Every tech decision lands on my desk.
Which tools to buy, which provider to trust, what to fix first. You’re making the calls with nobody experienced to ask.
Fractional CIO and CTO for growing businesses
Senior tech leadership, without the full-time hire.
You’re running a growing business and making technology decisions on the fly, just as your team starts using AI. I work with you for a set number of hours each month to show you where to focus, give you a clear plan for your systems, security, spend and AI, and guide your team and IT providers as they deliver it.
A free 30-minute call. No jargon, no big IT project, no obligation. Singapore, the wider Asia region and the UK.
The everyday reality
Sound familiar?
These are the things business owners tell me in the first conversation. None of them are unusual, and all of them can be fixed without a big IT project.
Someone left last month. Can they still log in?
Shared passwords, everyone an admin, and no checklist for switching off a leaver’s access.
Our new starter waited two days for a laptop.
Accounts and tools set up by hand, differently every time, and a poor first week for someone you worked hard to hire.
What are we actually paying for?
Software subscriptions spread across company cards, renewing automatically, with half of them barely used.
A big customer sent us a security questionnaire.
The deal is waiting on answers about how you protect their data, and nobody feels confident giving them.
Is this quote from our IT provider fair?
Nobody on your side can tell you whether you need what they’re proposing, or whether the price is right.
Staff are pasting customer data into ChatGPT.
No policy, no approved tools, and no clear view of what’s already been shared.
Everything lives in spreadsheets.
Systems that don’t talk to each other, the same data typed in three times, and reports that take a day to pull together.
How I can help
Two ways to work together
Senior guidance and a clear plan for your technology, or practical workshops that help your whole team use AI safely and well.
Ongoing leadership
Fractional CIO and CTO
A part-time senior technology leader. I work with you a set number of hours each month to decide where to focus, build a clear plan, and guide your team and IT providers as they deliver it.
- A clear 12-month plan for your IT, tied to where the business is going
- Clear priorities for security, access and software spend
- Someone experienced to call before any tech decision
In-house workshops
AI Ready Workforce
Your team is already using AI tools like ChatGPT. Half-day workshops at your office show every person how to use AI well in their own job, without putting customer data at risk. Plain language, no coding.
- Foundations for all staff, then sessions tailored to each team
- Safe habits for protecting company and customer data
- A draft responsible-use guideline and measured results
What you get
A senior leader in your corner
You probably don’t need a full-time technology executive yet. You do need someone experienced who knows your business, and who you can ring when a tech decision lands on your desk.
A sounding board
Talk it through before you sign up for a new system, contract or IT provider, with someone who’s seen it before.
Straight answers
“Do we need this?” “Is this safe?” “What should we use?” Answered in plain English, without a sales pitch.
Tech planned in, not bolted on
When you hire, open a new office or win a bigger client, the systems side is planned up front, not discovered later.
An independent second opinion
On quotes, contracts, proposals and new tools. I take no commissions and have no product to sell.
Why Ben
Enterprise experience, right-sized for you
I’m Ben Westlake. I’ve spent 20 years leading technology in the UK and Asia, including regulated UK industries where audit, security and compliance aren’t optional, and building teams across Asian markets.
I started CIO Playbook to bring that experience to smaller, growing businesses, at a size and price that makes sense. I know what tends to break as a company grows, and what to prioritise before it does. I’m independent: I don’t resell software or take commissions, so my advice is only about what’s right for you.
20years
Technology leadership across the UK and Asia
UKregulated
Ran IT where audit, security and data protection are non-negotiable
50+AI tools
Evaluated as a CIO, judged on business value, not hype
CIO+ CTO
One leader for today’s technology and what comes next
Next step
Book a free 30-minute IT health check
We’ll walk through your systems, security and spend, spot the quick wins, and see whether fractional leadership is the right fit. No obligation.
Book your free IT health check