Vince Simpson
Experienced & Certified
About Me
Most growing companies don't need another technologist. They need someone who can sit in the boardroom, ask the awkward questions about AI, blockchain and cyber risk, and then make sure the plan actually gets delivered. That is where I work. I'm a UK-based Board Advisor, Non-Executive Director and fractional Chief Projects Officer (CPrO). I bring over 20 years of leading complex projects and programmes, a military background and blue-chip corporate experience to funded start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs. Over the last 20 years I’ve seen numerous challenges, advised, planned and supervised £100m + of varied projects from start-ups to blue-chip clients. I bring real life pre-AI experience into the AI advisory field from strategy, governance all the way through to project implementation. I currently sit on the board of two AI-first start-up organisations and am planning my own AI & BC-first start up. I look at emerging technology through three lenses at once: 1 - The board: is this the right decision, and is it governed properly (and proportionately)? There is such a thing as governance becoming stifling to growth and speed. 2 - Delivery: can we actually land it across all our projects without derailing the business vision and goals? 3 - Technology: what is real, what is hype, and where is the risk hiding? I won't write your code. I will help you decide what to do with AI and blockchain, govern it in a way that suits a growing business, protect it from cyber risk, and turn it into results you can show your board and investors.
Specializations
Board-level AI, blockchain and cyber strategy, joined up with portfolio and programme delivery (CPrO), for funded start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs.
My Strengths
• Boardroom and delivery in one person. I connect strategy and execution, so good decisions don't get lost between the board pack and the project team. • Joining up the portfolio (CPrO). One clear view across AI, technology, change, ESG and property projects, with priorities, dependencies and risks linked together. • AI and blockchain literacy at leadership level. I turn technical options into business decisions, investment cases and board papers that people can act on. • Governance that isn't over-corporate. Proportionate controls that suit a growing business and still satisfy customers, investors and purchasers. • A risk-first mindset. Shaped by military and blue-chip experience. I treat cyber resilience as a board issue, not an IT ticket. • Honest, independent challenge. No product to sell you. Just direct, practical advice. • Certified. Non-Executive, Chief AI Officer, Certified AI & Blockchain Governance & Leadership.
What You'll Gain
• A clear, board-ready view of where AI and blockchain fit your strategy, and where they don't. • A short list of priorities and a realistic order to tackle them across your projects. • The governance questions your board and investors will ask, plus solid answers. • A plain-English view of the rules that matter to you, such as UK GDPR, the EU AI Act if you sell into Europe, and the UK's developing rules for cryptoassets. • An experienced, independent sounding board for your next big decision.
Topics I Cover
• AI strategy for leadership teams: where to start, and whether to build, buy or partner. • AI governance and risk: policy, ownership, accountability and board oversight. • Blockchain and tokenisation: real use cases versus hype, including property and real-world assets. • Cyber resilience as a board responsibility. • Joining up disconnected projects across technology, change, ESG and property (CPrO). • Building a board for a growing company: advisory boards, your first NED and better board packs. • Explaining your technology strategy to investors and boards. • Getting stalled change or technology projects moving again. • Coaching.
What to Expect
• Before the call: send me whatever you have, such as a deck, board paper, project list or vendor proposal. Messy is fine. • 30 minutes: one focused question or a quick sense-check. • 60 minutes: a strategic decision, an AI or blockchain proposal, or a portfolio decision discussed. • 90 minutes: a deeper working session on your roadmap, governance or project portfolio. • During the call: 100% confidential, direct and practical. I will challenge you where it will add value. • After the call: three prioritised next steps and, if you'd like, a short written summary. • If you need more than one conversation, we can set up a series of sessions or a session with your whole leadership team through v-oice.
Questions & Answers
I’m not technical, and that is the point. I'm a strategic, board-level leader. I understand the technology well enough to ask the right questions, spot the gaps and challenge vendors. Don’t rush for the gadgets and toys too soon, else you will trip up. When you need an engineer, I'll tell you.
Everyone is talking AI, with no idea how hard blockchain will hit over the next couple of years. Both change how data, value and trust move through a business, and both bring new cyber risks. Decisions about one often affect the other. Boards need one joined-up forward-looking view, not two separate experts giving conflicting advice.
Most growing companies run lots of projects at once: a new system, an AI pilot, an office move, an ESG plan. Each has its own owner, and nobody looks at them together. A CPrO sits at C-suite level and connects them, so priorities, money, people and risks line up behind the strategy.
Your CTO owns the technology. I help the board decide, govern and connect technology to everything else the business is doing. I often help CTOs get the board buy-in they need.
Founders, CEOs and boards of funded start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs, particularly those with investors to answer to and several big projects running at once.
For some businesses, very much so, especially where trust, provenance or ownership of assets matter, such as property and supply chains. For many, it isn't YET. This will come. I'll help you work out which camp you are in, honestly.
Yes. A team session is often the quickest way to get everyone aligned on AI, blockchain or cyber risk.
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