01 · ONGOING ADVISORY

Board & Executive AI Advisory

A trusted advisor at the table when AI decisions carry organizational consequences.

When it helps

Boards, executives and senior leaders face recurring AI questions, external pressure or high-stakes decisions without the time to track every change or test every claim.

Focus

Executive and board briefings
Decision framing and independent counsel
Strategic issue, initiative and vendor review

Outcome

Relevant information without the noise
Well-informed decisions
Ongoing leadership support as conditions change

The situation

Most AI decisions reach the board already framed by the person selling them.

Boards and executive teams are asked to approve AI spending, sign vendor agreements, answer regulators and reassure employees — usually on the strength of a deck prepared by someone with an interest in the answer. The gap is rarely intelligence. It is time, independence and a reliable way to separate what has changed from what is being marketed.

Board & Executive AI Advisory puts an independent advisor at the table on a standing basis. Not a vendor, not an implementation partner, and not a seat that needs to protect a prior recommendation. The work is to frame the decision in front of you, test the claims attached to it, name the exposure in plain language and tell you what a defensible answer looks like.

This is the ADVISE line of the SAGAZ practice. It assumes leadership keeps the decision. My job is to make sure the decision is made with the relevant facts, the real constraints and an honest view of what happens next — including when the honest answer is that the organization is not ready to proceed.

How it works

How a standing advisory engagement works.

Every engagement begins by understanding the decisions actually in front of leadership, not by installing a framework.

01 · Orientation

Understanding the decisions in play

A working session with the CEO, the executive sponsor or the board chair to map what is being decided this quarter, who owns each decision, what has already been committed and where leadership feels exposed.

Decision map

A written inventory of live AI decisions, owners, deadlines and the questions that have to be answered before each one.

02 · Standing counsel

A reliable place to think out loud

Scheduled advisory sessions with the executive sponsor, plus availability between sessions for the questions that cannot wait for the next meeting: a vendor claim, a regulator letter, a press enquiry, an internal proposal.

Typical cadence

Two scheduled sessions per month with the sponsor, asynchronous review of documents and proposals in between, and a short written position after each decision.

03 · Decision support

Independent review before you commit

Review of specific initiatives, vendor proposals, internal business cases and AI-related contract language — with attention to what the organization is agreeing to operationally, not only commercially.

What you get back

A short written review: what the proposal actually commits you to, what is unproven, what to negotiate, and the recommendation with its reasoning stated.

04 · Board moments

Briefings that survive the room

Preparation and delivery of board-level briefings: what changed, what it means for this organization, the position being recommended and the questions directors should be asking management.

Deliverable

Board briefing document and, where useful, attendance to present it and answer directors' questions directly.

What you receive

Scheduled executive sessions with a written position after each
Independent review of proposals, vendors and AI contract language
Board and leadership briefings prepared for the room they are read in
Plain-language answers to the questions leadership cannot ask publicly
Continuity — an advisor who already knows your context next quarter

What I need from you

An executive sponsor with authority over the decisions in scope
Visibility into current AI activity, including what was approved informally
The proposals and contracts as they are, not after they are cleaned up
A standing slot in the calendar — advisory works on rhythm, not on alarms

Scope & investment

Scope, rhythm and investment.

Advisory is a monthly engagement, typically $3,500–$7,500 per month depending on the number of decisions in scope, the level of board exposure and whether the engagement includes attendance at board or committee meetings. Engagements run in three-month blocks because judgment compounds: an advisor who already understands your operating reality is worth considerably more in month three than in week one.

Billing is for thinking and problem-solving — framing, reviewing, writing and sitting in the room. Where an engagement needs a diagnostic baseline first, the AI Readiness Assessment is the usual starting point and its findings carry directly into the advisory work.

Book a 20–30 minute fit call

Questions leaders ask

What does an executive AI advisor actually do?

An executive AI advisor frames the decisions leadership has to make about artificial intelligence, tests the claims attached to them, identifies organizational and legal exposure, and supports the board or executive team with independent written positions. The advisor does not sell technology or implement systems.

How is this different from hiring an AI consultant or a vendor?

A vendor recommends its own product and an implementation consultant is paid to build. Advisory is retained by leadership, holds no stake in the outcome, and is free to recommend that an initiative be delayed, renegotiated or stopped.

Do we need an assessment before starting advisory?

Not always. If leadership already knows which decisions are in front of it, advisory can start immediately. If the organization lacks an objective baseline, the AI Readiness Assessment is the faster route and its findings carry into the advisory engagement.

Can you attend board meetings?

Yes. Board and committee attendance is scoped into the engagement when directors need an independent voice in the room, and includes preparing the briefing material directors will read beforehand.

Who is the typical client?

Boards, CEOs, COOs and general counsel of organizations where AI decisions carry regulatory, workforce or reputational consequences — professional services, regulated industries, healthcare, financial services and public-facing institutions.

Let’s clarify your next step.

A focused conversation about your organization, the decisions ahead and the support that fits.

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