Technology Director, and board-level advisor. The businesses I work with are established and profitable. They need someone who can sit in a board meeting and a server room in the same week and make sense of both.
Executive MBA, Henley Business School. Digital MBA, CTO Academy. Board-level technology leadership across media, data, education, and professional services.
15 years
technology leadership
£10m–£100m
typical client revenue
9 acquisitions
technology due diligence & integration
3 divestments
technology separation & carve-out
EXPERIENCE
Where I've done this before
Independent2024 to present
Fractional and Interim CTO
Engagements across telecommunications, manufacturing, media, compliance, education and agriculture. Strategy reviews, technology assurance for boards, and hands-on transformation programmes.
National Milk Records, AB Foods Plc2021 to 2024
Product and IT Director, Executive Leadership Team
On the Executive Leadership Team of the UK's leading dairy data and diagnostics business through the period leading up to its acquisition.
Oxford Royale Academy2019 to 2020
Chief Technology and Digital Officer
Built the digital and technology function for an international education business, supporting commercial growth across multiple programmes and geographies.
Wilmington Plc2015 to 2018
Chief Technology Officer, Executive Board Member
Three years on the Executive Committee of an LSE-listed risk and compliance group: platform consolidation, supplier rationalisation, and the integration and separation work that comes with active corporate development.
Reed Business Information, RELX Plc2011 to 2015
Director of Technology
Technology leadership across one of the UK's largest B2B information businesses, sitting on the divisional Executive Leadership Team. Platform migrations, vendor consolidation and operational improvement at scale.
Reed Business Information, RELX Plc2005 to 2009
Head of Product Development
First period at RELX. Led product development across digital information platforms, building the product and engineering foundations for later leadership roles.
TOOLKITS
Need a self-serve option first?
BoardReadyIT turns common boardroom technology conversations into practical toolkits for IT leaders. Start with the Board-Ready IT Spend Toolkit.
INSIGHTS
Practical writing on technology, AI, and risk for boards and leadership teams.
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Where AI Is Working in Mid-Sized Businesses
Faster software delivery, AI in product development, and agentic automation across departments.
18 May 2026
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You Sign Off Millions in IT Spend. Can You Say What You're Getting?
The questions most CFOs aren't asking, and should be.
16 February 2026
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95% of AI Projects Fail. Yours Doesn't Have to.
What a CFO should actually ask before approving a six-figure AI proposal.
2 January 2026
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 in Malmesbury, working with UK mid-market clients on a remote-first basis with in-person time for board meetings and key milestones.