Fractional CTO and CISO Services

Institutional-grade technology leadership and CISO-as-a-Service without a permanent executive hire.

All Services

Why Organizations Choose Fractional Leadership

Hiring a permanent CTO or CISO is expensive, slow, and risky—especially when you need expertise immediately for licensing, compliance, or stabilization.

The Leadership Gap

  • Licensing or fundraising requires CTO/CISO credentials—but hiring takes 6+ months
  • Delivery is chaotic, security is reactive, and regulatory requirements are unclear
  • Full-time CTO/CISO executive salaries (€150K–€250K+) don't fit current budgets or needs
  • You need institutional expertise now, not in the future

What Fractional Leadership Provides

  • Immediate senior leadership without recruitment delays or long-term cost commitments
  • Regulatory-ready governance frameworks (DORA, PSD2, AI Act, CSSF) from day one
  • Stabilized delivery, security posture, and technology risk management
  • Credibility with supervisors, investors, and audit committees

What I Deliver as Fractional CTO/CISO

Governance & Controls

Design and implement ICT governance, security frameworks, and internal controls aligned with DORA, PSD2, and supervisory expectations. Prepare for licensing, audits, and investor due diligence.

Delivery & Execution

Stabilize chaotic delivery processes. Establish engineering standards, architecture decisions, and release management. Lead technology teams through growth phases without execution drift.

Regulatory Credibility

Act as a named executive for regulatory submissions. Represent technology or cybersecurity function to supervisors, boards, and investors as a CTO or CISO-as-a-Service.

Engagement Model

How Fractional Leadership Works

Flexible Time Commitment

Typically 1–3 days per week, scaled to match regulatory timelines, licensing milestones, or growth phases.

Defined Duration

6–18 months typical. Bridges gaps until permanent hire, licensing completion, or operational maturity.

Full Executive Authority

Reports to CEO or Board. Makes technology decisions, manages teams, interfaces with regulators and auditors.

Transition Support

Document frameworks, mentor internal teams, support permanent CTO onboarding when engagement concludes.

Regulatory Readiness

Can serve as named Authorized Manager, responsible person for ICT governance (DORA), CTO, or CISO for PSD2 EMI/PI licensing applications across EU jurisdictions.

Case Studies

Challenge: Global freelance marketplace subsidiary ($UPWK) required CSSF EMI licensing to launch EU payments operations but lacked any European technology infrastructure. Compressed regulatory timeline demanded institutional-grade platform architecture and comprehensive ICT governance documentation without time for permanent CTO recruitment. High execution uncertainty made long-term executive commitment impractical.

Intervention: Fractional CTO engagement provided part-time technology leadership (2-4 days/week) serving as named executive for regulatory submission. Designed complete EU and UK payments platform blueprint including architecture, technical roadmap, and operating model aligned with incoming DORA requirements. Authored comprehensive ICT governance frameworks, security policies, and supervisory documentation package required for CSSF approval.

Outcome: Successfully delivered the CSSF EMI license application, and resolved all CSSF RFCs. Delivered regulatory-ready platform architecture enabling market launch without permanent executive hire commitment during high-uncertainty phase. Organization maintained flexibility while meeting supervisory expectations for named technology leadership and institutional controls.

Challenge: Founding-stage SME lending fintech requiring PSD2 PI licensing needed to build institutional-grade new business technology platform from inception with no existing infrastructure. Limited capital and high uncertainty made permanent institutional-grade CTO/CISO hiring premature, yet CSSF licensing required named executive accountability for technology and cybersecurity functions with comprehensive governance documentation.

Intervention: Dual fractional CTO-as-a-Service and CISO-as-a-Service engagement provided part-time technology and security leadership during the application process. Designed ML-based credit scoring engine architecture, digital KYB/AML onboarding flows, and complete platform technical blueprint. As interim CISO, established cybersecurity governance framework and authored comprehensive documentation package (security policies, risk assessments, incident response procedures) required for CSSF ICT risk approval.

Outcome: Delivered complete regulatory-ready platform architecture and cybersecurity governance framework enabling PSD2 PI license application submission. Organization achieved supervisory requirements for named technology and security leadership without permanent executive commitment, preserving capital and maintaining flexibility during high-risk founding stage while meeting institutional standards.

Who This Service Is For

FinTech & Payment Scale-Ups

  • Startups preparing for PSD2 EMI/PI licensing in EU jurisdictions
  • Growth-stage companies requiring CTO/CISO credentials for fundraising or exits
  • Organizations transitioning from startup chaos to regulated operations
  • Payment platforms needing DORA-ready architecture before go-live

Established Entities in Transition

  • Banks or investment firms navigating DORA compliance gaps
  • Organizations with CTO/CISO departures requiring immediate continuity
  • Entities facing supervisory findings or audit remediation
  • Companies bridging to permanent executive hire without leadership vacuum

Standards & Approach

Technical Standards

  • Security: Zero Trust architecture, DevSecOps, ISO 27001 alignment
  • Architecture: Cloud-native, microservices, API-first design, AI-agents, LLMs, TOGAF
  • Delivery: Agile/Scrum, PRINCE2, CI/CD, test automation, release management
  • Observability: Centralized logging, monitoring, incident response

Regulatory Frameworks

  • DORA: ICT risk management, operational resilience, third-party oversight
  • PSD2: EMI/PI licensing requirements, security standards (SCA, encryption)
  • CSSF: Authorized Manager obligations, supervisory reporting, audit readiness
  • GDPR: Privacy by design, data protection, breach management

Request an Initial Discussion

Institutional-grade technology leadership without permanent executive commitment. Stabilize delivery, security, and controls for regulated growth.

Discuss Fractional CTO/CISO