USAEDC Forum Speaking in Baltimore, Wednesday November 18, 4:00 PM. Superpowers for Cooperators. Session details
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Fractional Chief AI Officer

A fractional Chief AIOfficer who has built it before.

You ran an AI pilot. Nothing changed, and nobody senior owns the next step.

I join your leadership team, direct the implementation with your people, and stay until it runs without me.

Book a 20-minute call What it costs
  • Two to four days a month
  • From $10,000 a month
  • Three-month minimum

The problem with most AI initiatives

Do I need a Chief AI Officer, or will a consultant do?

You need someone senior who owns the result. A consultant leaves a plan. A fractional Chief AI Officer joins your leadership team part time, directs the build with your people, and leaves when it runs without them. That is why 60% of companies have little or nothing to show for AI: nobody owned it after the pilot.

Your problem A consulting firm delivered a 60-page deck and disappeared.

My fixI direct the implementation alongside your team and build systems your people use every day.

Your problem Your people do not use the tools you already paid for.

My fixI manage the change: training, adoption, and the resistance that comes with new tools.

Your problem A full-time Chief AI Officer costs $300,000 to $400,000 a year.

My fixThe same seniority, two to four days a month, from $10,000 a month, until your team can run it without me.

Source: BCG, The Widening AI Value Gap (September 2025), a survey of 1,250 senior executives: only 5% of companies get substantial value from AI, and 60% have little or no value to show for their investment so far. MIT Project NANDA's July 2025 preliminary report found a similar pattern: just 5% of integrated AI pilots extract millions in value.

How it works

How a fractional CAIO works: embed, build, adopt, hand off

Minimum engagement three months. Most run six to twelve.

  1. 01

    Embed

    I join your leadership team and learn your operations, your people, and your politics. I work out where AI will save the most time or make the most money.

  2. 02

    Build

    I direct the implementation alongside your team. Systems that fix problems your people face every day.

  3. 03

    Adopt

    I manage the change: get people using the systems, deal with resistance, and adjust what does not work.

  4. 04

    Hand off

    I transfer knowledge and ownership to your team. The goal is that you do not need me any more.

What this looks like in practice

Then the CEO turned to me in front of the room

I was presenting to about 70 people at a national trade association's annual meeting: people who move close to a billion dollars of agricultural product across 120 countries a year. I showed them how trip reports buried in email, market data in disconnected spreadsheets, and member activity tracked in someone's head could become something you ask a question of.

"Can you help us figure this out?"

That question turned into an engagement. I now serve as that organization's fractional Chief AI Officer: a weekly market-intelligence pipeline in seven languages, the organization's own data answerable in plain language, and years of field reporting turned into a searchable atlas. All of it running with the staff they already had.

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 KleinVice President of Communications & Strategic Development, USA Rice

Who this is for

Who hires a fractional Chief AI Officer: AI leadership without a $300K hire

  • FAS cooperators and export development organizations serving members across dozens of markets with a small staff
  • Mid-market companies of 50 to 500 people whose AI strategy has to work in operations as well as IT
  • Industry associations and trade organizations modernizing how they serve members
  • Established businesses in traditional industries where the workforce is skeptical of new technology
  • Leadership teams that have tried AI pilots that went nowhere and want someone accountable for results

Engagement model

What a fractional CAIO costs

From $10,000 / month A fraction of a $300,000 to $400,000 full-time Chief AI Officer. Minimum three months. Prices as of November 2026.
  • Embedded with your leadership team, typically two to four days a month
  • Direct access on Slack or Teams between sessions
  • Hands-on implementation: I direct the work alongside your team
  • Change management and adoption support included
  • Monthly progress reports and quarterly strategy reviews
Book a 20-minute call to discuss fit

Scope and pricing depend on your size, complexity, and where you are in the work.

Common questions

Fractional Chief AI Officer: your questions answered

What does a fractional Chief AI Officer do?

Joins your leadership team part time and owns AI across the organization: strategy, building production systems with your people, getting them adopted, and handing ownership to your team. The goal is that your team runs it without me.

What makes this different from an AI consultant?

I have built and sold three companies, including Canada's largest independent food marketing agency, so my advice on implementation comes from doing it. I build with AI every week, so I can judge what an engineering team tells you. I teach AI implementation as a visiting lecturer at the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship. And I have spent twenty-five years in technology and fifteen in food, agriculture, and CPG, industries where people are slow to trust new technology.

When should I not hire a fractional CAIO?

In four cases. If you are not yet convinced AI can help your business: I can show you what it does, but I cannot sell you on the idea. If the budget is not there: retainers start at $10,000 a month. If nobody senior will own the change: without a leader behind it, what we build will be ignored. And if you want a vendor who stays forever: ownership transfers to your team at the end.

How long does an engagement last?

Minimum three months. Most run six to twelve. Scope and pricing depend on your size, complexity, and where you are in the work.

What does the retainer include?

Two to four days a month embedded with your leadership team, direct access on Slack or Teams between sessions, hands-on implementation alongside your team, change management and adoption support, monthly progress reports, and quarterly strategy reviews.

Who is a fractional CAIO for?

FAS cooperators and export development organizations, mid-market companies of 50 to 500 people, industry associations, and established businesses in traditional industries. Usually a leadership team that has tried AI pilots that went nowhere and wants someone accountable for results.

It starts with a conversation.

Twenty minutes. We work out whether a fractional CAIO is what you need, and whether I am the right person for it.

Book a 20-minute call [email protected]

Not ready to talk yet? Take the free AI readiness assessment (five minutes), or make your AI usage policy.

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