Fractional CIO leadership for growing businesses
Growing a business puts your IT under real pressure: rising costs, increasing risk, and systems that struggle to keep up. A fractional CIO will help you stay ahead of these issues, providing senior leadership, at board level, for only the days you need.
What does a fractional CIO do?
A fractional CIO is an experienced Chief Information Officer who leads your IT part-time or on an interim basis. They set your technology direction, lead your in-house team and your suppliers, own security and data risk, and keep every pound of IT spend tied to a business result. In short, it is board-level ownership of your whole technology function.
A clear IT strategy and roadmap
Aligned to your commercial priorities, so every IT decision supports growth, not just keeping the lights on.
Control of IT cost and risk
Clear visibility of where your IT budget goes, with security, compliance, and data risk actively managed.
Reliable, modern systems
Infrastructure and systems that are stable, secure, and fit for how your business actually works.
IT ready to scale
Platforms, data, and processes designed to support your next stage of growth, not just today’s needs.
How do I know if I need a fractional CIO?
You may not need a full-time CIO yet, but the signs that you need senior IT leadership are usually clear. A fractional CIO is the right move when any of these sound familiar.
- Your IT feels reactive: you are always firefighting instead of following a plan.
- You are worried about security, compliance, or data risk, and no senior person has ownership of these issues.
- You are scaling, merging, or being acquired, and IT needs to be ready for due diligence.
- IT costs keep rising, but you cannot see the value or the return.
- Your systems are ageing, unreliable, or holding the business back.
- You have an IT team or suppliers, but no senior leader setting the direction.
We are the largest fractional CIO team in the UK
A fractional CIO from Freeman Clarke never works alone. They bring the weight of a full team of IT leaders to your strategy and your systems.
- You get 100+ experts, not just one
Your fractional CIO taps a network of senior IT leaders who knowledge-share regularly, so you get the collective experience of the whole team. - Advice with no vendor agenda
We hold no commercial agreements with vendors or resellers, so every recommendation is made purely in your interest. - Commercial leadership, not just IT management
We connect every IT decision to cost, risk, and growth, communicating our strategies in plain English.
Freeman Clarke’s membership on our leadership team helped take this company from strength to strength.
Freeman Clarke by the numbers
FAQs
What is a fractional CIO?
Is an experienced Chief Information Officer who leads your IT on a part-time or interim basis. You get senior IT leadership without the cost of a full-time salary or a long-term commitment.
How much does a fractional CIO cost?
A fractional CIO typically costs 20-40% of a full-time CIO salary, depending on the number of days required each month. Freeman Clarke tailors each engagement to your needs rather than a fixed package.
What is the difference between a fractional CIO and an interim CIO?
An interim CIO usually works full-time for a fixed period to cover a leadership gap. A fractional CIO works part-time on an ongoing basis and draws on a wider team of IT leaders for extra expertise.
Do I need a fractional CIO or a fractional CTO?
A CIO focuses on your internal IT: strategy, systems, security, and operations. A fractional CTO focuses on product and engineering that drive growth. Freeman Clarke helps you choose, or combine both.
How quickly can a fractional CIO start?
A fractional CIO from Freeman Clarke can typically start within two to four weeks of an initial consultation, depending on the scope of the engagement.
How does a fractional CIO work with my existing IT team?
A fractional CIO sits above your existing IT team and suppliers, setting strategy, owning risk, and mentoring, while day-to-day delivery continues in-house. A fractional CIO adds leadership, not headcount.
Other fractional executive roles
Fractional CTO
Technology strategy,product, and engineering leadership
Fractional CISO
Cybersecurity leadership and risk governance
Fractional Chief AI Officer
AI strategy, governance, and implementation leadership
Fractional IT Director
Day-to-day IT leadership and team management
Fractional Technology Board Advisor
Non-executive technology perspective at board level
Fractional Project Manager
Delivery leadership for major technology programmes
Ready to bring in a fractional CIO?
Speak with a senior technology leader about your specific situation — no obligation, no hard sell.