A fractional Chief AI Officer who's done the thing.

Most AI consultants hand you a roadmap and leave. I join your leadership team, direct the implementation with your people, and stay until it runs without me.

→ Book a 20-minute call

The problem with most AI initiatives

95% of generative AI pilots fail to generate growth. Not because the technology doesn't work. Because nobody manages the change.

The typical pattern: a consulting firm runs a "maturity assessment," delivers a 60-page deck, and disappears. Your team is left with a strategy document nobody knows how to execute, built by people who've never shipped a product in their lives.

You don't need another deck. You need someone who understands your business, can read a room and evaluate the technology, and will stick around long enough to make it work.

Your team isn't the bottleneck.

Your processes are.

The right AI doesn't replace your people. It removes the busywork that buries them.

Fewer meetings. Fewer approvals. Fewer hours lost to things a machine should handle.

Same team. Different output.

How it works

Embed

I join your leadership team. I learn your operations, your people, your politics. I figure out where AI creates real leverage — not where it makes a good press release.

Build

I direct the implementation alongside your team. Not prototypes in a sandbox. Production systems that solve real problems your people face every day.

Adopt

The part everyone else skips. I manage the change — get people using the systems, address resistance, iterate based on what actually happens when humans meet new tools.

Hand off

I transfer knowledge and ownership to your team. The goal is that you don't need me anymore. Good consultants make themselves unnecessary.

Not a consultant.

Consultants deliver decks. I deliver systems that work on Monday morning.

I sit with your leadership team. I learn the politics. I stay until it sticks.

The goal is to make myself unnecessary.

That's how you know it worked.

Who this is for

Companies that know they need AI leadership but aren't ready for a $300K+ full-time hire. Specifically:

Mid-market companies with 50-500 employees who need AI strategy that connects to actual operations, not just IT
Industry associations and trade organizations trying to modernize how they serve members
Established businesses in traditional industries where the workforce is skeptical and the stakes are real
Leadership teams that have tried AI pilots that went nowhere and want someone accountable for results

What makes this different

I've built and sold companies

Three exits, including Canada's largest independent food marketing agency. When I advise on implementation, it's from having done it — built products, managed teams, made payroll, closed deals.

Technically fluent

I understand the technology well enough to know what's real and what's a sales pitch. I co-founded Faxim, a synthetic research platform that runs studies across 14 countries. I prototype, I evaluate, I know what's feasible — and I can tell when an engineering team is blowing smoke.

I teach this at Ivey

I teach AI implementation at the Ivey Business School Accelerator. I can explain what I'm doing and why, not just do it. Your team learns, not just watches.

I know skeptical industries

30 years in food, agriculture, and CPG — industries where people don't trust technology and aren't sure they need it. I know how resistant organizations think because I've been inside them.

What this looks like in practice

I was presenting to about 70 people at a national trade association's annual meeting. Record attendance. These are people who work in agricultural exports, collectively moving close to a billion dollars of product across 120 countries every year.

I showed them how their scattered information — trip reports buried in email, market data in disconnected spreadsheets, member activities tracked in someone's head — could become something where you ask a question and get an answer instead of sending 50 emails and hoping someone remembers.

The discussion that followed wasn't about the technology. It was: We need to share what we're learning across markets and member organizations. And we need systems that make that possible without adding more work to already overstretched teams.

Then the CEO turned to me in front of the room and said: Can you help us figure this out?

That's the moment I live for in this work. When the conversation about technology becomes a conversation about what people actually need.

Engagement model

Fractional CAIO Retainer

Starting at $10,000/month

A fraction of a $300-400K full-time Chief AI Officer.

Embedded with your leadership team, typically 2-4 days per month
Direct access via Slack or Teams between sessions
Hands-on implementation — I direct the work alongside your team, not just advise
Change management and adoption support included
Monthly progress reports and quarterly strategy reviews

Minimum engagement: 3 months. Most engagements run 6-12 months. The goal is to get your team self-sufficient, not to create a dependency.

Scope and pricing are tailored to your organization's size, complexity, and where you are in your AI journey. The number above is a starting point for the conversation, not a fixed rate card.

→ Book a 20-minute call to discuss fit

What people say

"Andreas has vast knowledge and experience, combining expertise in CPG, data and AI. He takes a collaborative approach, and in fact, our introductory conversation turned into two engagements in 2024."
Michael Klein
Vice President of Communications & Strategic Development
USA Rice

"He somehow made AI feel human. Andreas connected the dots between technology, consumer behavior, and what actually moves the needle in food."
Louise McKerchar
Vice President, Europe, UK & SE Asia
American Peanut Council

"Andreas possesses a rare and valuable talent for translating complex, emerging technologies into practical insights that directly address the pressing challenges faced by leaders in the food and agriculture sectors."
Zhixin Wang, Ph.D.
Food Technology Research Manager (North America)
Puratos

Common questions

How is this different from hiring an AI consulting firm?

Consulting firms send a team that rotates. You get a different junior consultant every month, none of whom know your business. With a fractional CAIO, you get one senior person — me — who learns your organization deeply and stays accountable for results.

Do you work with companies outside food and agriculture?

Yes. My deepest expertise is in food, agriculture, and CPG, but the challenges of AI adoption in established organizations are universal. I work with any mid-market company where the real obstacle isn't the technology — it's getting people to change how they work.

What if we've already tried AI pilots that didn't go anywhere?

That's most of my clients. The pilots usually failed because they were disconnected from real workflows, didn't have executive sponsorship, or nobody managed the change. I start by understanding what happened, then build from there.

Can you work with our existing IT team?

That's the point. I'm not here to replace your team — I'm here to level them up. I work alongside your people so they own the systems when I leave.

What does "hands-on" actually mean?

It means I'm in the room directing implementation, prototyping solutions, evaluating tools, and testing workflows with your team. I don't hand off a strategy document and disappear. I co-founded a synthetic research platform — I know what it takes to go from idea to working product.

Let's talk

20 minutes. No pitch. I'll ask about your organization, where you're stuck with AI, and whether a fractional CAIO makes sense for your situation. If it doesn't, I'll tell you.