Delivery is stuck
Teams are busy but nothing is shipping. Roadmaps slip, costs rise, and the board wants to know why. I diagnose the root causes and reset structure so delivery resumes.
When Technology, Cyber & AI Affect the Business, CEOs Call Me In.
From board-level clarity to hands-on execution.
I work with CEOs, Chairs and Operating Partners when technology is affecting delivery, margin, cyber risk, AI decisions or board confidence.
Dublin | London | Ireland | UK | Europe
Trusted by
Why CEOs call me in
When technology becomes a board-level issue
Vendors are unclear
MSPs, platforms and consultancies aren't producing the value they promised. I challenge vendors and architecture so technology spend translates into business progress.
Cyber exposure isn't board-ready
You can't confidently answer board questions on incident readiness, NIS2 or vendor risk. I produce the board-level cyber narrative and a prioritised remediation plan.
AI activity isn't creating value
Pilots accumulate but nothing reaches production. I separate useful AI from theatre and identify the fastest path to a working implementation that moves the numbers.
The CTO function isn't trusted
The CTO seat is missing, overloaded, or no longer has board confidence. I step in at CTO level until the function is rebuilt, recruited or handed back stronger.
How I help
Where I Help CEOs
Technology Clarity Review
For CEOs who know technology is affecting growth, but don't yet have a clean diagnosis.
When delivery is stuck, costs are rising, vendors are unclear or the board is losing confidence, I diagnose what's really happening and turn it into a practical 30/60/90-day action plan.
Typical outputs
- Technology risk register
- Delivery and capability assessment
- Vendor and architecture red flags
- 30/60/90-day action plan
- Board-ready summary
Cyber Board Essentials
A board-level view of cyber exposure, compliance readiness and incident risk.
For CEOs who need to understand exposure, challenge vendors, prepare for regulation and know what to fix first — without getting lost in technical detail.
Typical outputs
- Cyber risk narrative
- NIS2 / ISO / incident-readiness view
- MSP and vendor challenge
- Board-ready action plan
- Priority remediation roadmap
AI Reality-to-Production Review
For CEOs under pressure to "do AI" who need to separate useful implementation from theatre.
I identify practical use cases, governance risks, delivery constraints and the fastest path to a working implementation that creates measurable value.
Typical outputs
- AI opportunity map
- Unsafe or low-value use cases flagged
- Workflow automation candidates
- Build / buy / vendor recommendations
- Prototype roadmap
- Governance and data-risk view
Impact CTO Advisory Plan
Ongoing senior technology, cyber and AI leadership without hiring a full-time CTO.
For CEOs who need senior judgement around delivery, cyber, AI, vendors and board communication on a continuous basis, without committing to a full-time executive hire.
Typical outputs
- Monthly CEO advisory session
- Board pack and roadmap review
- Technology, cyber and AI risk register
- Vendor challenge
- Decision support on key calls
- Board-ready summary notes
Track record
Recent Outcomes
- €1M+ annual capex reduction across multi-country infrastructure
- 800+ analyst hours saved through AI/ML deployment
- 20+ acquisitions integrated into a unified platform model
- 150M+ users supported as CPTO of FTSE100 platform
- 1st AI product launched in PE-backed MSP, creating new revenue stream
How I Work
I plug in at the level the situation demands — interim, contract or ongoing advisory — and stay accountable for outcomes, not just advice.
- Interim CTO leadership
- Contract CTO support
- Board advisory
- Hands-on AI implementation
- Cybersecurity governance
- Engineering turnaround
- Vendor and architecture challenge
If technology, cyber or AI has become a board-level issue, the next step is a clear conversation about what's really going on and what to fix first.
Book a CEO Clarity Call
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Free Diagnostic Tools
Spot the Gaps. Start the Conversation.
Scaling businesses face constant pressure from regulators, customers, and the board. I created these tools to help you quickly spot gaps, benchmark your readiness, and start meaningful conversations about technology, compliance, and growth.
GDPR
GDPR Breach Response Simulator
"If your company suffered a data incident today, would you know whether to notify regulators within 72 hours?"
Walk through a realistic data breach scenario and discover whether your organisation needs to notify regulators — and how quickly.
- Traffic-light severity score
- Scenario-specific GDPR guidance
- Professional PDF report
For awareness only. This tool does not constitute legal advice.
Launch Tool
AI Strategy
AI Readiness Assessment
"Why waste budget on AI Pilots that won't make it to production?"
Assess whether your organisation has the foundations to take AI from pilot to production — before you spend the budget.
- Traffic-light readiness score
- Step-by-step breakdown by domain
- Mitigation roadmap
For awareness only. This tool does not constitute strategic or technical advice.
Launch Tool
Compliance
NIS2 Scope & Readiness Assessment
"With NIS2 being ratified in Ireland this year, many leadership teams are asking: does this new cyber directive actually apply to us?"
Find out whether NIS2 applies to your organisation, understand your current posture, and identify the gaps your board needs to address.
- Clear scope determination
- Readiness score against NIS2 requirements
- Leadership gap insights
For awareness and decision support only. This tool does not constitute legal or regulatory advice.
Launch ToolWriting & Insights
From the Field
Perspectives on technology leadership, M&A, AI, and the hard problems that keep boards and CEOs awake at night.
Why Your SaaS Vendor Is About to Re-Price You
HubSpot has moved its AI agents to outcome-based pricing. Cursor and the Copilot family have moved to usage-based. Seat pricing is breaking, and the re-pricing wave is going to hit every PE-backed SaaS portfolio over the next eighteen months.
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Why Shadow AI Belongs on the Board Agenda
80% of employees use unapproved AI tools and most boards still treat this as an IT control problem. That framing is the reason it keeps growing; only board-level governance closes the gap.
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The AI Mandate Arrived. The Budget Didn’t.
PE funds are pushing AI adoption as a strategic priority. Portfolio companies are expected to execute. Nobody budgeted for it. The funding gap is the conversation nobody is having.
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The Identic Agent: Who Owns Your AI Twin When You Leave?
You build an AI agent trained on how you work. Then you resign. Who owns the agent? Employment law was not written for this, and most companies have not thought about it yet.
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The Death of the MSP Dashboard
Your Power BI dashboards used to win deals. AI agents are about to make them a liability. MSPs and MSSPs that adapt their data layer first will own the next renewal cycle.
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PE Firms Are Buying AI Distribution, Not Just AI Technology
OpenAI and Anthropic are in talks with major PE firms for billion-dollar joint ventures. This is not a technology investment. It is a distribution play that will reshape how AI reaches portfolio companies.
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Your PE Owner Just Signed an AI Deal. Here’s What It Means for You.
If your PE owner signs a billion-dollar AI joint venture, AI adoption stops being a roadmap item. It becomes a mandate. Here is what breaks first and how to get ahead of it.
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Your Competitors Just Locked In AI at Fund Level. Now What?
PE firms that have not joined the AI joint ventures face a compounding disadvantage. Three options for operating partners who need to close the gap before it widens.
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When the Filter Fails: Why AI Tenant Isolation Cannot Be an Afterthought
If you're building AI on top of client data, logical separation with filters is a ticking time bomb. One bug means Client A sees Client B's confidential information.
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The Steak Test: A Simple Way to Check If Your AI Is Making Things Up
If your financial reporting tool can give you a steak recipe, you have a grounding problem. Temperature controls randomness. Grounding controls honesty.
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The AI Demo Looked Great. Then We Tried to Put It in Production.
Most of the effort in production AI isn't the model itself. It's the infrastructure, security, and environment settings around it. A single API parameter changed everything.
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Most PE Firms Are Using AI to Speed Up Engineering. The Real Value Lies Upstream.
Private equity firms are deploying AI to accelerate code generation and testing — but the bigger opportunity is in due diligence, portfolio monitoring, and deal origination.
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If the sofa wobbles, assume the firewall does too
Operational shortcuts taken in one part of a business rarely stay contained. If basic hygiene is missing in one area, the security posture is almost certainly compromised elsewhere.
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Why 88% of AI Pilots Fail, and How to Beat the Odds
Most AI pilots fail not because the technology doesn't work, but because organisations lack the data infrastructure, change management, and business case rigour to reach production.
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One Resignation: The Hidden Risk of Knowledge Fragility
You don't need a cyberattack to go down. Sometimes, all it takes is losing the wrong person. For many growing businesses, the real risk isn't in technology failure; it's in knowledge fragility.
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AI or Smoke-and-Mirrors? Spotting False AI Claims Before You Sign the LOI
Due diligence must now include a technical review of AI claims. Many targets overstate AI maturity — knowing the right questions to ask can protect deal value.
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Culture Clash 2.0: How Misaligned Engineering Cultures Fuel Post-Deal Failures
The hardest integration challenge isn't the technology stack — it's reconciling two engineering teams with fundamentally different values, processes, and expectations.
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Synergy Obsession vs. Orchestration Reality: Why M&A Automation Engines Often Fail
Integration teams are under pressure to deliver synergies fast. Automation looks like the answer. But without orchestration discipline, you automate chaos, not efficiency.
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Bombshells After Close: When Critical Security Gaps Emerge Weeks Later
Security surprises discovered post-close can derail integrations, trigger regulatory investigations, and destroy acquirer value. Here's how to avoid being caught out.
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Hidden Minefields: Tech Debt Lurking in Legacy Code
Legacy codebases rarely look dangerous from the outside. The risks emerge under pressure — when you try to scale, integrate, or ship something new.
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The CapEx Time-Bomb: Uncovering Years of Underinvestment Buried in the Balance Sheet
Financial reports contain an undiscovered time bomb of deferred capital expenditures for server updates, network enhancements, and security tool acquisitions.
Read MoreGet insights like these in your inbox
No spam. One email when something worth reading is published.
The Person Behind the Title
Michael Doody
Contract & Interim CTO. I step into CTO and technology leadership roles when execution can't wait.
Over 25 years I've led technology, product, and engineering in FTSE-100, Nasdaq-listed, PE-backed, and venture-backed businesses across Europe, the US, and Asia. I've integrated acquisitions, built platforms serving millions of users, shipped production AI systems, and led security programmes through certification and incident response.
I work with CEOs, Chairs, and operating partners who need a senior technology leader in the seat now — someone with the authority and experience to stabilise teams, reset delivery, make vendor and architecture decisions, and report credibly to the board.
Problems I Solve
- CTO succession gaps with no obvious internal candidate
- Engineering delivery that has stalled
- Post-M&A platform chaos and competing roadmaps
- AI initiatives stuck in pilot purgatory
- Security posture that won't survive due diligence
"I take accountability for outcomes, not just advice. Whether it's a focused turnaround or a twelve-month interim mandate, I work in the role — not from the sidelines."
Based in Dublin. Serving Ireland, UK, Europe & the US.