I help mid-market banks, insurers, and asset managers move AI from pilot to production. The blocker is usually not the model — it's governance, integration, and execution inside a regulated institution. I've spent twenty years leading exactly that kind of work.
The AI conversation has matured. Boards are no longer asking "should we explore this?" — they're asking "why isn't it in production yet?" Here's where most institutions actually are:
The model performs fine. The vendor demo was great. But integration with legacy systems, model risk approval, change management, and operational readiness have all stalled out — usually in different directions at once. The board is asking pointed questions about the budget.
"We need an AI strategy" came down from the top. There's no roadmap, no prioritized use cases, no governance framework, and no obvious vendor to call. Someone has to figure it out — and the clock is ticking.
Risk, compliance, and model governance teams are doing exactly what they're supposed to do — and the result is that nothing is moving. Threading this needle takes someone who understands both sides of the conversation.
If any of that sounds familiar, we should talk.
Before I started this practice, I spent two decades leading large-scale programs at Citi, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, and BNY Mellon — across retail, commercial, investment banking, and asset management. I've run multi-team programs through M&A integrations, served as Chief of Staff to C-suite executives, and navigated the kind of cross-functional dysfunction that only large regulated institutions can produce.
That background matters because the people I'm now helping are dealing with the same kind of complexity I spent twenty years inside. I'm not learning the regulatory environment from a McKinsey deck. I lived it.
A focused diagnostic for institutions that need a credible, defensible plan — not another vendor pitch deck. You'll get a written assessment of where you actually are, a prioritized roadmap of what to do next, and the governance framework you need to move forward.
Learn moreFor when a specific AI initiative has stalled and needs to get unstuck. I come in, diagnose what's actually blocking production (it's usually not the model), and lead the work to get it across the finish line.
Learn moreEmbedded part-time leadership for institutions that need senior judgment running their AI program but aren't ready to hire a full-time Chief AI Officer. I run the steering committee, manage vendors, navigate governance, and report to executive sponsors.
Learn moreThe model isn't the problem. It almost never is. After watching dozens of AI initiatives stall inside large financial institutions, the patterns are remarkably consistent — and so are the things that actually get them moving again.
Read articleMRM sent back thirty-seven questions. The team spent three months writing answers. MRM came back with twenty more. The path through this isn't more documentation — it's a different conversation, started at a different time.
Read articleThe CFO asked what the program had cost so far. The number was $800,000. Nobody mentioned the three data scientists who had quit, the vendor contract 60 days from termination, or the fact that the board had stopped asking about AI.
Read articleThe examiner scheduled a review of the bank's AI systems. The CRO asked for a list of everything in production. It took three weeks to compile and came back incomplete. Here's what examiners are actually looking for — and the three gaps most institutions have when they arrive.
Read articleThe first conversation is free, and it's not a sales call. Tell me what you're working on, and I'll tell you honestly whether I can help — and if not, who might.
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