Boutique, Independent AI Governance Consultancy in the UK

I have been thinking about
responsible AI since 2018

David Viney
David Viney · ACA · CITP · 25+ years · BBC, Heathrow, WPP

I run a boutique AI governance consultancy in London, working across the UK as an independent AI governance consultant to boards, SMEs and mid-market leadership teams. The work covers responsible AI consulting, agentic AI governance, AI risk assessment, EU AI Act and ISO 42001 readiness, and fractional Chief AI Officer leadership.

Book an MOT Explore MASTER-AI™
Proprietary Framework

MASTER-AI™

A six-domain AI governance framework grounded in ISO 42001, the EU AI Act and NIST AI RMF. A working tool for boards and technology leaders, not process theatre.
Model lifecycle Algorithm explainability Supply chain Trusted data Engaged humans Risk management
Explore the MASTER-AI framework →
MASTER-AI framework diagram: six domains (model lifecycle, algorithm explainability, supply chain, trusted data, engaged humans, risk management) feeding one AI governance function
Six domains, one governance function
What I do

AI governance consulting,
assurance and delivery

01

AI Strategy & Fractional Chief AI Officer (CAIO)

As your fractional CAIO and AI governance consultant I own the AI strategy and roadmap at leadership level, set the governance framework, and give the board confidence that AI is being adopted responsibly. It suits organisations that need senior AI leadership without a full-time hire.

Mode 1: Consulting
Global Engineering Consultancy · 10,000+ staff · Arup
Joi: The First Artificial Employee
Built and deployed Joi, an early agentic AI system that logged into Arup's top ten business systems every six minutes, performed a set of transactions, and reported on system health. Joi required her own organisational identity: HR record, Active Directory account, paid software licences, and individual data permissions. The governance questions this raised, about AI identity, accountability, and the human implications of synthetic workers, became the foundation for everything that followed.
First agentic AI system deployed at Arup · governance implications surfaced and addressed · foundation for MASTER-AI™ framework
02

AI Governance Audit: EU AI Act, ISO 42001 & NIST

An independent AI risk assessment of your governance against ISO 42001, the EU AI Act and NIST AI RMF, with the gaps and exposure quantified. I am independent of any software vendor or certification body. For SMEs this is usually the first step: AI governance consulting and AI compliance consulting scoped to your size, from a boutique firm where the senior consultant does the work.

Mode 2: Assurance
AI Governance Standards Body · Accounting Sector · UK & International · PPCS
Board Advisory: AIGAS Framework, PPCS
Non-executive board adviser to PPCS and the AI Governance and Assurance Standards (AIGAS) framework, contributing to the development of an AI governance standard for the accounting and professional services sector. Providing independent challenge on framework design, alignment with ISO 42001, the EU AI Act, and NIST AI RMF, and ensuring the resulting standard is practically implementable rather than theoretically correct.
Active board adviser · AIGAS framework under development · ISO 42001 and EU AI Act alignment assured
03

Agentic AI Platform & Transformation Delivery

I run responsible AI programmes from strategy to production: technology selection, partner management, data governance and change. That includes agentic AI governance: giving AI agents identity, permissions and accountability. It is responsible AI consulting that ends in production, not a slide deck.

Mode 3: Delivery
Complex, federated Media Business · 70,000 users · 110 countries · WPP plc
WPP Open: Agentic AI Platform Delivery
Platform Services Director responsible for building and deploying WPP Open, the world's first agentic AI operating platform for end-to-end marketing. A £250m programme delivered in partnership with NVIDIA, Google Gemini, IBM Watson, and Star. Deployed to 70,000 practitioners across 110 countries, with a responsible AI governance framework embedded throughout. Six years after asking the governance questions that Joi raised, this was the answer at enterprise scale.
$40m documented commercial value in year one · 70,000 practitioners · 110 countries · Major Business Win with Nestlé · Open placed at heart of WPP business strategy
Common questions

AI governance consultancy: common questions

How do I choose an AI governance consultancy in the UK?

Look for independence from software vendors and certification bodies, a named framework rather than a generic checklist, and evidence of delivery at scale, not just advice. Ask who will do the work, what the fixed price and scope are, and whether the findings come in a form your board can act on. A boutique, independent AI governance consultancy keeps the senior person on the work throughout.

Do SMEs need AI compliance consulting?

Often, yes, even though the UK has no AI Act of its own. UK businesses that sell into the EU, or whose AI outputs are used there, can fall within the EU AI Act, and customers and tenders can ask suppliers for an AI policy or ISO 42001 evidence. A scoped AI risk assessment shows what applies to you and what does not.

What is agentic AI governance?

It is the governance of AI systems that act on their own: logging into systems, making transactions and calling other agents. It covers identity, permissions, accountability and human oversight, and I have worked on it since my first production AI agent in 2018.

What does a fractional Chief AI Officer do?

A fractional CAIO provides part-time, senior AI leadership: owning the AI strategy, roadmap and governance, reporting to the board, and holding delivery partners to account, without the cost of a full-time executive.

What is a boutique AI governance consultancy?

A boutique AI governance consultancy is a small, specialist firm where the senior consultant leads the work personally, rather than handing it to a junior team after the pitch. For UK boards and SMEs that usually means faster scoping, fixed prices and advice that is independent of any software vendor, auditor or certification body.

AI governance consultant or consulting firm: which should I choose?

A large firm brings scale and a bench of specialists, which suits multi-country programmes. An independent AI governance consultant suits boards and mid-market teams that want senior judgement, a short route to a decision and no product to sell. Ask either to show a named framework, delivery evidence and a clear scope and price.

How do I choose the best agentic AI governance consultancy?

Look for hands-on delivery of AI agents, not only policy writing. A credible agentic AI governance consultancy can explain how agents get an identity, permissions, audit trails and human oversight, and can show a working model such as MASTER-AI. Check that the people you meet are the people doing the work.

What does responsible AI consulting in the UK involve?

Typically a risk assessment of your current and planned AI use, a governance framework mapped to ISO 42001, the EU AI Act and NIST AI RMF, clear ownership and board reporting, and help embedding it in delivery. The UK has no single AI Act, so the work is shaped by sector regulators, EU reach and customer requirements.

Ready to start?

The right starting point
is usually the MOT

Whether you need an AI governance audit, a fractional Chief AI Officer to own your AI agenda, or a delivery partner for an agentic AI platform, the Technology MOT gives both of us a clear picture of your AI readiness first. Fixed price. Fixed scope. No ongoing commitment. The MOT pays for itself.

Book an MOT 30m Therapy Session

“As an experienced and astute leader he was able to look at challenges from multiple perspectives, and communicate effective solutions, ensuring that I understood the ‘Why’ as much as the ‘What’.”

Steven Charlton, Strategic Transformation Leader, WPP