Fractional CTO & Principal Architect

Specialising in high-concurrency APIs, event-driven systems & cloud infrastructure, I provide growth-stage companies with part-time technical leadership, backend architecture, and developer mentorship.

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I've worked with some great brands

Are these technical bottlenecks restricting growth?

Custom software and cloud infrastructure should accelerate your business, not create hidden operational risks.

Unclear Delivery & Agency Misalignment

You are investing heavily in custom software or third-party agencies, but deadlines keep slipping. Without in-house technical authority, it is impossible to verify if delays are genuine or if you are being overcharged.

Fragile Legacy Systems & Tech Debt

Core operational tools, internal databases, or legacy applications built years ago are slowing down, crashing, or becoming security liabilities as your business scales.

Escalating, Un-Audited Cloud Bills

Your AWS, Azure, or GCP invoices climb higher every month, but no one on your executive team has the technical background to audit resource allocation, eliminate waste, or negotiate contracts.

Lack of Executive Technical Leadership

You need high-level technical direction for board meetings, risk management, and strategic roadmaps, but your business does not justify a £200k+ full-time CTO salary.

You don't need a full-time executive salary to solve these challenges. You need pragmatic, targeted technical oversight.

Get total clarity on your code, cloud spend, and operational risks in 2 weeks.

Best for

Businesses experiencing slow software delivery, unexpected AWS/GCP/Azure bills, or gearing up for a major technical transition.

Included

Codebase & Architecture Review: Deep-dive analysis to identify performance bottlenecks, single points of failure, and security vulnerabilities.
Cloud & Hosting Audit: Complete resource review to uncover over-provisioned infrastructure and immediately cut unnecessary monthly spend.
Vendor & Process Assessment: Objective evaluation of your current engineering workflows or third-party software agency performance.

Deliverable

A comprehensive, plain-English report and a prioritised 90-Day Actionable Technical Roadmap presented directly to your leadership team.

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On-demand executive technical leadership embedded in your business.

Best for

Growth-stage SMBs, scale-ups, and non-tech founders who need strategic technical oversight on an ongoing, part-time basis.

Included

Executive Leadership: Sitting on board or leadership calls to align technology strategy directly with business growth goals.
Vendor & Agency Governance: Acting as your independent technical authority to manage agencies, evaluate quotes, and hold partners accountable.
Architecture & Scale Strategy: Designing resilient backend architectures, API strategies, and data pipelines built for long-term stability.
Team Mentorship: Guiding and mentoring lead developers, instilling rigid code standards, and helping you hire senior tech talent when needed.

Deliverable

Continuous risk reduction, predictable technical delivery, and dedicated C-suite guidance.

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Independent technical evaluation before you invest, acquire, or contract.

Best for

Investors, non-technical founders, and board members making critical M&A decisions, software procurement, or vendor selections.

Included

M&A Technical Due Diligence: Uncovering hidden tech debt, security flaws, and scale limitations in target acquisition codebases.
Vendor Selection & RFP Management: Writing technical requirements, running agency selections, and negotiating technical scopes to ensure you never overpay.

Deliverable

An objective, independent risk assessment report empowering you to negotiate with confidence.

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A Little About Me

Technology should be an engine for commercial growth, not a black box of unmanaged cost and operational friction.

Over a 27-year career in software engineering and systems architecture, I have designed, scaled, and governed complex digital platforms across cloud infrastructure, high-concurrency APIs, and event-driven backends.

Having navigated multiple technology cycles, I have seen firsthand how growth-stage SMBs and scale-ups suffer when there is a disconnect between board-level strategy and engineering execution. Software agencies miss deadlines, cloud infrastructure bills inflate without commercial oversight, and fragile legacy codebases quietly slow down operational momentum.

I operate as an independent, executive advocate for non-technical CEOs, founders, and managing directors. My role is not to write daily Jira tickets or sell you unnecessary system rebuilds, but to bring calm, pragmatic, and commercial direction to your technical stack.

Business Outcomes Over Tech Stack Hype

I evaluate technology purely through a commercial lens: Does this system scale securely? Does it protect revenue? Is it cost-effective to maintain?

I implement proven, maintainable architecture over fragile, over-engineered trends.

Fierce Vendor & Agency Governance

Having built systems from the ground up, I know exactly what software delivery should cost and how long it should take. I hold third-party agencies and internal development teams to rigid delivery standards, ensuring you get full value from every pound spent.

Plain-English Board Communication

I evaluate Technology decisions should never feel like a leap of faith. I translate complex architectural risks, cloud budgets, and system roadmaps into clear, actionable business language so you can make confident executive decisions.

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FAQs

What exactly is a Fractional CTO, and how does it work in practice? +

A Fractional CTO provides executive-level technical leadership, system architecture, and technology governance on a part-time, retainer basis. Instead of paying a £200k+ full-time executive salary, you secure a portion of a week, anything from half a day to five days, of senior guidance embedded within your leadership team. I sit on board calls, oversee technical roadmaps, manage vendors, and ensure your engineering investments deliver measurable business outcomes.

We already have developers or a software agency. Why do we need you? +

Developers and agencies are focused on building features and shipping code, but they rarely have the capacity or perspective to govern high-level architecture, cloud budgets, or long-term system risk. I act as your independent technical advocate, ensuring that third-party vendors deliver value, code standards remain rigid, and your underlying systems are scalable, secure and built to last.

How do we start working together without committing to a long-term retainer? +

We always begin with a low-risk, fixed-fee Systems & Cloud Risk Audit (typically a 2-week sprint). I conduct a deep-dive review of your existing codebases, cloud infrastructure, and vendor arrangements, delivering a prioritised 90-day technical roadmap. This gives you immediate clarity on operational risks and cost-saving opportunities, allowing us to evaluate a long-term retainer with zero pressure.

What kind of return on investment (ROI) can we expect from a Fractional CTO? +

The retainer typically pays for itself in three direct ways: cloud cost reduction, vendor accountability, and prevention of tech debt. For example, identifying over-provisioned cloud infrastructure or renegotiating third-party software contracts often saves thousands of pounds monthly. More importantly, ensuring your software is architected correctly the first time prevents expensive rebuilds, security breaches, and delayed project launches down the line.

How much time and involvement will you need from our internal team? +

Very little. The goal of a Fractional CTO is to take technical stress off your plate, not add to your workload. During an active engagement, I typically need 30 to 60 minutes a week with the CEO or Managing Director for strategic alignment, plus direct access to your lead engineers or software vendors to handle technical oversight autonomously.

When would this not be a good fit? +

This service is not for you if you simply need extra hands-on coding capacity to clear a backlog of basic Jira tickets, or if you are looking for cheap offshore execution. It is also unsuited ]to very early-stage startups that have not yet validated their product-market fit or secured seed funding. My work is specifically designed for established businesses, scale-ups, and non-tech SMBs that require high-level technical direction, risk management, and architectural oversight to support genuine business growth.

What industries and technical stacks do you specialise in? +

Over 27 years in software architecture, I have designed and managed systems across cloud infrastructure, high-concurrency APIs, databases, and event-driven backends. Because core engineering principles, security standards, and business risk management apply universally, I work seamlessly across non-tech SMBs, professional services, B2B SaaS, and growth-stage ventures.

Have questions? Let's talk

Ready to eliminate technical risk and regain momentum?

Book a confidential, zero-obligation 20-minute discovery call to discuss your architecture, cloud costs, or software agency performance.

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