Fractional CIO | IT Strategy for High-Stakes M&A | Faster M&A, Smoother Exits | De-risking IT & unlocking value | Author

Most technology integrations miss their synergy targets. Not because the technology is wrong, but because the right leadership wasn't in place early enough.

That's where I come in.

I'm an Interim / Fractional CIO specialising in Transformation & Resilience. I work with CEOs and boards of multi-site, acquisition-led businesses, typically PE-backed, 500–10,000 employees, to turn technology from a source of risk into a source of value.

When integration timelines slip, cyber posture is unclear, or the estate has grown faster than the team can manage, I step in to stabilise delivery, simplify complexity, and build a roadmap the board can trust.
Recent engagement:

VetPartners (BC Partners-backed, £1B revenue, 14,000 staff, 9 countries). Built the Group IT Strategy from scratch. Created acquisition integration blueprints. Accelerated new practice onboarding by 30%. Simultaneously ran IT operations for 540 UK practices.

Career outcomes:

£700M+ M&A technology integration across the platform and bolt-on acquisitions
£15M+ annual EBITDA contribution through operational excellence and cost optimisation
Technology leadership across automotive retail, consumer goods, and veterinary services

Clients call me when:

→ Integration is off-track, and synergies are at risk
→ The board wants cyber confidence before exit, audit, or due diligence
→ Technology is a red flag in the data room
→ They need senior leadership fast—without permanent headcount

I also serve as NED (Digital & Technology) at Age UK, and I've published on AI governance, IT leadership, and board-level technology strategy.

Available for select interim and fractional mandates.

Let's talk: DJ@Starkhorn.co.uk

Daniel J. Jacobs

The AI didn’t fail. It did exactly what we asked, just not what we meant.
We built an agent that ran flawlessly… until everything around it started quietly breaking.

 If you're leading AI deployments or planning to, this reflection might save you some heartache.

👇 Read it here: Reflections on Agentic AI, Human Trust, and the Space 

Between Promise and Reality

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned deploying AI in the real world?

Interim / Fractional CIO (Transformation & Resilience) | Board-level clarity on Technology (Risk • Cost • Delivery) | Multi-site & acquisition-led businesses | M&A integration • Cyber resilience • Operating model

View newsletter: Digital Disruption Digest

The system did what we asked. It just didn’t do what we meant, and we didn’t realise the difference until something subtle broke. Reflections on Agent

Open article: The AI didn’t fail. It did exactly what we asked — just not what we meant. by Daniel J. Jacobs • 7 min read

The AI didn’t fail. It did exactly what we asked — just not what we meant.

“We won’t fix the legacy stack, it’s too complex and too expensive. Let’s add AI and show progress.”

That move can create a short-term win.

The short-term gain

➡️ Nicer dashboards and “insight” layers
➡️ A quick story for the board: “We’re doing AI”
➡️ Lower upfront disruption than a proper rebuild
➡️ Faster cycle times in a few workflows (support, sales ops, reporting)

It feels like momentum because some metrics will move.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 (𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭)

If the core systems are brittle, AI becomes a high-gloss layer sitting on low-trust data and fragile processes.

You end up with:

➡️ Automation of mess (you scale inconsistency, not performance)
➡️ Rising change cost (each “quick win” increases architectural debt)
➡️ Hidden operational risk (every new model relies on unstable integrations)
➡️ A strategy trap (it looks modern, so the real modernisation never happens)
➡️ AI outputs nobody trusts (because the underlying data is wrong or incomplete)

AI on broken foundations doesn’t transform the business; it amplifies whatever the business already is.

𝐀 𝐂𝐄𝐎-𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭

Don’t ask, “Where can we deploy AI?”

Ask, “Where do we have clean ownership, stable data, and a repeatable process so AI can compound value instead of compounding risk?”

𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛:

If a process can’t be measured, governed, and explained without AI… Adding AI won’t fix it. It will just make it faster and harder to debug.

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Where in your business is AI used to modernise, and what would fixing the foundation unlock instead?

Kicking off 2026 with renewed energy and big goals, but what I’m hearing from leadership teams isn’t “new year, new me”.

It’s urgency.

After months of planning in 2025, 2026 is shaping up as the year of decisive execution. The “nice-to-have” transformation work is becoming “must-have” modernisation, and the question has changed:

𝐍𝐨𝐭: “Should we modernise?”
𝐁𝐮𝐭: “How fast can we move without breaking what already works?”

The companies that win this year will treat technology as a strategic lever, not a support function:

➔ IT optimisation as a weapon, not a cost centre
➔ M&A integration as value creation, not operational admin
➔ Cybersecurity as business enablement, not just risk management

If 2026 is the year you’re aiming to reduce complexity, strengthen resilience, or become acquisition-ready, I’m happy to compare notes.

What’s your biggest technology challenge heading into 2026?

#ITStrategy #DigitalTransformation #Cybersecurity #BusinessGrowth #2026Goals

New IT strategy question for 2026:
How fast can you change your mind—without breaking the business?

That confession will sound familiar to anyone who has watched organisations cycle through enthusiasm and quiet disappointment. Project NANDA’s prelimi

Open article: New IT strategy question for 2026:
How fast can you change your mind—without breaking the business? by Daniel J. Jacobs • 7 min read

70% of digital transformations fall short. It's not because the technology fails, but rather because the operating model remains unchanged. (McKinsey/BCG)

After years spent guiding transformations and saving millions across PE-backed businesses, one truth is impossible to ignore:

“Technology rarely breaks a transformation.
Behaviour, capability, and ownership do.”

Because if the organisation doesn’t change how it works, the tooling becomes nothing more than expensive wallpaper.

Here’s how this destroys EBITDA:

𝟏. 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞

If leaders don’t change how they work, new systems become old habits wrapped in a new interface.

Commercial impact:
→ £300k–£700k in unrealised value for a mid-market portfolio company.

𝟐. 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲

You can’t scale with a workforce that doesn’t believe in the new system—or lacks the skills to use it.

The hard truth:

- 60% of work can be automated
- 70% of teams fear the capability gap
- 80% of leaders mistake resistance for stubbornness (instead of upskilling)

Commercial impact:
→ 10–15% rise in operating costs (often £500k+ annually)

𝟑. 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

When nobody owns decisions, transformations collapse under their own weight:

- No clear accountabilities
- No single owner for platforms
- No clarity on “who delivers what, by when”

Commercial impact:
→ £5M–£10M wiped off the exit valuation due to poor execution discipline

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛:

Spend your first 30 days on:
✓ Shifting behaviour
✓ Upskilling teams and rebuilding capability
✓ Establishing clear ownership and decision rights

When behaviour, capability, and ownership move in tandem, PE-backed companies typically see a 1–4% annual improvement in EBITDA.

Because successful transformations were never about technology —
They’re about disciplined execution.

Repost ♻️ if you’re tired of seeing transformations fail for the same avoidable reasons.

P.S. CIOs, which mistake (1–3) do you see most often in the field?

Early in my career, I measured myself by how much I was needed.

Every escalation that landed on my desk felt like proof I was valuable.
Every decision that required my sign-off confirmed I was essential.

Then I took two weeks off. And the wheels came off.

Not because my team wasn’t capable.
Because I’d built a system that required me to function. I’d confused being needed with being effective.

That was a hard lesson. And it shows up fast in boardrooms and due diligence.

When investors assess a business, they’re not only looking at EBITDA.
They’re quietly asking: what happens if this person leaves?

If the honest answer is “things slow down” or “decisions stall”, that risk gets priced in, even if performance looks fine today.

The harsh reality for technology leaders is that being indispensable isn’t a sign of strength; it's a sign of vulnerability masked as importance.

The shift that changed how I lead:

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, “How do we perform when I’m here?”
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, “How do we perform when I’m not?”

Design decision rights so choices don’t bottleneck.
Build operating rhythms that run without you in the room.
Create clarity so your team doesn’t need to check with you; they already know.

That’s operational maturity: not a leader holding things together, but a system that doesn’t need holding.

What’s one thing you’ve deliberately built to work without you?

PE firms don’t buy technology.
They buy better EBITDA.

This is the non-negotiable truth of Private Equity.

Most CIOs still believe PE wants:
• New platforms
• AI implementation
• Modern tech stacks
• Big transformation programmes

This is “technology theatre”.

After delivering £1.5M in savings across multiple PE-backed businesses in 10+ countries, one pattern is consistent: 𝐏𝐄 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬.

Here's the brutal truth. PE partners aren't interested in shiny tech. They need commercial clarity.

They priorities:

𝟏. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧:
Reducing operational cost through vendor optimisation, licence rationalisation, and system consolidation.

𝟐: 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
Eliminating technical and vendor debt (including the £500k penalties and £3M true-ups we routinely uncover) that can erode exit value.

𝟑. 𝐀 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲:
Building a simple, scalable platform that guarantees growth. Allows the next buyer to pay a higher multiple (as seen in the 10x outcome achieved for one of our clients).

This requires the CIO to become the Chief Value Officer.

Every transformational decision (from renewing a Salesforce contract to integrating a new acquisition) must be tied around its direct commercial outcome— otherwise it's noise.

P.S. What is the single biggest "tech for optics" investment you’ve seen that failed to deliver a measurable EBITDA-level return? Comment ↓

AI in growth planning has moved from experiment to operating system. Five evidence-backed patterns, and what actually changes in your next planning cycle

The shift isn't about faster spreadsheets. It's about fundamentally rethinking how organisations sense, decide, and adapt. Something quiet but profoun

Open article: 5 Ways AI Is Reshaping Growth Planning in 2026 by Daniel J. Jacobs • 5 min read

5 Ways AI Is Reshaping Growth Planning in 2026

Your M&A integration strategy should do one thing above all: protect EBITDA.

Most integrations fail because leaders start with systems rather than commercial reality.

They obsess over:
- Buying new tools
- Implementing platforms
- Rebuilding CRMs
- Chasing “transformation theatre.”
- Forcing teams to adapt before they’re ready

And the consequences are predictable.
Here’s how EBITDA leaks when leaders ignore commercial reality:

𝟏. 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
Misaligned teams delay integration by 30–60 days, resulting in £500k+ in EBITDA leakage.

𝟐. 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬:
Each delay increases deal costs by 10–15%, often adding £500k–£1M in extra operating spend.

𝟑. 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬:
A 60–90-day delay can reduce valuation by 0.5x–1.2x EBITA multiples, wiping £5M–£12M from the exit story of a mid-market portfolio company.

And once EBITDA leaks, you almost never get it back.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬:
Protecting EBITDA is unrelated to technology.

It begins with stabilising people, contracts, and processes in the first 90 days (long before systems are touched).

Because if teams aren’t aligned, contracts aren’t secured, and processes aren’t controlled, the exit clock is already ticking. Every month of delay permanently erodes value.

This is why the best CIOs ruthlessly remove duplication, noise, and complexity.
They lead with clarity, disciplined sequencing, and clean commercial execution.

The result?

𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 £𝟐𝟓𝟎𝐤–£𝟓𝟎𝟎𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝟗𝟎 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 (as we’ve seen repeatedly across multiple PE-backed businesses).

Commercial stability comes first.
Systems come last.

Repost ♻️ if you’re tired of watching the same integration failures repeated across the industry.

P.S. What’s the most expensive integration mistake you’ve seen CIOs make? Comment below ↓

Alt text for the Image: M&A Integration Strategy Fix

Most execs don’t realise it… 
Every time employees use public AI tools for sensitive work, they could be training their competitors’ systems.

After Samsung’s $100M wake-up call, and seeing similar risks across industries. I built a framework to help leaders turn AI governance into a competitive edge.

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eDRYMFFt

🪄 Biz Dev @ Caplena | 🤖 Helping you Unlock Actionable Insights from Open-Ended Customer Feedback and Supercharge your Customer Centricity 🎯 | Click below👇

I've been many things throughout the years: a curious kid, a mischievous teenager, an international student, a pro kickboxer, a uni dropout, an Oxford alumnus, a salesman, a speaker, a deep thinker, a digital marketer, an entrepreneur, and now a GTM engineer. Embodying each of these labels shaped who I’ve become, but also forged the cognitive flexibility required to continuously reinvent myself in response to life’s demands. I’m forever grateful for the lessons learned from wearing so many different hats, as I continue on this unconventional journey, at the bleeding edge of emerging tech, during the most exciting time in human history.

The biggest barrier companies face while scaling revenue isn't effort; it's a broken system. Most companies are stuck with an inconsistent pipeline, poor deliverability, and outreach that fails to connect because their GTM engine is built on a weak foundation.

At Instantly, I architect enterprise-grade outbound engines for our VIP clients, solving these systemic problems at the core. My work involves:

♟️ Client Strategy → Digging into each client’s ICP, mapping their dream outcomes, identifying critical pain points, and uncovering high-growth levers that make the difference when pulled.

🧲 Offer Engineering → Reverse-engineering high-perceived-value offers that feel premium but scale easily.

💡 Smart Campaign Execution → Building and testing outbound sequences with personalized copy, data-driven targeting, and positioning that makes free offers feel paid.

📊 Iteration & Impact → Tracking key KPIs, refining campaigns, and scaling once traction is achieved.

Languages: English (C2) | German (C2) | Croatian (Native) | Spanish (B2)

Always open to connecting with founders and revenue leaders who are obsessed with building scalable growth systems.

Mark K.

New Year, New chapter.

After building enterprise-grade outbound engines for VIP clients at Instantly.ai in 2025, I’m joining Peakora as a GTM & RevOps Engineer in 2026.

What’s changing is the scope.

Until now, my world was outbound execution at a very high level: ICP work, offer engineering, deliverability, campaign architecture, KPI-driven iteration, and translating strategy into sequences that produced pipeline.

Moving forward, outbound is still in the stack, but it’s no longer the whole job. The job is the system and the coaching on it.

I’ll be building and operating AI-powered GTM infrastructure end to end:

> Market & targeting: ICP, TAM mapping, segmentation, signal layers

> Technology: Clay workflows, enrichment pipelines, HubSpot-first RevOps architecture, automations, routing, agents

> Strategy: GTM motion vs deal size, conversion pathways, value proposition engineering

> Execution: multi-channel outbound + LinkedIn “all-bound” loops that warm leads over time

> Measurement: dashboards, KPIs, experimentation, iteration

Peakora’s edge is simple: we build client-owned systems with deep CRM integration. No “meetings as a service.” No dependency. The goal is compounding revenue infrastructure that the client can run in-house.

Super excited to dive deeper into systems thinking, automation, and RevOps, while still keeping the craft of offers and messaging sharp.

If you’re a founder or revenue leader building in B2B SaaS or IT services and you care about scalable, owned GTM infrastructure, happy to connect.

A big Thank You to Joël L. Capt and the team for bringing me on board! 🚀 🇨🇭

Pi-Shaped Professional | GTMe & RevOps @ Peakora | Oxford Alum

My 2025 wrapped:

- turned 30 in December
- learned more technical skills than ever before
- first apperance on a podcast (post about it coming soon)
- joined Instantly.ai as a GTM Engineer
- worked with 48 different clients from all over the world
- generated 900 opportunities through outbound campaigns
- contributed to the craziest growth I’ve ever seen
- started posting frequently on LinkedIn
- visited 5 new countries
- unlocked my strongest physique so far 
- 2 min. ice tub PR @ 3°C
- went toe to toe in sparring with pro fighters 
- first time seeing a giraffe face to face
- discovered some of the most interesting cognitive frameworks that connected dots floating around in my mind since childhood (post about it coming soon)
- ate some of the finest foods on the planet
- met dozens of new high-quality people and became close friends with lots of them
- attended the largest ticketed concert in history -> MPT @ Hipodrom ZG (look it up)
- totaled my car in a highway accident


What a year 😅 I have a feeling that 2026 is going to be the best year so far though. 

I’ve put in a decade of work to start seeing results like this, so never give up, gold might be waiting for you around the corner. 

The best things in life come slow, but certain.

Big news coming soon!

No alternative text description for this image

Everyone’s obsessing over subject lines and icebreakers…

But nobody’s talking about the REAL reason your cold emails tank.

It’s your offer.

And I’m gonna be brutally honest with you here.

Most people’s offers SUCK.

- They’re generic.
- Vague. 
- Sound exactly like the 444 other emails sitting in that prospect’s inbox.

Here’s what actually works at Instantly.ai…

We do not start with writing copy.

We do not jump into sequences.

We start with business intelligence.

Competition deep dive.
Customer analysis.
Pain point mapping.
The works.

THEN we synthesize offers from that data.

Not one blanket offer for everyone.

We create MINI OFFERS that speak directly to what keeps that specific prospect up at 3am.

For example…

My offer is not a “Discovery call” or an “Onboarding call”

It’s a GTM STRATEGY SESSION where we map out exactly how you’re getting crushed by competitors right now and what to do about it.

See the difference.

One’s forgettable.
The other makes you lean in, feels personalized and relvant.

This is what separates cold outreach that gets 0.1 percent reply rates from campaigns that convert at 3 percent plus.

It’s not your email warmup.
It’s not your domain reputation.
It’s not whether you used their first name in line one.

It’s whether you made them an offer they literally CAN’T refuse because it’s so stupidly relevant to their situation RIGHT NOW.

Supply and demand kicks in hard here too.

You offering a free consultation.
Everyone does that.

You offering to audit their top competitor’s entire outbound strategy and show them exactly where they’re winning.

NOW we’re talking.

People don’t buy what you sell.
They buy what their specific problem needs solved.

Most agencies onboard clients and immediately start blasting emails.

We spend the first few weeks building intelligence reports.

Understanding what actually matters to THAT business.

Not businesses in general.

THAT one.

Then we craft offers that feel like we read their mind.

That’s the lever nobody pulls.

Everyone’s tweaking copy, testing subject lines, A slash B testing send times…

But you need to fix your offer FIRST.

Then worry about everything else.

P.S. Got into this whole thing on Saurav G.’s  SalesṚobot.co podcast. They automate LinkedIn outreach. Pretty solid tool.

Full episode in comments.

I’ll share the link when it’s live.

Almost every day, someone asks me what a GTM Engineer is.

I used to overcomplicate it.

So I asked Gemini to explain my job to different kinds of people, and it gave me the clearest explanations I ever heard.

1) To a kid: The Lemonade Stand 🍋

Imagine you have the best lemonade stand in the world, and you want everyone in the city to know about it.

*The problem*

You cannot go door-to-door yourself. It would take forever.

*The GTM Engineer’s solution*

Instead of hiring more kids to walk around, you build smart drones that fly over the city, spot people who look thirsty, and drop personalized invites right into their hands.

That's leverage.

2) To someone non-technical (not even in business) 🤠

Think of a GTM Engineer as the Chief Architect of a city’s transit system.

*The goal*

Move people (customers) from their homes (interest) to the city center (buying) as efficiently as possible.

*Without a GTM Engineer*

•  Everyone drives their own car.
•  Traffic everywhere.
•  People get lost.

*With one*

 - Highways are designed.
 - Traffic lights are synchronized.
 - The bus (marketing) drops people off exactly where the train (sales) is waiting.

The GTM Engineer does not drive the buses or sell tickets; they use data and systems so nothing gets stuck.

3) To a brick-and-mortar business owner 🥸

You own a great physical store, but your team spends half their day on paperwork, inventory checks, and manual follow-ups.

*The GTM Engineer’s role*

They act like a Master Mechanic and Systems Architect for your business.

Imagine a repeat customer walks in. 

A system recognizes them. 

Checks what they bought last year.

Alerts the salesperson:

“Mr. Jones is back. Last time he bought a sofa. Show him the matching armchairs on sale today.”

This is how you turn a complex sales process into a scalable machine without hiring dozens more people.

4) A technical person in business already understands this lol 😅 but if you want the real behind-the-scenes job description, it is basically:

• Automating outreach, lead capture, enrichment, scoring, and routing
• Connecting tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, ZoomInfo, Clay, and Instantly.ai via APIs
• Keeping revenue data clean and real-time
• Using AI to personalize outreach at scale
• Rapidly testing new GTM plays without weeks of alignment

5) My favorite analogy: The MMA of business 🥋

• Striker (Sales / Growth) 🥊
 Commercial mindset. Revenue targets. Conversion psychology.

• Wrestler (Data / Systems) 🤼 
 Control and leverage. SQL, APIs, data models. Nothing gets lost.

• Jiu-Jitsu (AI / Automation) 🧠
Minimal force, maximum output. AI + no-code doing the work of 100 people while humans sleep.

That is a GTM Engineer.

Which explanation is your favourite?

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