Fractional product leadership for businesses serious about data and AI
You already have the pieces: data and IP, a product team, and investment in AI. But your data isn't generating the revenue it should, your product team is struggling to keep pace with growth, and your AI spend isn't delivering the commercial returns to justify it.
I've spent 20 years helping B2B businesses turn underperforming assets into commercial outcomes. I'll tell you what's actually holding you back, not what you want to hear.
The situations I'm typically brought into
Practical, senior-level advisory services on the product challenges that matter most to scaling B2B businesses.
Data assets that aren't monetising
You have data and IP, but revenue isn't following. You've invested in building, but the products aren't gaining traction with customers or aren't generating the returns the business expected.
The root cause is almost always the same: the roadmap was built around what the business has, not the market problems that real customers will pay to fix.
I help you identify what's actually worth building, validate demand before you over-invest, and structure it in a way that generates sustainable revenue.
A product function struggling to keep up with growth
Scaling companies hit a predictable wall: the informal setup that worked at 30 people breaks at 150. Roadmaps fill up but commercial impact stalls. Decisions slow down and friction grows between product, engineering and commercial teams.
The problem is rarely the people. It's that the operating model never grew with the business.
I help you redesign how product decisions get made, align the function with commercial outcomes, and build a structure that scales without losing speed.
AI initiatives with low adoption and unclear ROI
You've invested in AI. There are pilots, tools, maybe even internal launches. But adoption is inconsistent, workflows haven't really changed, and the benefits aren't materialising as fast as expected.
This is almost always a product problem, not a technical one. Internal AI tools are still products, and they fail for the same reasons: built around capability rather than user need, and detached from the workflows they're supposed to support.
I help you re-anchor initiatives around real user problems, redesign workflows rather than just tools, and recover the value that gets lost between idea and adoption.
Fractional Advisor
About James
Over 20 years building, scaling and monetising data and AI products
Most product advisors have gone deep in one track. I've operated across the full commercial system: strategy consulting at IBM, alliances and commercial roles at LexisNexis, data analytics product and partnerships at DataSift, and eight years at Meltwater culminating as Head of Product for one of its largest divisions, 300 people across 12 global hubs, contributing tens of millions in ARR and launching AI-enabled products that generated $10m in new revenue.
That breadth matters. There are usually commercial, structural, strategic or engineering issues blending together with what may appear a straightforward product challenge. Having operated in all of those seats means I see the full picture faster, and I don't mistake the symptom for the cause.
I work directly with founders and leadership teams. I ask a lot of questions, challenge assumptions including my own, and bring genuine curiosity to situations even when I've seen something similar before. I'm not a report factory. I'm an operator you bring in when something important needs to work.
I'm based in London and work with clients globally.
$10m+ ARR product launch
Launched AI-enabled enterprise solutions generating over $10m in new ARR with a 10-point margin improvement.
$27m → $80m+ ARR
Strategic roadmap re-focus contributing to Enterprise ARR growth from $27m to over $80m.
20pt renewal lift
Introduced new product offerings that lifted renewal rates by 20 points versus legacy offers.
$15m ARR product launch
Designed analytics and advisory offerings to monetise a complex data platform, scaling through partner-led GTM
53,000 hours saved
Co-designed AI operating playbooks reducing average project effort by 45% across 140+ projects.
Enterprise analytics
Led the design and launch of enterprise-exclusive analytics offerings adopted by 200+ enterprise clients.
GET STARTED
How I work
1. Discovery (30 minutes)
No pitch, no deck. Tell me what's going on and I'll tell you honestly whether I can help and how. Most people find this conversation useful even if we don't go further.
2. Scoping
If there's a fit, we define the problem we're solving, what success looks like, and how we'll measure it. Every engagement has clear accountability built in from the start.
3. Engagement
Structured around your actual challenges, not a generic framework. Typically either fractional leadership at one to three days per week, or a focused project around a specific problem. I work directly with your leadership team, embedded in real decisions, not sitting on the sidelines.