Stop Hiring Slide Decks: Look for Battle-Tested Fractional Leadership
Why UAE Boardrooms should be Choosing ‘Grey Hair’ Over Tech Teams With a Runaway AI Agenda
While much of the global tech conversation still appears to be stuck in the “experimentation” phase, as we gallop into 2026 we all can see the UAE moving at a different speed. We are seeing a $2 trillion AI ecosystem being built from scratch and with that level of investment comes a new level of accountability.
Boards in Dubai and across the region are shifting. They are moving away from polished consulting slide decks and towards leaders who have actually been in the trenches.
This is where Straightalking Consulting and the leadership of Craig Ashmole come into play. Craig doesn’t just manage change; he architects it. With over 28 years of experience driving corporate transformation across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East, he brings something to the table that you cannot learn in a quick classroom lesson: Experience on Tap.
Why Fractional Leadership is something the UAE’s needs to embrace.
Many organisations don’t always need another full-time executive, taking months to on-board, then finding out they are the right fit; what they need is a specific injection of senior-level expertise who can bridge the gap between board-level ambition and technical delivery.
Through Straightalking Consulting, Craig provides Fractional CIO and CTO leadership taking ownership of large-scale transformation programmes, delivering:-
- Proven Governance: Most AI programmes don’t fail because of the technology, but because confidence and commercial reality has slip out of alignment. Propper ‘been-there, done-it’ leadership ensures they stay on track.
- Vendor Neutrality: Unbiased technology selection that focuses on what fits your business, not what fits a specific vendor’s sales target.
- Cross-Industry Insight: From financial services and telecoms to energy and aviation, Craig brings the “battle scars” from $100m+ programmes spanning 50 countries.
- AI That Works: Moving AI from the 2025 phase of “Proof of Concepts” into a production-grade delivery tools that actually save money and drive growth.
The Bottom Line
Technology is only part of the story. The real challenge is translating complex IT capabilities into business strategy that the board understands and supports.
If your organisation is planning:-
– a legacy system update,
– navigating a high-stakes transformation,
– an AI integration needing governance, or
– you need to find a steady hand with real transformation experience.
Then Reach Out — Experience isn’t a liability in this fast-paced market, it is your greatest competitive advantage.
Ready to move your 2026 AI strategy from a pilot to a powerhouse?
Connect with Craig Ashmole Founder of Straightalking Consulting to discuss how fractional leadership can support your business.
Email: craig@straightalking.com
Whatsapp: +971585376311
I've lived in the world of Corporate CIOs long enough to know: The biggest challenges are best solved together. That's why I'm sharing my blog as a forum where IT leaders share hard-won lessons and chart the path forward, post-pandemic, post-AI PoC's and ready for what's next as AI takes over the world.
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