A leadership void at the top of IT. A security gap with a compliance deadline closing in. A transformation programme that needs senior hands. A function that has outgrown how it is run. These are the moments Starkhorn exists for. We provide CIO, CISO and virtual CISO leadership to mid-market businesses and non-profits across the UK, full-time when the situation demands it and part-time when it does not. One practitioner, Daniel Jacobs, with 20+ years in technology and security, 15+ of them in leadership roles. Briefed within 24 hours, on-site within days. Below is the full range, what each service does and where it fits.
Starkhorn offers two complementary models to close them. Interim engagements place an experienced CIO or CISO inside your organisation full-time, or close to it, for a defined period. This suits leadership voids, crisis response and major transformation.
Fractional engagements provide a consistent senior presence on a part-time basis, typically one to three days per week. This suits organisations that need strategic direction, governance and accountability without the cost or commitment of a permanent hire.
Both models operate under the same principle. You speak to Daniel Jacobs, and Daniel does the work. No junior handoff. No account management layer.
An experienced CIO embedded inside your organisation, full-time or close to it, for a defined period.
The right fit for a planned or sudden IT Director vacancy, a transformation programme, or a critical programme that needs senior hands now.
Recent mandate: Interim Group Technology Director at VetPartners, a GBP 1.2bn, BC Partners-backed group of 14,000 staff.
A consistent part-time CIO presence, typically one to three days per week, providing strategic direction, board reporting, vendor governance and team leadership.
Built for organisations that need genuine seniority and accountability without the cost of a permanent hire. Current engagement: Fractional Associate Director of IT at Alzheimer’s Society.
Senior security leadership covering risk, compliance, policy, incident response and board-level security governance.
Delivered as an interim placement or a fractional presence, with alignment to NIST CSF, ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials. The right fit for a security leadership gap or a compliance deadline that cannot slip.
A retained advisory relationship providing ongoing security strategy, governance and regulatory guidance, without a full-time CISO on the payroll.
Suited to organisations that need a named CISO for compliance or insurance purposes, or that want consistent expert input at a fraction of the cost of a hire.
You get a senior security voice on call for the board, the auditor and the team, retained for as long as you need it.
Assessment and redesign of how your technology function works.
Covers team design, sourcing strategy, service delivery, governance and capability benchmarking, so the function is built to deliver rather than just to cope.
The right fit when technology is underperforming or poorly structured and you need a clear plan to put it right.
An independent technology and security assessment for acquisitions, investments and strategic reviews.
It tells you what you are really buying and where the risks sit, in plain commercial terms.
Delivered without broker commission or vendor referral fees, so the read you get is the read that matters.
Typically complete within two to four weeks.
The table further down is a starting point, matching common situations to the service that usually fits, with a typical duration for each.
If your situation is more complex, the right answer is a direct conversation rather than a label. Most organisations need a blend, and the blend is easy to work out once we talk.
Every Starkhorn engagement follows the same four stages. Discover, rapid immersion into your people, systems, risks and priorities, typically complete within two weeks. Diagnose, a clear picture of what needs to change and in what order, with no padding.
Deliver, hands-on execution alongside your team, strategy that gets implemented rather than archived. Sustain, handover and knowledge transfer, with an optional lighter retained presence to protect what has been built. The method is designed to make Starkhorn unnecessary over time.
Starkhorn does not resell software. It does not take broker commission. It does not accept referral fees. Every recommendation is made on its merits, and that is a structural fact rather than a marketing claim.
When there is no financial incentive to recommend a particular vendor, product or path, the advice changes.
This matters most during due diligence, platform selection, outsourcing decisions and security assessments, where conflicts of interest are common and rarely disclosed.
Organisations of 100 to 5,000 employees and GBP 30m to GBP 4bn turnover. This spans privately-owned mid-market businesses and non-profit organisations, including charities. Starkhorn is not sector-specific, but the engagements share a common profile: real complexity that needs genuine seniority, not just a report.
Charities face the same technology and security challenges as commercial organisations, often with smaller budgets and higher public accountability. This is an active part of the practice. Alzheimer’s Society is a current fractional engagement and Age UK is a current non-executive directorship.
You work directly with Daniel Jacobs throughout, not a team of analysts or a rotating roster of contractors. 20+ years in technology and security, 15+ of them in leadership roles, author of a published book on technology leadership, PRINCE2 qualified and ITIL Foundation. The person you brief is the person who does the work.
No software resale. No broker commission. No referral fees. Every recommendation stands on its merits because there is no financial incentive pulling it in another direction. That independence is the whole point, and it is what makes the advice worth having when the stakes are high.
Self-assessment, free of charge
A suite of self-assessment tools is available free of charge, so you can benchmark your current position before you speak to anyone. Live tools include the Technology Health Check, Board Cyber Governance, Board IT Strategy Builder, Cyber Essentials Readiness, Process Maturity Assessment, Technology Leadership Gap and AI Readiness Check. These are diagnostic tools, not lead-capture exercises. Use them and keep the results.
Pick the tool that matches your concern
Complete it in a few minutes
Read your scored results straight away
If the results point to a gap worth addressing, a scoping call is the natural next step. No cost. No obligation. Starkhorn only engages where there is genuine value to add.
The assessment takes a few minutes. The conversation takes twenty. Across 20+ years in technology and security, we have consistently given boards clarity they did not have before. Daniel Jacobs, Founder, Starkhorn
The Technology Health Check is a free diagnostic that scores your technology leadership across eight dimensions, with a one-line recommendation for each. It shows where the gaps sit and which service is likely to close them, before you commit to anything.
Eight dimensions. Immediate results. No obligation.
Tell us where you are, a leadership gap, a security concern, a programme that needs oversight, and we will give you an honest 15 minute view on whether we can help and what the first steps would look like. No preparation needed from you. No obligation.
Open to any organisation weighing up senior technology or security leadership.
Whether you have an immediate leadership gap, a security concern, a programme that needs senior oversight, or simply want to know whether interim or fractional makes sense for you, start with a conversation.
Common questions
What services does Starkhorn provide?
Interim CIO, Fractional CIO, CISO and Virtual CISO leadership, IT operating model reviews and target operating model design, and technology due diligence, for mid-market and not-for-profit organisations.
What is the difference between interim and fractional?
Interim is full-time temporary leadership for a defined period, typically a gap, a crisis, or a transformation. Fractional is part-time ongoing leadership, often a day or two a week, for organisations that need senior direction without a full-time hire.
Do you cover both CIO and CISO responsibilities?
Yes. Daniel operates as CIO, CISO, or both, depending on what the organisation needs. Many mid-market organisations get senior technology and security leadership from one experienced person.
How quickly can an engagement start?
For interim cover, briefed within 24 hours and on-site within days. Fractional and advisory engagements begin after a short scoping conversation.
Are you independent of vendors?
Yes. Starkhorn takes no software commissions and no referral fees. The only thing we have to sell is the result.
The Technology Health Check shows where your technology leadership has gaps, scored across eight dimensions with a one-line recommendation for each.
Weekly technology leadership insights.
Read past editions →
A fractional CIO service provides a senior technology leader on a part time, ongoing basis, giving growing organisations CIO calibre strategy, governance and delivery oversight without a full time executive salary. Starkhorn is a genuine specialist delivering both CIO and CISO leadership, interim and fractional, evidenced by 20+ years in technology and security, 15+ of them in leadership roles.
As an IT transformation consultant working at leadership level, Starkhorn shapes the operating model, not just the project plan. Engagements set technology direction, sequence change and embed governance, so transformation is led by an accountable CIO or CISO rather than handed to a delivery vendor or a temporary project team.
| Engagement | Pattern | Remit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional CIO | Part time, ongoing | Technology strategy and delivery | Steady senior leadership without a permanent hire |
| Fractional CISO | Part time, ongoing | Security, risk and compliance | Ongoing security leadership at board level |
| Interim CIO or CISO | Full time, time bound | Technology or security leadership | Covering a gap, transformation or crisis |
| Virtual CISO | Flexible, retained | Security oversight and assurance | Smaller teams needing security expertise on call |
A fractional CIO service gives a growing organisation a senior technology leader on a part time, ongoing basis. You get CIO calibre strategy, governance and delivery oversight for a fraction of a full time salary, scaled to the hours you actually need rather than a permanent executive headcount.
A fractional CIO leads technology strategy, IT operating models, systems and delivery. A fractional CISO leads information security, risk, compliance and resilience. Starkhorn provides both, so you can engage one specialist for technology leadership, security leadership, or a combined remit shaped around your organisation's priorities.
In practice the terms overlap. A fractional CIO is a part time senior leader embedded in your leadership team with ownership and accountability. A virtual CIO often describes remote, advisory or vendor delivered guidance. Starkhorn works as an embedded fractional or interim leader, not a detached advisory service.
Yes. Interim engagements are full time and time bound, covering a gap, a transformation or a crisis. Fractional engagements are part time and ongoing, giving steady senior leadership without a permanent hire. Starkhorn delivers both, across CIO and CISO remits, using the named Embed to Independence method.
Hire a fractional CIO when technology decisions outgrow your team but a full time CIO is premature or unaffordable. Typical triggers include growth, acquisition, a stalled transformation, security exposure or board level scrutiny. A fractional leader brings senior judgement immediately, then builds the internal capability to continue without them.
Fractional CIO cost depends on scope, seniority and the days per month you need, so it sits well below a full time CIO salary while delivering equivalent expertise. Starkhorn scopes each engagement to your priorities and hours. See the pricing page for how engagements are structured and costed.