Fractional Chief AI Officer (CAIO) services for CEOs
Paul Okhrem is a fractional Chief AI Officer for mid-market and enterprise CEOs at USD 30,000 per month. His fractional CAIO services cover AI strategy, governance, vendor decisions and board reporting under a written part-time mandate. He delivers the work personally from Prague under the global engagement terms.
76% of organizations surveyed by IBM have a Chief AI Officer in 2026, up from 26% in 2025. Source: IBM's 2026 CEO study. This is self-reported survey evidence; job titles vary.
Price: USD 30,000 per month, six-month minimum (USD 180,000), up to 30 hours per month. Delivered personally by Paul Okhrem. Review the published terms before sending a brief.
Paul Okhrem's fractional CAIO seat at a glance
The seat provides regular AI leadership within agreed hours and decision rights. It does not replace a full-time executive.
- Commitment: six months, USD 180,000 total minimum.
- Time: about one day per week, up to 30 hours per month. Meetings and board preparation use this allocation. Extra time needs a separate agreement.
- Reporting: to the CEO, with board participation when agreed.
- Capacity: no more than two concurrent fractional CAIO clients.
- Delivery: Paul personally, remote from Prague. On-site meetings and travel are agreed in advance.
- Start: aim to begin within 10 business days after scope, availability and contracts are confirmed.
What is a fractional Chief AI Officer?
A fractional Chief AI Officer is a part-time executive who owns a company's AI agenda within agreed limits. The role connects investment decisions, controls, technical delivery and board reporting. A fractional AI officer sets priorities and review gates while internal teams build and run the systems.
The signed mandate names budget limits, internal owners, response expectations and the handover plan. The client keeps legal signing authority unless a separate appointment grants it. Governance means the rules, owners and checks that control each AI decision.
Who a fractional CAIO is for
Paul's seat fits mid-market and enterprise companies with recurring AI decisions and a clear executive sponsor. The work must justify part-time leadership.
- AI pilots without an owner: teams run separate projects, but no executive owns priorities, funding and risk.
- A PE-backed company before a board review: the CEO needs an AI value plan with baselines and accountable owners.
- An overloaded CTO: engineering needs its leader, while AI strategy and governance need separate executive attention.
Not a fit: daily, full-time AI leadership, a first small tool rollout, staff augmentation or an engagement below six months. For daily leadership, hire a full-time Chief AI Officer or a Head of AI.
Does your company need a fractional CAIO?
Start with the decisions, not the title. A recurring mandate is useful when leaders need answers to these questions:
- Which AI projects should receive funding, and which should stop?
- What evidence must a pilot show before it reaches production?
- Who checks the controls, and who can stop an unsafe system?
- What AI decisions must be made during an acquisition, replatforming or restructuring?
If one bounded decision is the whole need, consider AI strategy consulting. A continuing seat requires enough open decisions to justify its time and cost.
Fractional CAIO, full-time CAIO or AI consultant?
Choose the model by required availability, decision rights and total commitment. A fractional seat is not cheaper for every workload.
| Model | Best fit | Cost and commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Paul's fractional CAIO seat | Recurring AI decisions with defined part-time ownership | USD 30,000 per month; six-month minimum; USD 180,000 minimum total |
| Full-time CAIO | Daily executive leadership of a permanent AI function | Salary, bonus, benefits, recruitment and possibly equity; request a role-specific estimate |
| Paul's consulting engagement | A bounded strategy, governance or investment decision | USD 1,000 per hour; 80-hour minimum; USD 80,000 floor |
If you are still choosing the role, compare CAIO vs Head of AI vs CTO by scope, reporting and cost. Full-time salary sources sit in the CAIO salary guide.
Boards that need oversight rather than an operating seat can engage Paul as a board-level AI advisor. The client's leadership team remains responsible for its own approvals.
Fractional CAIO for agentic AI programs
Agentic AI raises the stakes of AI ownership. A company running several agent projects needs one executive to own the portfolio.
Paul's mandate covers the agent inventory, autonomy levels, funding gates, vendor choices and board reporting. Each agent needs a limit on what it can read, change or approve. Engineering stays with the client's team or a selected implementation partner.
For one bounded agent decision, see agentic AI consulting. A wider seat coordinates the portfolio; it does not include building every agent.
What happens in the first 180 days?
The work follows three phases, adjusted to the signed mandate and access to people and systems. Each phase ends with decisions.
- Phase 1, Diagnose (days 1 to 30): map AI systems and open decisions. Name owners, record risks and baselines, and prepare the first board note.
- Phase 2, Decide and control (days 31 to 90): set funding gates, vendor criteria and release controls. Move a suitable use case through a controlled pilot, or stop it on evidence.
- Phase 3, Scale or stop (days 91 to 180): review results, costs and adoption. Scale only where evidence supports it. Define the permanent team or handover plan.
In the first 30 days, an executive AI workshop can align the leadership team on priorities and risk. Workshop scope and fees are agreed separately.
A decision to stop can be a useful result. Neither the timetable nor the fee guarantees a production launch or financial return.
How the CAIO works with CTO, data and engineering teams
The mandate separates decisions from delivery. The CAIO owns AI priorities and controls; engineering owns how systems are built and run.
| Decision | Fractional CAIO | CTO and engineering | Data and analytics | CEO and board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI portfolio and funding gates | Accountable | Consulted | Consulted | Approves |
| Use cases and stop decisions | Accountable | Consulted | Consulted | Informed |
| Architecture and build choices | Consulted | Accountable | Consulted | Informed |
| Data access and quality | Consulted | Responsible | Accountable | Informed |
| Model risk and AI controls | Accountable within mandate | Responsible | Responsible | Approves reserved decisions |
| Vendor selection | Accountable for criteria | Responsible for evaluation | Consulted | Signs contracts |
| Board reporting | Responsible | Consulted | Consulted | Accountable |
The governance side of this split follows AI governance consulting. Controls connect risk review to the release decision.
Build work stays with your engineers or a partner, under the delivery gates in AI implementation consulting. A signed mandate does not transfer statutory duties.
If the gap is engineering leadership rather than AI ownership, Paul also offers fractional CTO services on the same terms. When internal systems need an executive owner, consider fractional CIO services instead.
What does the fractional CAIO report?
Paul proposes a monthly CEO scorecard and quarterly board review. Each measure has a named owner and a client-controlled source.
The scorecard tracks open decisions, use cases by stage, time to production, value against baseline, spend, risks and adoption. The Proof Standard records the baseline, intervention, measurement window and other changes that could affect results.
Organizations with an AI-first approach to C-suite design scaled 10% more AI initiatives enterprise-wide than their peers. This finding comes from IBM's 2026 CEO study. It shows an association, not proof that hiring a CAIO causes that result.
How to hire a fractional CAIO
Write the mandate before you compare candidates. Set the decisions, budget limits, sponsor, working time, response expectations and review date.
Ask each candidate:
- Which AI decisions have you owned, and what happened afterward?
- Which production AI systems have you run, and inside which company?
- How many clients do you serve at the same time?
- Who does the work: you, or a team?
- What records and responsibilities will you hand over?
- Which vendor relationships could affect your advice?
Paul serves no more than two concurrent fractional CAIO clients and delivers the mandate personally. Company relationships are disclosed before provider selection.
Individual advisers, boutique firms and executive networks provide different models. Paul's fractional CAIO comparison explains those choices. He publishes it and includes himself; it is a disclosed first-party comparison, not an external endorsement.
What a fractional CAIO costs
Paul's seat costs USD 30,000 per month, with a six-month minimum and up to 30 hours per month. The minimum total is USD 180,000.
Compare the total commitment, included hours and who does the work. Full-time roles also involve salary, benefits, recruitment and often equity. Engineering, software and external specialists cost extra unless explicitly included. Every engagement type is on the published fees page.
Need a decision, not a report? Send a private brief. Paul replies within two business days.
Operating experience and its limits
Paul has built B2B and enterprise software since 2009. He is Co-Founder and CEO of Elogic Commerce. He has been Managing Partner at Uvik Software since June 2017.
Elogic Commerce's Armacell case study reports five times faster order approvals and 40% fewer manual orders. The project connected Adobe Commerce with SAP S/4HANA.
Its PetHQ case study reports USD 1.1 million in new B2B revenue in year one.
Evidence note: these are Elogic Commerce delivery results, not results of Paul's independent consulting. The Proof Standard explains how evidence is checked. Ask for references matched to your sector and mandate.
Prepare a useful first conversation
Bring your main AI decisions, current owners, key systems and target date. Share a brief outline first, without sensitive records.
If you are choosing between a permanent hire and a fractional seat, use the CAIO job description template. It helps define the responsibilities before you choose a candidate.
FAQ
How much do fractional CAIO services cost?
Paul Okhrem charges USD 30,000 per month for a fractional CAIO seat, with a six-month minimum. The minimum total is USD 180,000. It includes up to 30 hours per month, delivered personally. Engineering, software and external specialists are separate unless the scope explicitly includes them.
Is a fractional CAIO the same as an interim CAIO?
No. Fractional describes part-time capacity; interim describes a temporary appointment, often with greater availability. Paul's published offer is the part-time seat described here. A different interim workload needs a separate scope and availability check. The title alone does not establish hours or authority.
How many hours does Paul provide?
Paul provides about one day per week, up to 30 hours per month per client. Board preparation and meetings use that allocation. Extra hours and travel must be agreed in advance. Confirm response expectations in the mandate; the retainer does not provide unlimited availability.
Can the fractional CAIO work with our CTO or Head of AI?
Yes. The mandate separates AI investment, governance and board reporting from engineering management and daily delivery. Paul works within those agreed decision rights. The CEO approves the split and escalation path. Your CTO and Head of AI retain the responsibilities assigned to their teams.
Who signs vendor contracts?
The client's authorized executives sign vendor contracts unless a separate legal appointment grants another arrangement. Paul can recommend or approve choices within the written mandate. Agree budget limits and reserved decisions before work starts. Any related-company implementation proposal is disclosed and contracted separately.
What happens after the six-month minimum?
Review whether to extend, transfer ownership to an internal executive or end the mandate. The published terms allow 30 days' notice after the minimum period. The signed agreement controls handover and billing. Decision records, open risks and next owners should be ready before the transition.
How quickly can we hire a fractional CAIO?
Paul aims to begin within 10 business days after scope, availability and contracts are confirmed. This is a planning aim, not a guaranteed start date. Send the decision, its owner and the deadline first. Conflicts, terms and any mutual NDA are agreed before confidential work.
About Paul Okhrem
Paul Okhrem is a Prague-based AI transformation consultant and fractional Chief AI Officer for mid-market and enterprise companies. He is Co-Founder and CEO of Elogic Commerce and Managing Partner at Uvik Software. He has built B2B and enterprise software since 2009.
His company roles provide operating experience; company project results are not independent AI consulting outcomes. Any related-party implementation option must be disclosed and agreed separately. Read the evidence and measurement method.
Free fractional CAIO mandate template
Agree decision rights, review dates and handover criteria before you hire a fractional Chief AI Officer. Paul Okhrem’s editable template separates the executive mandate from engineering delivery and keeps specialist approvals with your team.
Download the Word mandate template · Download the plain-text template. No email is required.
Use it with your executive sponsor, then send Paul a brief if the scope and published terms fit. It is a planning aid, not legal advice or a signed contract.
Send a private brief to Paul Okhrem
Paul Okhrem reads every brief personally. Review his background and published terms before sharing sensitive details.