Advisory & NED Engagements

Independent counsel at the level that matters

Board-level advisory and Non-Executive Director engagements for organisations where cybersecurity, technology governance, and digital strategy are material to performance, compliance, and long-term resilience.

The Case for Senior Advisory

Boards need someone who can genuinely challenge on technology risk, not defer to it

The gap between technical complexity and board-level understanding is one of the most persistent governance problems in modern organisations. Most boards have no meaningful way to evaluate what management tells them about cyber risk, AI adoption, or technology strategy, they are operating without informed oversight in one of the most consequential risk domains they face.

My role in advisory and NED engagements is to bridge that gap, giving boards the capacity to ask the right questions, challenge management credibly, and make informed decisions about risks they cannot afford to misunderstand. That value comes from 25 years of operational CISO leadership inside complex organisations, combined with former advisory relationships at the FCA, NCSC, and Lloyds of London.

"The most consequential decisions boards make about cyber security are not technical decisions. They are governance decisions, accountability decisions, and risk decisions. That is precisely where senior independent advisory adds value."

Why it matters now

FCA cyber resilience expectations escalating for financial services boards

DORA introduces binding operational resilience obligations from January 2025

NIS2 extends board-level accountability across critical sectors

AI governance is becoming a board-level responsibility under emerging regulation

Cyber insurance underwriters requiring evidence of governance quality and board oversight

Lloyd's market cyber risk standards raising expectations across participants

Engagement Structures

How advisory relationships are structured

Every engagement is designed around the organisation's specific governance structure, needs, and circumstances. The following represent the primary forms advisory relationships take.

Non-Executive Director

A formal board appointment providing independent oversight, challenge, and strategic counsel. I sit on the board as any NED, attending board and committee meetings, providing independent challenge to executive management, and contributing strategic judgement on cybersecurity, technology risk, and digital strategy. The value is genuine expertise, not a compliance credential.

Appropriate for: regulated financial institutions, insurance organisations, technology companies, and organisations where technology risk is board-level material.

Advisory Board Member

A structured advisory role providing regular, substantive counsel to the board or executive team on cybersecurity, technology strategy, and governance. Typically a quarterly or monthly engagement, less formal than a full NED appointment but providing consistent, ongoing strategic input and challenge rather than one-off advice.

Appropriate for: mid-market organisations, scaling technology businesses, and companies seeking ongoing governance input without a full board appointment.

Strategic Advisory Retainer

An ongoing retainer providing direct access to senior counsel on a responsive basis. Structured around regular touchpoints with additional availability as circumstances require. Suited to organisations facing a sustained period of strategic complexity, major transformation, regulatory engagement, M&A with technology risk dimensions, or heightened cyber threat.

Appropriate for: organisations in transformation, post-incident recovery, or navigating significant regulatory change.

Programme Advisory

Time-bound senior oversight for a specific initiative, a digital transformation programme, an AI governance framework, a security architecture redesign, or a regulatory compliance programme. I provide senior strategic and governance direction without being embedded in delivery, ensuring the programme is designed to a standard that will withstand board, regulator, and external scrutiny.

Appropriate for: major transformation programmes, regulatory submissions, and initiatives where independent senior validation is required.

What I Bring

The specific value of this advisory relationship

Not generic governance experience. Not a title. Genuine operational depth, regulatory proximity, and the independence that comes from having nothing to sell other than sound judgement.

Regulatory Proximity

Former appointments with the FCA ISCCG, NCSC, and Lloyds Market Cyber Risk Committee built a direct, first-hand understanding of regulatory direction, not a secondhand reading of published guidance.

Operational CISO Experience

Former CISO at MS Amlin, British Land, Suntory Group, and Xoserve, with experience leading security functions inside complex, regulated organisations under real pressure.

FTSE-Level Track Record

Direct experience governing security programmes at FTSE 100 scale across financial services, insurance, energy infrastructure, and real estate.

Industry Leadership

Former EC-Council Global Advisory Board and InfoSecurity Europe Advisory Council positions placed me at the centre of where professional standards and industry practice are defined.

Strategic Independence

I will tell you what I observe, not what you want to hear, the independence from management, vendors, and received wisdom that substantive advisory requires.

Deliberate Scarcity

I take a limited number of engagements, because advisory relationships built on genuine trust require the time and attention to develop them properly.

Who This Is For

The right advisory relationship requires the right fit

I work with organisations where cybersecurity, technology governance, and digital strategy are genuinely material, where board-level decisions about these matters have real consequences for regulatory standing, operational resilience, and stakeholder confidence.

The strongest engagements come from organisations that want independent challenge and substantive contribution, not validation of decisions already made, or a governance credential without the substance behind it.

Boards of regulated financial institutions seeking technology governance expertise

Insurance and Lloyd's market organisations managing cyber risk at enterprise scale

Critical infrastructure operators under NIS2 and heightened security obligations

Public sector and government-adjacent organisations with sensitive information environments

Technology companies scaling into regulated markets requiring credible governance infrastructure

Organisations navigating major digital transformation, AI adoption, M&A, or post-incident recovery

Ali is currently open to new Non-Executive Director appointments, advisory board memberships, and strategic advisory retainers. Engagements are taken selectively, prioritising organisations where the work carries genuine consequence and where board-level security governance is a material issue. If you are considering an advisory or NED appointment and believe there may be a fit, an introductory conversation is the right place to start.

Considering an advisory appointment?

The first conversation is about understanding your situation. Please introduce yourself and your organisation.

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