Fractional COO · AI Strategy · Executive Advisory
20+ years of Fortune 500 leadership at Equifax and Citigroup — now available as your fractional COO and strategic advisor. I bring enterprise-grade operational discipline and AIGP-certified AI governance to organizations that need it, without the full-time overhead.
What I do
I work at the intersection of operational excellence and AI transformation — the exact place where most organizations get stuck. Here's how I engage.
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Embedded executive leadership that brings Fortune 500 operational discipline to your organization — without the full-time cost. I become part of your leadership team, not a consultant looking in from the outside.
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AIGP-certified advisory that bridges the gap between AI ambition and responsible, scalable deployment. I help organizations move from experimentation to production — with the governance frameworks that protect them along the way.
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Transformation programs that actually land. I've led enterprise-scale digital initiatives across financial services and technology — and I know the difference between a transformation that gets announced and one that gets done.
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Post-acquisition integration leadership that protects value and accelerates the path to synergy. From due diligence through Day 100 and beyond, I help organizations absorb complexity without losing momentum.
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About
I'm Neil Suthar — founder and principal of Sage Blue Strategy. I spent over two decades inside Fortune 500 organizations, running some of the most complex operational and technology programs in financial services and enterprise technology.
At Equifax, I managed a $300M global technology portfolio, led an enterprise AI Task Force, and drove over $60M in documented cost savings. At Citigroup, I led cross-functional programs spanning nine divisions, 6,000 FTEs, and $40M in operational improvements across one of the world's most complex regulated environments.
I hold the AIGP certification — one of the few senior operators with both the enterprise track record and the formal AI governance credential. I founded Sage Blue Strategy to bring that caliber of leadership to organizations that need it most, without the full-time overhead or the impersonal model of a large consulting firm.
I'm based in St. Louis, MO and work with clients nationally — in person where it matters, remotely where it works.
"My job isn't to tell you what to do. It's to stand beside you while you do it — and make sure it actually holds."
Before founding Sage Blue Strategy, I also founded RNS Management Group, where I identified over $100M in cost reduction and revenue opportunities for clients across multiple industries. That founder experience shapes everything about how I work — I think like an operator, not an observer.
How it works
Every engagement begins with understanding — not assumptions. Here's how we move from first conversation to measurable outcomes.
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A direct, 30-minute conversation. I want to understand what you're navigating, what's not working, and whether I'm the right person to help. No pitch. No deck. Just an honest conversation.
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If there's a fit, I spend the first two to three weeks understanding the real situation — not the version in the deck. I talk to your people, read your numbers, and form my own view.
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I deliver a clear, direct point of view on what needs to happen and in what order. Not a 200-slide deck — a working document you can actually use to make decisions.
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I work alongside your team to implement — attending the right meetings, making the right calls, holding the right accountability. The work doesn't stop at strategy delivery.
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Every engagement has defined success metrics. I don't leave until we can both point to what changed, what was built, and what it's worth. The goal is impact you can take to your board.
Results
The measure of an advisor is what they leave behind. Here's what leaders say about working with Sage Blue Strategy.
Neil doesn't just advise — he gets in the room, understands what's actually broken, and builds something that holds after he's gone. That's a rare combination at the executive level.
Fortune 500 Financial Services
Having someone with his AI governance background and COO instincts in the same person is genuinely rare. We moved faster and more safely than we would have without him. Worth every dollar.
PE-backed SaaS Company
The clarity he brought to our AI strategy saved us from two very expensive mistakes before we'd made them. If you're navigating AI governance at the enterprise level, talk to Neil first.
Regional Healthcare System
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Insights
Short-form perspectives on AI governance, operational transformation, and what it actually takes to lead well in 2026 and beyond.
AI Governance
The problem isn't the policy document. It's that governance is designed by lawyers and handed to engineers. Here's what actually works.
Fractional Leadership
When a mid-market company needs operational discipline, the instinct is to hire. Here's why that's often the wrong call — and what to do instead.
Transformation
After leading $300M in enterprise transformation programs, I've seen both. The difference almost always comes down to one thing: who owns accountability after the kickoff.
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Let's talk
A 30-minute discovery call is where every engagement begins. No pitch, no pressure — just a direct conversation about what you're navigating and whether I'm the right person to help.