FRACTIONAL CIO / CTO

A Senior Technology Leader at the Table

When a CIO or CTO leaves, or confidence in technology leadership is gone, the business cannot wait months for a search. Tirith steps in right away, assesses what is broken, and keeps the organization moving while the right permanent leader is found. The work starts as advisory; a fractional CIO or CTO role follows only when execution leadership is required.

WHEN CEOS CALL

The Situations That Bring a CEO to Tirith

A CIO, CTO, or senior IT leader has exited.
Executive confidence in IT has eroded.
Cybersecurity or operational risk is increasing.
Technology costs are unclear or uncontrolled.
Growth initiatives are constrained by technology.

THE MODEL

Two Roles, Kept Separate

CIO Advisory. Senior advisory only, focused on risk, strategy, governance, and decision clarity. Written recommendations and options are presented to leadership. All decisions remain with the CEO.

Fractional CIO / CTO. Introduced only when execution leadership is required. Scope and authority are defined in advance. The fractional leader manages teams, vendors, and delivery outcomes.

Advisory always comes first. Execution is a separate decision.

HOW IT RUNS

How the Engagement Runs

Assess. The first weeks go into the environment as it is: the team, the vendors, the risk exposure, the spend, and the initiatives in flight. Findings and options are put in writing for the CEO.
Stabilize. Immediate exposures get attention first. The team and the vendors get direction. The board gets a straight read on the technology picture.
Cover and hand over. Where the company needs a leader in the seat, the fractional role runs with the scope and authority agreed in advance, and ends when the permanent leader is in place. Where it does not, the engagement continues as ongoing advisory or closes with the plan in the CEO’s hands.

WHAT YOU RECEIVE

What the CEO Receives

From the advisory engagement, in writing:

A clear read on the technology risk picture, with options for the CEO to decide on.
Clarity on what technology costs and what it should cost.
A recommendation on the seat itself: what it needs, and whether the company needs someone in it now.

If the company takes the fractional role, the same practitioner takes the seat: direction for the IT team and the vendors while the leadership question is settled, a senior executive in every conversation, and a CIO-level partner the company can rely on long term.

WHO DOES THE WORK

The Practitioner Who Scopes It Delivers It

Tirith’s practitioners have held CIO, CTO, and CISO roles at operating companies. Val Thomas has spent more than forty years in technology, starting as a coder, and close to three decades as a CIO and CTO across public companies, private enterprises, and startups. At Liberty Travel, a multi-billion-dollar private company, he positioned technology for a successful acquisition, working directly with ownership through the transaction. As CIO/CTO at Overpeer, he partnered with the board and venture investors on scalability and acquisition readiness, supporting a successful exit.

Tirith sells no software, holds no vendor relationships, and runs no managed services. The recommendations are the diagnosis; the decisions stay with the CEO.

Tirith Strategies is based in Warren, New Jersey, and works with companies globally.

QUESTIONS

Questions CEOs Ask

What is the difference between CIO advisory and a fractional CIO or CTO?

Advisory is judgment: an assessment of the environment, written recommendations, and options for the CEO to decide on. A fractional CIO or CTO takes the seat, with scope and authority written down in advance, and runs teams, vendors, and delivery. Every engagement starts with advisory; the fractional role is added only when execution leadership is required.

CIO or CTO, which is this?

The title follows the company. Where technology is the product, the seat is usually called CTO; where technology runs the business, CIO. Tirith covers both, and the assessment settles what the seat needs before anyone settles on the title. Val has held both, including the combined CIO/CTO role at Overpeer.

How fast can Tirith start?

Right away. Engagements open with a short advisory block, an initial eight-hour engagement, so the CEO gets a first read within days. Ongoing work is arranged monthly from there.

Does this replace the search for a permanent CIO or CTO?

No. Tirith keeps the organization moving while the search runs and hands over when the permanent leader is in place. Moving too quickly to a permanent hire, before the company knows what it needs, is one of the things the assessment is meant to prevent.

Is this a managed-services vCIO?

No. Tirith is not a managed service provider and not a staffing firm. There is no help desk, no infrastructure contract, and no software behind the engagement. The work is senior advisory and, where needed, senior leadership.

How much of a fractional CIO or CTO’s time does the company get?

Ongoing arrangements start at 20 hours a month, with scope and authority agreed in advance. The right amount depends on what the assessment finds.

Who does the work?

A senior practitioner who has held the CIO or CTO role. The person who scopes the engagement is the one who delivers it. There is no junior team behind the conversation.

Let’s Start the Conversation.

Where the work actually starts. We listen to your situation, help you break it down, and discuss how we’ve approached similar challenges and opportunities. You get a first assessment of what you are dealing with and a clear sense of next steps. For many, that means a structured Rapid Assessment: a focused engagement that delivers a clear C-level or board-ready diagnosis in weeks, not months.

The next step is a no-charge discovery call: a direct conversation with Val about the situation and whether Tirith is the right fit.

Book a Discovery Call