AI Governance & Strategy · Operational Excellence · Program Leadership

Build the operational foundation your organization needs to scale.

MBA · PMP · AIGP | St. Louis, MO | Available Nationally & Remote

I embed as a fractional Chief Operating Officer, AI governance advisor, or senior program leader. My work focuses on building the operational infrastructure, financial discipline, and governance frameworks that enable organizations to scale responsibly, transform strategically, and deploy AI effectively.

View My Work
25+
Years of Leadership
$100M+
Cost Savings Delivered
$300M
Budget Managed
1,500+
Global Workforce Oversight

Who I Work With

I add the most value when there's a genuine operational challenge to solve—not another report gathering dust on a shelf. The situations where I've had the biggest impact fall into four categories.

Scaling Company, Outgrowing Its Systems

You're growing—but the systems, processes, and financial controls built for $5M aren't built for $50M. The founder is buried in operational decisions that shouldn't require them. Nothing is broken, but nothing scales either.

  • Revenue: $10M–$200M
  • Founder-led or private equity-backed
  • Technology, services, or regulated industries
  • Needs: operational infrastructure, OKR governance, P&L discipline

Enterprise Adopting AI Without Governance

You're piloting GenAI, deploying LLMs, or integrating Agentic AI—but you lack the governance structure, compliance guardrails, or measurement frameworks to do it responsibly at scale.

  • Regulated industries: fintech, healthcare, data & analytics
  • Enterprise or mid-market technology company
  • Active AI initiatives but no governance framework
  • Needs: policy, accountability, task force leadership, board-level reporting

Organization in Transformation or Transition

You're navigating a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or leadership transition. You need someone to run the operational workstream, manage integration, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks during the transition.

  • M&A integration and post-merger alignment
  • Leadership gap between departure and permanent hire
  • Major technology or workforce transformation underway
  • Needs: interim COO function, integration PM, stabilization

Mission-Driven Organization Needing Operational Rigor

You lead a nonprofit, NGO, research institution, or mission-driven organization with vision and talent, but without the operational and governance infrastructure to deliver at the scale your mission requires.

  • Nonprofit, foundation, international organization, or university
  • Complex multi-stakeholder environments
  • Governance and accountability frameworks needed
  • Needs: strategic planning, board governance, performance systems
Not the right fit if: You need a full-time embedded hire on day one · You're pre-revenue or pre-product · You're looking for a junior operations manager · You need marketing or sales leadership

Services

Three core service lines, each available as a fractional retainer, defined project, or advisory engagement. Every engagement starts with a 30-minute conversation to understand your situation before anything is proposed.

AI Governance & Strategy

Design and operationalize the AI governance framework your organization needs to adopt Generative AI, Agentic AI, and LLMs responsibly.

  • Enterprise AI governance framework design
  • AI Task Force leadership and enablement
  • Responsible AI policy and compliance alignment
  • AI maturity assessment
  • SDLC benchmarks for AI productivity
  • Board-level AI governance reporting

Operational Excellence & Fractional COO

Embed as your part-time Chief Operating Officer—building the systems, P&L discipline, and cross-functional accountability infrastructure your organization needs to scale or stabilize.

  • P&L management and budget governance
  • OKR/KPI architecture and performance dashboards
  • Workforce and organizational design
  • Vendor management and sourcing strategy
  • M&A integration and operational workstreams
  • Cross-functional alignment

Program Leadership & Governance

Stand up a PMO, design governance frameworks, and deliver complex multi-stakeholder programs end-to-end—from enterprise transformations to strategic planning engagements.

  • PMO design and program governance
  • OKR architecture and strategic accountability
  • BPO strategy and vendor governance
  • Global sourcing program design
  • Board and stakeholder governance
  • Multi-geography coordination

Engagement Models

Most engagements begin with a 30-day diagnostic before moving to an ongoing model.

How We Work Together

01

30-Minute Call

A focused conversation about your situation—where operations stand, what's blocking you, and whether there's a genuine fit. No pitch. No proposal until I understand the problem.

02

Diagnostic

A 2–4 week operational assessment—understanding your systems, financials, team, and specific challenges. Delivered as a written brief with prioritized recommendations.

03

Proposal

A clear engagement proposal: scope, timeline, engagement model, and expected outcomes. Straightforward terms. No equity. No long-term lock-in.

04

Execution

Embedded engagement—attending leadership meetings, delivering work, tracking outcomes. Regular executive check-ins. Results measured from month one.

About

Neil Suthar - Fractional COO & AI Governance Advisor

25 Years of Building Things That Work

I started at PricewaterhouseCoopers running state tax engagements for Fortune companies, learning that financial discipline drives how organizations make decisions and whether strategy actually gets executed.

Then six years at Citigroup building the first offshore BPO program spanning Asia and Latin America, followed by Citadel building a global sourcing operation for a demanding hedge fund back office.

In 2010, I spent twelve years running my own businesses—e-commerce, coffeehouse, real estate, consulting—identifying $100M+ in opportunities for clients. That taught me what corporate life doesn't: what every operational hat actually requires.

I returned to enterprise in 2022 as VP of Technology / COO at Equifax, managing a $300M budget and delivering $80M in cost savings while co-authoring the enterprise AI governance framework.

MBA · PMP · AIGP | St. Louis, MO | Work nationally & remotely

What I Believe

On Operational Excellence

Operational excellence isn't about efficiency for its own sake. It's about creating the conditions where talented people can do their best work.

On My Approach

I show up as a peer to leadership, not a vendor. I form views quickly and share them directly. No hedging. No reports gathering dust.

On My Differentiation

I've been the COO. I've been the founder. I've managed $300M budgets and opened a cafe. That breadth is rare among operational advisors.

Selected Use Cases

A sampling of programs and initiatives across operations, AI governance, and program leadership.

AI Governance & Strategy

Enterprise AI Governance Framework Design

Equifax | Co-authored foundational enterprise AI governance framework addressing accountability, AI metrics, model transparency, and regulatory compliance.

Result: Framework operationalized across $2.4B+ revenue portfolio, AI Task Force stood up to deliver governance initiatives.

Operational Excellence

$80M in Realized Cost Savings

Equifax | As VP of Technology / COO, managed $300M global budget for 2,200+ person organization. Implemented disciplined P&L management, workforce optimization, and vendor governance.

Result: Three consecutive years of on-target savings, $200M+ opportunities identified.

Operational Excellence

$40M+ Global Workforce Savings, 60% Throughput Gain

Citigroup | Designed unified global workforce strategy across 9 divisions. Built cross-border compliance framework, negotiated master contracts, and led BPO integration.

Result: $40M+ saved, 60% processing throughput increase across 9 divisions.

Program Leadership

Global Sourcing Program Design & Execution

Citadel | Built global sourcing operation from scratch for demanding hedge fund back office. Established vendor selection criteria and SLA governance.

Result: $5M–$20M+ annual savings, 1,000+ offshore resources managed, 15% turnaround improvement.

Program Leadership

OKR Architecture & Enterprise PMO

Equifax | Designed full OKR/KPI architecture for 2,200+ person global organization. Built executive dashboards, led PMO governing 6+ major programs.

Result: OKR system cascaded across organization, real-time performance visibility, three consecutive years of on-target strategic delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a typical engagement cost?

Fractional COO retainers typically range from $8,000–$20,000/month depending on scope, hours, and complexity. Defined project engagements are scoped and priced to specific deliverables. Advisory arrangements start at a lower monthly rate for lighter-touch support. I'm transparent about pricing from the first conversation—no proposals before I understand your situation.

How much time do you dedicate per week?

Most fractional engagements run 2–3 days per week (10–15 hours). Advisory engagements are lighter: 8–12 hours per month. Defined project engagements are scoped to specific deliverables. I typically take on 2–3 clients at any given time, which allows me to stay deeply engaged without spreading thin.

How long do engagements typically run?

Most engagements run 6–18 months, starting with a 30-day diagnostic. Many extend beyond the initial term. I don't do one-month engagements—the work I do takes time to build and deliver. That said, I work on rolling monthly terms after the initial period, so you're not locked in.

What industries do you work in?

I have the deepest experience in regulated industries—financial services, data and analytics, fintech—and in technology companies generally. I've also worked effectively in professional services, e-commerce, nonprofits, and multi-unit retail. If you're outside these areas, I'm happy to have an honest conversation about fit.

Are you open to full-time roles?

Yes—for the right opportunity. My portfolio of fractional and consulting work reflects a deliberate choice about how I spend my time, not a limitation. If you're building something where full-time engagement makes more sense than fractional, I'm open to that conversation.

Do you work remotely?

Yes. I'm based in St. Louis, MO, and work with clients nationally and remotely. Most of my work is delivered remotely, with travel to client sites as needed for key meetings, planning sessions, or onboarding. I've managed global teams across multiple time zones for 20+ years, so remote-first is not a limitation.

What makes you different from other fractional COOs?

Most fractional COOs have deep expertise in one domain. I've operated at the VP/COO level inside a Fortune 500 ($300M budget, 1,500 people), built a hedge fund's global sourcing operation from scratch, co-founded and ran multiple businesses, and co-authored an enterprise AI governance framework. That breadth—connecting operational discipline to AI governance to financial stewardship to program delivery—is rare.

How does the first conversation work?

It's 30 minutes. No pitch. I'll ask you to describe your current situation—where your operations stand, what's blocking you, and what success looks like in 90 days. I'll share a candid perspective on whether I think I can help. If there's a fit, we'll talk about next steps. If not, I'll tell you that too.

Ready to Have a Real Conversation?

Tell me what you're working on. I'll tell you honestly whether I can help—and what working together could look like.

Connect on LinkedIn
  • ✓ 30-minute intro call, no obligation
  • ✓ Response within 24 hours
  • ✓ National & remote engagements
  • ✓ Currently accepting 1–2 new clients