Frequently asked questions.

AI transformation is the process of embedding AI into an operating model to create measurable business value. The companies that capture significant value share one trait: 55% of them fundamentally redesigned their workflows when deploying AI (McKinsey, State of AI 2025). The differentiator is not the technology stack. It is the discipline to treat AI as an operating model question, not as a technology project.

Two postures, depending on what you need. Lead: I sit in the room with a budget, a team and a deadline (Interim, Fractional, or Operating Partner). Challenge: you have the team, I bring clarity, frameworks, an outside perspective (Diagnostic, Advisory, or Board). The right model depends on urgency, complexity, and whether you need someone in the seat or someone at the table.

Fees are tailored to each mandate. Interim runs on a monthly retainer aligned with the seniority of the role. Fractional on a day-rate or monthly retainer basis. Advisory per deliverable or per engagement. All Operating Partner mandates with PE funds include a variable component aligned with the value creation plan: management fee plus performance, equity, or co-investment. Eligible models are discussed at the first conversation, based on fund structure and deal horizon.

C-suite leaders: CEOs, CDOs, CTOs, accountable for transformation outcomes. PE-backed companies navigating value creation mandates. Operating Partners at private equity funds who need a specialist to deploy into a portfolio company. And occasionally founders scaling who need senior digital leadership without a full-time hire.

If you are trying to make AI, Data, Product or Technology work for your business and the results are not matching the investment, it is worth a conversation. Thirty minutes, no agenda, no pitch. We will both know quickly whether there is a fit.

Services and marketplaces, in Europe. Within those: retail tech, hospitality, energy services, marketing services, premium concierge, leisure travel. The common thread is operational complexity that AI and digital can simplify, with two-sided economics or large multi-country operations.

Three windows. Pre-deal: independent Tech and AI Due Diligence to sharpen conviction. Hold period: deploy as Operating Partner inside a portfolio company, aligned with the value creation plan. Pre-exit: tighten the equity story and document the digital assets to maximise multiple at exit. Each window has a defined scope, a clear deliverable, and a fee model that fits.

Every Ikigai engagement starts with the same diagnostic. Four quadrants. Q1 Strategy: where is the business going? Q2 Operations: how does it actually run? Q3 Tech and AI: what enables the first two to scale? Q4 People: who turns the plan into real outcomes? The diagnostic shows where the bottleneck really is, before we recommend any action.

Yes, on a selective basis. Independent board director or board advisor for PE-backed mid-caps in services and marketplaces, in Europe. The criterion is fit: the board mandate must give space to add real strategic value on digital, AI and operating model questions, not just observe.

Diagnostic: 4 to 6 weeks. Interim mandate: 6 to 12 months. Fractional: 1 to 3 days a week, ongoing. Operating Partner with a PE fund: aligned with the value creation plan, typically 12 to 24 months. Advisory: per-engagement or monthly retainer. The shape of the engagement is defined upfront, with you.

Primary market is Europe (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, UK, Italy, Spain). I have led teams in 40+ countries during my time at John Paul, so I am comfortable with global mandates. But for ongoing Operating Partner work, Europe-based assets are the focus.

A 30-minute call. No pitch. No deck. Just a structured conversation about your situation, what you are trying to achieve, and whether there is a fit. Book directly through Calendly, or send a brief email.