Interim CTO · PE-backed SaaS & Platforms
I work with PE-backed SaaS and platform businesses at two ends of the same spectrum — identifying where technology can drive value, and fixing it when it isn't. No ramp-up theatre. Just clarity, pace, and outcomes.
Start a conversationHow I can help
01
Interim CTO
A technology leader in seat — running the function, owning the decisions, and contributing to value creation from day one. Not an advisor on retainer. A genuine member of your leadership team.
02
Fractional CIO
Senior technology ownership without the full-time cost. Typically 1–3 days a week — suited to businesses between growth stages or where the strategic layer matters more than full-time presence.
03
PE Advisory & DD
Buy-side and sell-side TDD, value creation planning, and portfolio technology advisory. I can tell you where technology is a lever for growth, and where it's a liability you haven't fully priced in yet.
04
AI Tooling Adoption
A structured path to real productivity gains — with verified outcomes, not vendor-supplied ones. Governance that holds up under ISO27001 scrutiny and a benchmarking process that tells you what's actually true.
Track record
I spent several years as Acting CTO at a PE-backed automotive SaaS business, where I led the technology organisation through its trade sale achieving a nine-figure exit.
That meant two things in parallel: understanding where technology could genuinely drive value in the investment thesis, and running a distributed engineering organisation across multiple countries — roughly 150 people across 4 acquired business units — managing a multi-million pound technology estate, and owning the sell-side process from technical narrative through to data room.
Before that: establishing the offshore engineering hub from scratch, acting as in-country Managing Director for ~18 months, owning buy-side TDD processes, and shifting the business from a customer-fragmented product model to a unified SaaS delivery approach — a decision that was as much about enterprise value as it was engineering.
About the name
Most people who advise on engineering organisations have studied them from the outside. I've run them. I've sat in the value creation planning session and the 2am production incident in the same week. I've built teams in places that weren't obvious and made them work anyway.
When a PE-backed business needs technology leadership — whether that's identifying where the platform can drive growth, or making sense of an estate that's got away from itself — the last thing it needs is someone who needs time to find their feet.
The name isn't bravado. It's a genuine signal: whatever shape your technology organisation is in right now, it's very likely I've been somewhere similar. I'm not going to be surprised by the opportunity or the mess. I'm going to help you do something about it.
How I work
Full-time or near-full-time engagements
Typically 3–5 days per week for businesses that need a technology leader in seat. I operate as a genuine member of the leadership team — not an advisor on a retainer who attends the monthly ExCo.
Part-time, ongoing technology ownership
1–3 days per week, often suited to smaller PE portfolio companies or businesses between growth stages. The same depth of involvement, shaped around a different time commitment.
PE portfolio & deal-stage support
TDD, portfolio-wide technology programmes, and operating partner support. I work with investors and management teams at any stage of the deal lifecycle — before, during, or after acquisition.
Get in touch
"Tell me about the engagement" is a perfectly reasonable first email.
No pitch deck required. If you're exploring a technology leadership hire, want a straight read on a TDD, or are trying to work out whether an interim model is right for your situation — get in touch directly.
Current availability
Available for interim, fractional, and advisory engagements. Typical start within 2–4 weeks. Operating through Seen Worse Ltd — IR35 outside scope assessments handled through Brookson One.