Fractional Chief Data & AI Officer — Strategic AI Leadership on Retainer
Fractional Chief Data & AI Officer — Strategic AI Leadership on Retainer
Your Chief AI Officer. On Retainer.
A full-time Chief Data Officer costs $250,000–$400,000 a year — and takes six months to hire. A Fractional CAIO from Ascend gives your company the same strategic capability, embedded in your leadership team, available immediately, and accountable to your AI outcomes.
Most mid-market companies know AI is strategic — but the talent market is brutal, the salary is high, and a full-time hire often sits underutilized.
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How It Works
- 2–4 days per month of embedded senior time
- 90-day initial engagement — then monthly renewal
- Dedicated to a maximum of 4–6 clients at a time (for quality)
- Onboarding: 30-day immersion in your business, data, and competitive landscape
- Weekly async updates + monthly leadership briefing
Who It’s For
Mid-market companies ($20M–$500M revenue) where: the board has added AI to the agenda, a CDO search has stalled or been paused, a competitor just announced an AI initiative, or the company is in a regulated industry requiring AI governance leadership.
Your Fractional CAIO
Dhanunjay Padal
Dhanunjay Padal is the President & CEO of Ascend InfoTech Inc., where he leads enterprise data strategy, architecture, and transformation initiatives. With over 15 years of experience across cloud platforms, data governance, and modern analytics, Dhanunjay champions the “Data as an Asset” philosophy—helping organizations unlock measurable business value from their data. Through his blogs, he shares practical insights, industry trends, and real-world strategies to turn data into a competitive advantage.
FAQs
- Q: Can we try before committing long-term? → Yes. We start with a 90- day roadmap engagement before any ongoing retainer.
- Q: How many other clients are you working with? → We cap at 4–6 to ensure quality. Availability is limited.
- Q: What if we want to hire full-time later? → We can help you write the JD and identify candidates — no conflict.
14 Years +
In the market
100 Million +
Client Savings
91%
Customer Satisfaction
80%
Research
AI leadership shouldn’t require a $400K hire. Let’s talk about what the right model looks like for you.
