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Fractional CIO
Fractional CIO.
Senior technology leadership, available without the full-time commitment. Strategic direction, vendor accountability and board-level governance, structured around your organisation's needs and timed to your pace of change.
The challenge
The gap between technology investment and business outcome is rarely a technical problem.
Mid-market organisations frequently find themselves in a difficult position: complex enough to need strategic technology leadership, but not yet at the scale where a full-time CIO is straightforwardly justifiable. The result is predictable. Technology decisions get made at the wrong level, vendor relationships drift without clear accountability, and the connection between technology investment and business strategy becomes increasingly unclear.
The absence of senior technology leadership is rarely visible until it is already expensive. Programmes are approved without adequate scrutiny, vendors operate without effective challenge, and the board receives reporting that is detailed without being informative. By the time the gap becomes apparent, it typically takes significant effort and cost to close.
Medasi's fractional CIO service provides the strategic leadership mid-market organisations need, structured to match the scale, pace and budget of each engagement — without the overhead or the risk of a permanent executive hire.
£300k+
typical fully-loaded cost of a permanent CIO, including employment costs and benefits
6-9mo
typical recruitment timeline for a senior technology leader, once a vacancy is confirmed
3 roles
a CIO typically covers — strategist, operational leader and board-level communicator — simultaneously
Day One
the only point at which strategy investment reliably pays back
How we work
A structured engagement that provides real leadership, not just advisory input.
Every fractional CIO engagement follows a consistent four-phase model — moving from rapid orientation through to active leadership and, where appropriate, a planned transition to a permanent appointment.
1.
Rapid orientation
Weeks one to three: a structured assessment of the technology estate, key vendor relationships, active programmes and the organisation's most pressing technology risks. We establish what needs immediate attention and what can wait.
2.
Strategic positioning
Establishing the technology strategy aligned to the business plan — roadmap, investment logic and vendor governance. This phase sets the direction the organisation will work from for the duration of the engagement.
3.
Active leadership
Ongoing CIO responsibilities: team oversight, vendor management, programme governance, board and executive reporting. Operating as an integrated member of the senior leadership team, not an external adviser.
4.
Transition or continuation
Where a permanent hire is planned, a structured handover that protects continuity and preserves institutional knowledge. Where ongoing fractional coverage is preferred, a steady-state model calibrated to the organisation's evolving needs.
What you get
Tangible outputs, not just senior presence.
Technology strategy and roadmap
A clear, sequenced view of the technology investments required to support the business plan — with the investment logic needed to take it to the board.
Vendor governance framework
Performance standards, accountability structures and review cadences for key technology suppliers — so vendor relationships are managed rather than merely maintained.
Investment and prioritisation framework
A consistent approach to technology investment decisions — scoring criteria, approval thresholds and portfolio logic that reduces ad hoc spending and sharpens strategic focus.
Board technology reporting pack
A repeatable reporting structure that gives the board accurate, concise visibility of technology risk, investment and programme health — without requiring them to interpret raw operational data.
IT governance and risk model
The policies, controls and escalation structures needed to operate technology safely — covering information security, data management, business continuity and third-party risk.
Permanent hire recruitment brief
Where a full-time CIO appointment is planned, a precise brief informed by direct experience of the role — covering scope, seniority, capabilities and the operating context the incoming hire will face.
Engagement options
Structured to fit the organisation, not the other way round.
A fractional CIO engagement can take several forms depending on the organisation's situation, pace of change and appetite for a permanent appointment.
Mode A
Fixed-term interim
A defined engagement covering a specific period or event — typically a gap between permanent appointments, a programme mobilisation or a post-acquisition integration phase.
Clear start and end date
Full CIO scope from day one
Structured knowledge transfer at close
Mode B
Rolling advisory
Ongoing CIO capability at a defined cadence — board reporting, strategic oversight, vendor governance and executive input — without the overhead of a full-time hire.
Calibrated to actual need, not a fixed job description
Scales up during critical periods
Reviewed and adjusted at regular intervals
Mode C
Transition to permanent hire
TFractional coverage during the recruitment process, followed by a structured handover that ensures the incoming CIO inherits a functioning strategy, governance and vendor framework rather than a blank slate.
No leadership gap during recruitment
Incoming hire supported through onboarding
Clean, documented handover at the point of transition
Who this is for
Built for organisations that need leadership, not just advice.
A fractional CIO engagement is most valuable when an organisation needs genuine technology leadership — someone who carries accountability and operates as part of the senior team — but where the cost, lead time or risk of a permanent appointment is a constraint.
Chief Executive Officer
Needs confident technology leadership without inheriting recruitment risk
Private equity operating partner
Requires immediate technology capability during hold period or post-acquisition
Chair or non-executive director
Seeking independent assurance on technology governance and investment decisions
Chief Financial Officer
Accountable for technology investment with limited visibility of what it is delivering
When organisations engage us
Between permanent appointments
A CIO departure has created an immediate gap. The organisation needs leadership continuity while it recruits — and wants the incoming hire to start with a functioning strategy, not a blank slate.
Post-acquisition integration
A PE-backed acquisition or merger requires rapid technology assessment, vendor rationalisation and operating model alignment within a defined hold period.
Scaling without full-time overhead
A growing business has outgrown its existing technology leadership but is not yet at the point where a full-time CIO salary is straightforwardly justifiable.
Programme governance failure
A major technology programme is in difficulty and requires senior, independent leadership to restore accountability, vendor performance and board confidence.
Start here
Ready to put senior technology leadership in place?
A short, no-commitment conversation to understand your situation and establish whether a fractional engagement is the right fit.