Khalil is a tech leader and CTO with over 18 years of industry experience. Focusing on Start-ups, scale-ups, and transformation. He’s scaled multiple startups in the last 8 years, taking them for early stage concept all the way to multiple funding rounds and customer usage at scale. Khalil has also rescued stalled start ups and taken them from struggling, to release products, all the way to deploying at scale in multiple countries and being acquired.
We sat down with Khalil to ask his thoughts on what being a Fractional CTO meant to him.
Complete this sentence as concisely as possible, “I am a… “
Fractional CTO with extensive experience in AI/ML, computer vision, SaaS, Fintech, and Mobile. I am currently focused on Start-ups and Scale-ups as well as doing technical DD for investors.
Are there any other titles/terms that people commonly refer to you or you refer to yourself as?
I am able to do CPTO engagement as I have many years of experience working in product focused companies and functions, as well as working closely with Product Owners and Product Managers. You could also refer to me as a Technical Director, Technical Consultant, and CTO Leadership Coach.
How would you say you stand out from others that do a similar job?
What has served me well in my career as a CTO is that I am very conscious that CTO doesn’t just mean a more senior head of engineering or architect, and thus requires very different perspectives and skills. As well as my technical experience, I have a background in psychology and in business, and this gives me the ability to bridge the multiple skillsets that the role of a strategic CTO requires. CTO is a business function, and the focus needs to be on the business objectives first, rather than starting with the tech solutioning and working your way to the outcomes. You need to start with the business objectives and outcomes that you are targeting, and that the business needs to take it to the next level, and you work backwards from there. The key is to align technology strategy with the business, and create an evolving execution plan to achieve the desired outcomes.
As a strategic leader, I always try to deliver the maximum value for the client from any engagement. This is why I typically start with a short, focused discovery process that yields a strategic report, highlighting the strengths, gaps, and strategy to achieve the desired business outcomes. I do this before starting any longer engagement, because it gives my clients a clear perspective and understanding of what’s required to achieve their goals, and enables the important conversations. Even if they decide not to proceed with a longer engagement, they’ve still received value out of what I’ve delivered.
We are keen to know more about your work as a fractional. Could you perhaps share a few details about projects you have done in the past?
I am fairly new to the fractional side of things, but I’ve got 8 years of CTO experience with startups and scale ups and another 7 years of tech leadership as a senior architect and technology director before that. Currently, I’m working with a very interesting tech for good company that is revolutionising device / hardware refurbishment for enterprise to help with sustainability goals, as well as making hardware more accessible for people and schools who can’t afford it.
As CTO, I’ve worked on many very interesting projects including financial technology platforms, an easy to use decentralised and fully secure biometrics and KYC platform, and tech that is used by security services to automatically identify threats to the public (weapons, fighting, abandoned bags, cars entering restricted areas) using computer vision.
I think still one of the most interesting projects I’ve done was when I was working with TfL on improving their use of modern technology, as they were rolling out iPads and mobile devices to their staff. We built an app that uses the accelerometer in an iPad to test the strengths of the brakes on tube trains. The ability to triage braking strength, without taking the train out of circulation, saves TfL approximately £40,000 a week in operational and opportunity cost.
Is there anything you’d share with aspiring fractionals?
I am just starting out with fractional engagements, but my main piece of advice is focus on areas you have a lot of deep experience in and carve out a niche or two for yourself. Also, don’t try to do all your business development on your own. Leverage your relationships and partner with development companies you know and trust, that could package your services up with their own, build and maintain good relationships with senior recruiters, and make sure that when you do post on social media to promote yourself, you don’t just copy generic messages, but talk about your areas of expertise and find the insights that others could find interesting. These principles are working well for me so far.
