A sudden departure. A transformation that has stalled. A merger landed on your desk. A security incident demanding immediate senior accountability. These gaps rarely arrive at a convenient time, and the risk compounds with every week they go unfilled. Starkhorn steps in as your interim CIO or CISO immediately: briefed within 24 hours, on-site within days, taking full accountability for technology while the gap lasts. The mandate is simple. Stabilise, lead, and leave things better than you found them. The person you speak to is the person who does the work.
A sudden CIO or CISO departure. A transformation programme drifting toward failure. A merger with no one to own the technology workstream. Each of these creates a risk that grows with every week you leave it unfilled.
Starkhorn provides interim CIO and CISO engagements for organisations with 100 to 5,000 employees and turnover between £30m and £4bn, across private, PE-backed, and not-for-profit sectors. Full-time temporary leadership for a defined period, not a part-time retainer.
The mandate is simple. Stabilise the situation, lead the function, and hand over an organisation that is stronger than the one you found.
A CIO or CISO has left with no one inside ready to take over.
Staff need leadership, suppliers need decisions, and the board needs to know someone senior is accountable.
Starkhorn takes the seat immediately and holds it until a permanent successor is in place.
A major programme has stalled, lost confidence, or started to slip.
Starkhorn takes ownership, gets an honest read on where it really stands, and gets delivery back under control before the cost of drift grows further.
A cyber incident, a regulatory audit, or a board-level security concern that needs urgent senior response.
Or a restructure that has left technology leadership unclear or contested. Starkhorn provides the senior accountability to steady things fast.
Most interim searches through agencies take weeks before anyone arrives. Starkhorn operates differently.
Contact Starkhorn today and you receive a substantive briefing response within 24 hours. Subject to a short scoping call, an engagement can begin within days. No agency layer, no bench of candidates, no handover to a junior consultant once the deal is signed.
That speed matters because technology risk does not pause while you run a process. Staff need leadership, suppliers need decisions, and the board needs confidence that someone senior is accountable.
The solo model means continuity.
You are not passed between team members as the engagement evolves. The same person who understands your environment on day one is still there on day ninety.
Daniel J. Jacobs brings 20+ years in technology and security, 15+ of them in leadership roles, directly into the role. The person you speak to is the person who does the work.
In 2024, Starkhorn was appointed Interim Group Technology Director at VetPartners, a £1.2bn BC Partners-backed veterinary group with around 14,000 staff and more than 850 sites across nine Western European countries.
The mandate covered group-wide technology leadership across a complex, multi-country estate during a period of active growth and integration.
This is the scale at which Starkhorn operates comfortably: a senior leader with the range to handle board relationships, vendor contracts, cross-border infrastructure, and large operational workforces at once.
For organisations in the mid-market or not-for-profit sector, the VetPartners experience translates directly. Stakeholder management, programme governance, risk prioritisation, and technology continuity apply at every size.
Starkhorn is not a small-business IT generalist. It is senior leadership scaled to the situation in front of you, whether that is 200 staff or 14,000.
Every engagement is scoped to your situation, but a Starkhorn interim mandate typically covers day-to-day leadership of the technology function, direct management of internal teams and key suppliers, and stabilisation of any programmes that have lost direction.
It also covers board and executive reporting, vendor and contract rationalisation, security posture assessment and remediation, and recruitment support for the permanent successor.
Every week a technology leadership gap stays open, the risk compounds. Programmes drift, suppliers stall, decisions wait, and staff lose direction. A stalled transformation or an unmanaged security exposure costs far more the longer it sits unowned.
The organisations that come through a leadership gap well are the ones that put a senior leader in the seat fast, not the ones that wait out a months-long search unled.
Every day without that accountability is a day of compounding uncertainty. The point of an interim is to stop that clock.
From day one, Starkhorn takes accountability for the technology function: direct management of internal teams and key suppliers, control of programmes that have lost direction, and honest visibility for the board. The aim in the opening weeks is to steady the situation and stop the risk compounding.
With the function steadied, the focus moves to delivery: getting stalled programmes back on track, rationalising vendors and contracts where required, and hardening security posture, including incident response where the engagement was triggered by a breach or audit.
An interim that leaves you dependent on the interim has failed. Throughout the engagement, knowledge is transferred, internal capability is strengthened, and decisions, architecture, and processes are documented so the organisation is not reliant on any single person when the engagement ends.
The exit is planned from the outset, not improvised at the end. A structured handover prepares the incoming permanent leader or strengthened internal team, with documentation, onboarding briefings, and an honest assessment of what remains. The measure of success is how well the organisation runs once the interim has gone.
Embed-to-Independence
Starkhorn’s named delivery approach structures every engagement across four phases: Discover, Diagnose, Deliver, Sustain. It is built to make sure the value created during the interim period is embedded permanently, not lost when the engagement concludes.
Discover and diagnose where things really stand
Stabilise, then lead the function and deliver
Sustain: hand over to a stronger internal team
The aim is an organisation that is more capable and more confident when the engagement ends than it was when it began. Starkhorn only takes on a mandate where it can genuinely move the needle, and only stays as long as the gap requires.
“The measure of a successful interim is not how indispensable they became. It is how well the organisation functions after they leave. That is the test I hold every engagement to.” Daniel J. Jacobs, Founder, Starkhorn
The Technology Health Check is a free diagnostic that shows where your technology leadership has gaps. It scores you across eight dimensions and gives you a one-line recommendation for each. It tells you honestly where you stand before you decide what to do next.
Eight dimensions. A few minutes. Immediate results. No obligation.
A permanent search for a CIO or CISO typically takes three to six months from briefing to start date. An interim engagement run in parallel means your organisation is not unled during that period, and momentum does not stall while the seat sits empty.
Speak to Starkhorn about bridging a permanent search.
Whether you are covering a sudden departure, steadying a transformation at risk, responding to a security concern, or bridging a permanent search: start with a conversation.
Day rates and IR35
Interim engagements are typically structured as limited-company contracts outside IR35, subject to the client's IR35 determination and the specific role.
| Role | Typical day rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Interim CIO | £1,200-£2,500/day | Senior mandate, full-time equivalent |
| Interim CISO | £1,500-£2,500/day | Security programme ownership |
| Combined interim CIO + CISO (Starkhorn) | Single day rate | Both mandates, one leader |
When to call
These are the situations where an interim appointment is the right answer. If your organisation is in any of these, speed matters more than process.
| Trigger | Why interim, not fractional or permanent |
|---|---|
| Sudden CIO or CISO departure | No leadership capacity to run a permanent search while managing the gap. An interim takes the seat within days and holds it until the permanent hire is ready. |
| M&A close in 4-12 weeks | Day 1 readiness requires full-time technology and security leadership before, during, and after close. A fractional model cannot provide the commitment the transaction demands. |
| PE acquisition: first 100 days | The investor needs an honest technology assessment before the value creation plan is finalised. A named interim CIO with relevant PE experience can deliver this within the first month. |
| Major programme in crisis | An ERP go-live at risk, a failed migration, or a security incident requiring full-time senior leadership accountability that the existing team cannot provide. |
| Leadership gap during restructure | The organisation is redesigning its permanent structure and needs senior technology and security leadership to hold the function and keep the board informed while that work happens. |
100-day framework
In a PE-backed business, the first 100 days after appointment determines how the rest of the value creation plan goes. Here is the structure.
| Phase | Focus | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1-30 | Discovery and diagnosis across infrastructure, security, team, vendor estate, and programmes | Honest assessment report for board and investor |
| Days 31-60 | Stabilise critical risks; renegotiate or terminate poor-value contracts; stop cost bleed | Priority roadmap with commercial impact |
| Days 61-100 | Value creation plan for technology; integration architecture if acquisition; security hardening | 100-day report; 12-month technology roadmap |
Common questions
Can one person genuinely hold both interim CIO and CISO?
At mid-market scale, yes. Daniel J. Jacobs was Interim Group Technology Director at VetPartners (GBP 1.2bn, BC Partners, 14,000 staff, 9 countries), accountable for both technology and security, and held the combined CIO and CISO mandate at Jardine Motors Group (GBP 2bn). For most organisations under 5,000 employees, the mandates are complementary. Having a single leader removes the seam between technology and security governance where risk accumulates when two people report separately to the board.
How quickly can an interim CIO or CISO be in place?
Contact Starkhorn today and you receive a substantive briefing response within 24 hours. Subject to a scoping call, an engagement can begin within days. No agency layer, no bench of candidates, no handover to a junior once the deal is signed. If you need someone in post within two weeks, that is achievable.
What is IIM Full Member and why does it matter?
The Institute of Interim Management is the professional body for practising interims in the UK. Full Member status requires verified assignment history across multiple organisations and a track record assessed by peers. It is the equivalent of professional accreditation in interim management. Starkhorn holds IIM Full Member status.
What triggers the 72-hour ICO breach notification window?
Under UK GDPR, a personal data breach that poses a risk to individuals must be reported to the ICO within 72 hours of the organisation becoming aware of it. An interim CISO takes ownership of that clock: scoping the breach, assessing risk to data subjects, deciding whether notification is required, and managing the ICO submission if it is. An unfilled CISO seat when a breach occurs leaves that accountability in a gap.
How does an interim CIO engagement end?
The exit is planned from the outset, not improvised at the end. A structured handover prepares the incoming permanent leader or strengthened internal team, with documentation, onboarding briefings, and an honest assessment of what remains. The measure of a successful interim is how well the organisation runs once the interim has gone.
Immediate need
If you have a technology leadership gap open right now, the first step is a 30-minute confidential call. No agency, no pitch deck, no delay.
Book a confidential callThe Technology Health Check shows where your technology leadership has gaps, scored across eight dimensions with a one-line recommendation for each.
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An interim CIO is a senior technology leader brought in on a time bound, near full time basis to run the IT function during a transition or crisis. Common triggers are a departed CIO, post acquisition integration, a programme that needs rescuing, or board level reassurance at speed, with cover lasting a defined period rather than a permanent post.
A board needs an interim IT director or interim CIO when there is an urgent gap demanding near full time, hands on leadership for a fixed window: a sudden departure, an acquisition to integrate, or a failing programme to rescue. Once the urgency passes, fractional cover, a few days a month on retainer, suits ongoing guidance better than full time intensity.
| Dimension | Interim CIO or CISO | Fractional CIO or CISO |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement model | Near full time, time bound | Ongoing, part time |
| Best for | Gap, crisis, integration, rescue | Steady strategic leadership |
| Typical duration | A defined period with an end date | Continuing, reviewed periodically |
| Commercial model | Day rate against a set scope | Monthly retainer |
| Intensity | High, deadline driven | Measured, a few days a month |
An interim CIO is a senior technology leader brought in on a time bound, near full time basis to run the IT function during a transition or crisis. Typical triggers include a departed CIO, post acquisition integration, or a programme that needs rescuing, with the engagement covering a defined period rather than a permanent post.
An interim CIO takes accountability for the technology function at pace: stabilising operations, owning the IT and security roadmap, managing budgets and suppliers, leading the team, and giving the board clear reassurance. They steady delivery during a gap or change, then hand over cleanly to a permanent successor or an embedded internal capability.
UK interim CIO engagements are typically priced as a day rate, which varies with company size, sector, security scope, and urgency. Crisis or post acquisition mandates command more than steady state cover. Starkhorn agrees a clear day rate and scope up front rather than open ended billing. See the pricing page for how engagements are structured.
London interim CIO day rates sit at the higher end of the UK range, reflecting larger, more complex, and often regulated organisations. Cost depends on remit, security depth, and how near to full time the cover is. Starkhorn quotes a fixed day rate against a defined scope, so the board sees the commitment before work begins.
An interim CIO gives near full time cover for a fixed period, ideal for a leadership gap, integration, or crisis. A fractional CIO gives ongoing part time leadership, a few days a month on a retainer. Choose interim for intensity and a deadline, fractional for steady strategic input. The interim versus fractional pillar covers this in full.
Bring in an interim CIO when your CIO departs, after an acquisition needs integrating, or when a major programme is failing and the board needs control restored quickly. Hire an interim CISO when a security incident, audit failure, or regulatory deadline demands senior security leadership immediately, before a permanent appointment can be made.
A board needs an interim IT director or interim CIO when there is an urgent gap or crisis requiring near full time hands on leadership for a fixed window: a sudden departure, integration, or rescue. Fractional cover suits steady ongoing guidance once the urgency passes, a few days a month on retainer rather than full time intensity.
CIO stands for Chief Information Officer, the executive accountable for an organisation's technology strategy, systems, data, and IT operations. A CISO, by contrast, is the Chief Information Security Officer, focused on cyber security and risk. Starkhorn provides both interim CIO and interim CISO cover, so one operator can hold both remits during a transition.