When nobody owns the whole, I take it on. Until your team can carry it.
Platform, data, content and AI are connected but bought separately. I take on accountability on your side: preparing decisions, steering partners, enforcing acceptance. At the end I hand over to your own people. The way in is a Digital Baseline Assessment: two to three weeks, fixed price after the initial call.
Two ways in. One bridge.
When a mandate makes sense
A platform decision is due
Web, CMS, enterprise data or interfaces need to be reset, and there is no internal capacity to meet vendors and integrators as equals.
Then I put the business case, requirements and contracts on a verifiable footing and have the architecture reviewed independently before budget is committed.
Several partners, nobody accountable for the whole
Agencies and integrators each deliver their part. Nobody owns how the parts fit together, or the outdated content that stays online.
Then I take over steering on your side, with acceptance criteria instead of ad-hoc requests.
The board wants to know how AI risk is managed
Regulatory expectations, the EU AI Act where it applies, and board oversight call for an answer on how AI risks are identified, assessed and managed, not just whether a model works.
Then I set up a risk register, guardrails, named accountabilities and monitoring with you that can be put before the board.
A vendor has become a dependency
Data, contracts or proprietary code sit with the supplier in a way that makes switching practically impossible.
Then I make the dependencies visible and prepare exit paths and data portability with your legal team.
Digital leadership is vacant or part-time
The role is unfilled, or the need does not yet justify a permanent full-time position.
Then I hold the role as a fractional mandate and onboard your permanent successor once appointed.
Four phases, one end: the handover
Digital Baseline Assessment
Review of platform, contracts, accountabilities and business case. On request including a measurement of what AI assistants say about your products.
Result A prioritised basis for decision for the executive team and the board, including a recommendation on what to stop. Credited against a fractional mandate started within 60 days.
Vendor selection & contracts
Vendor-neutral tender and evaluation. The solution follows the business case, not the other way round.
Result A documented selection decision and contracts that settle the exit from day one.
Delivery & AI governance
Steering delivery against requirements, budget and timeline. Building governance: risk register, guardrails, accountabilities, monitoring. Technical reviews by independent specialists.
Result Accepted milestones, a maintained AI risk register and one contact who holds partners to account.
Handover
Cleaning up tools and accountabilities, onboarding the internal team. Carried out by your developers or partners.
Result Your organisation runs on without me.
What I do not do
No delivery capacity
I steer partners and enforce commitments. I do not replace developers, UX design or system administration.
No code or architecture reviews of my own
I define what needs to be checked and bring in independent specialists for it.
No legal advice
On contracts, data protection and the EU AI Act, I prepare the groundwork with your legal function. Interpretation and sign-off stay there.
No operations, no on-call
Support, incident response and SLA management stay with your IT or service provider.
What executive teams ask first
Why is standard IT security not enough for AI?
IT security protects infrastructure and access. AI applications fail differently: they rarely crash, but they state wrong prices with confidence, invent terms or mishandle personal data. Steering that takes a risk register, tests, guardrails, clear accountability and ongoing monitoring. The umbrella term is AI TRiSM; the NIST AI Risk Management Framework groups the same activities as Govern, Map, Measure and Manage. The aim is answers that can be checked and defended.
Do you review architecture and code yourself?
No. I am not a developer and do not review code or architecture myself. I define what needs to be checked, bring in independent specialists for it and make sure their findings shape the decision.
What does a mandate cost?
The Digital Baseline Assessment has a fixed price, which you receive in writing after the initial call. Fractional mandates are billed per day, one to four days a month, with a six-month minimum term.
How soon can you start?
We settle that in the initial call. A Baseline Assessment can usually start sooner than a fractional mandate, because it is time-boxed.
We already work with an agency. What changes for them?
Contractually, nothing. I replace neither your agency nor your integrator. I steer both on your side, with clear acceptance criteria, billable milestones and early escalation when requirements are not met.
What happens after the mandate?
Every mandate ends with a handover: documented decisions and contracts, onboarding of your internal successor and full control of data, contracts and systems.
What is the difference between interim and fractional?
Fractional means one to four days a month over a longer period, alongside your team. Interim means full time during a critical transition or vacancy. My standard model is fractional; interim on request.
On the EU AI Act and governance
- European Union (2024): Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (EU AI Act). Risk-based obligations, including documented, ongoing risk management for high-risk AI systems.
- NIST (2023): AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0). Voluntary framework with the functions Govern, Map, Measure, Manage.
- Buscemi, A. et al. (2025): Assessing High-Risk AI Systems under the EU AI Act: From Legal Requirements to Technical Verification. arXiv preprint.
AI TRiSM and the NIST framework are voluntary models, not terms of the EU AI Act. Whether and when obligations apply to your company is for your legal function to determine.
Schedule an initial call
Bring the platform decision or leadership gap you are facing. I will tell you directly whether it calls for a Baseline Assessment, a fractional mandate or just a second opinion.
Please do not send confidential or personal data before we agree a secure channel and scope.
kevin.lancashire@lancashire-digital.ch
Pick a time in the calendar