Board Advisory & Technology Steering

The trusted technology voice
at your board table

David Viney

Most boards are making consequential technology decisions without anyone in the room who truly understands the subject. I work with Founders, CEOs and Chairs as an independent technology adviser — translating complex technology questions into clear commercial language, and ensuring the board has what it needs to govern technology with confidence.

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What this covers

Three things I do here,
each with real depth

Mode 1 — Consulting Mode 2 — Assurance Mode 3 — Delivery
01

Board Technology Retainer & Strategic Counsel

A retainer-based advisory relationship in which I act as the board's independent technology voice — attending board or committee meetings, reviewing technology investment proposals, challenging the executive team's technology assumptions, and ensuring the board is never again in the position of approving something it does not understand.

As strategic counsel I work alongside the executive team on the technology decisions that carry board-level consequence — AI strategy, platform investment, cyber risk posture, and the technology implications of growth, acquisition, or regulatory change.

Mode 1 — Consulting
AI Governance Standards Body · UK & International · PPCS
Board Advisory — AIGAS Framework
Non-executive board adviser to PPCS and member of the AI Governance Assurance Standard (AIGAS) Advisory Board — providing technology governance expertise, challenging the development of the emerging AI standards framework, and advising on alignment with ISO 42001, the EU AI Act, and NIST AI RMF. A retainer-based advisory engagement working at the intersection of AI governance and international standards.
Active board adviser · AI governance framework under development · ISO 42001 alignment assured
02

Independent Technology Assurance & Due Diligence

The board needs an honest, independent picture of the technology landscape — not the version that has been optimised by the people responsible for it. As an independent reviewer I have no stake in the answer, no relationship with the incumbent suppliers, and no interest in telling you what you want to hear.

This includes pre-investment and pre-acquisition technology due diligence, independent assurance on major technology programmes, and periodic technology health assessments commissioned directly by the board rather than the executive team.

Mode 2 — Assurance
Specialist Research Consultancy · Climate, Sustainability · Corporate Accountability
IT Strategy & Governance Review — WTFH
Commissioned by the leadership of 'What the Future Holds' to provide independent technology, governance, and fundraising advice. Following discovery, assessed technology maturity, proposed fundraising strategy, and reviewed governance, legal entity, and optimal operating base. This is an ongoing assignment.
IT assessment · governance recommendations · fundraising strategy
03

Technology Governance Design & Portfolio Steering

Many organisations have technology investment happening without any coherent governance to direct it — no portfolio view, no investment criteria, no escalation path, no way for the board to understand what it is funding or why. Building that infrastructure is a defined piece of work with a clear exit point.

As delivery lead I design and implement the governance architecture from scratch — investment committee structures, portfolio reporting, vendor governance frameworks, and the board-level technology dashboard that gives leadership meaningful oversight without requiring a technical background.

Mode 3 — Delivery
International Development Organisation · Multi-country portfolio · AKDN
Portfolio Governance Framework — AKDN
Brought in as Programme Director to design and implement a technology portfolio governance framework across AKDN's international operations — where significant technology investment was underway across multiple countries with no coherent oversight structure. Built investment governance, portfolio reporting, vendor management frameworks, and board-level visibility from scratch, then handed them over to the internal team.
Portfolio governance framework built and operational · board-level visibility established · handed over to internal team

The right starting point
is usually the MOT

Whether you need an independent technology voice at board level, assurance on a major technology decision, or governance infrastructure that does not yet exist — the Technology MOT gives both of us a clear picture first. Fixed price. Fixed scope. No ongoing commitment. The MOT pays for itself.

Book an MOT 30m Therapy Session

“David can make the obscure understandable, a vital skill in an industry where some are expert and others completely lacking in technical knowledge. He delivers, with a smile.”

— James Leaton Gray, Director, The Privacy Practice