“Where should we invest, and where not?”
Dozens of pilots, no clear P&L effect. Leadership needs a way to prioritize AI initiatives by value, feasibility and risk, and to stop those that will not pay.
04Board & Leadership Counsel
AI counsel for boards and executives who must decide, not merely understand
Boards are being asked to approve AI investments, govern AI risk and answer to regulators and shareholders, often with limited hands-on understanding of the technology. We work with boards and executive teams as an independent counterpart: translating generative AI into business terms, structuring the decisions that need to be taken and coaching leaders through them.
Services · AI C-Suite Advisory
Questions we are asked
“How do we govern this?”
Model risk, data use, vendor dependency, the EU AI Act and Swiss data protection. The board needs a governance framework proportionate to the business, not a compliance essay.
“Is our leadership team ready?”
Executives need enough fluency to challenge proposals and set direction. Confidential, individual coaching builds that more reliably than another vendor demo.
“What does the board need to see?”
A structured board briefing: what AI means for the strategy, the operating model and the risk register, and what the board should ask management every quarter.
Formats
Our view: a board does not need to understand transformer architectures. It needs five good questions, the discipline to ask them each quarter, and a counterpart who owes nothing to a vendor. In our partners’ experience, governance problems are more often a failure to insist on evidence than a lack of technical knowledge.
Board briefing
A focused session with the board or a committee: technology in business language, sector implications, governance duties and a set of questions to take to management.
Executive coaching
Confidential one-to-one work with CEOs, CFOs, CIOs and business leaders on decisions, narrative and leadership in an AI-driven organization.
Governance and risk framework
Roles, policies, review cadence and controls for AI: proportionate to your size and regulatory exposure, aligned with the EU AI Act and Swiss data protection law.
Investment review
An independent review of the AI portfolio: value cases, feasibility, dependencies and what to stop, scale or start.
What you receive
Board-ready material and the confidence to use it, not another slide library.
Board briefing pack
A concise document on what generative AI means for your strategy, operating model and risk register, with a set of oversight questions for management.
AI governance framework
Roles, policies, review cadence and controls proportionate to your size and regulatory exposure: aligned with the EU AI Act and Swiss data protection law.
Portfolio review
An independent assessment of current AI initiatives and vendor proposals: value, feasibility, dependencies, and a stop / scale / start recommendation.
Executive coaching plan
For individual leaders: a confidential, structured program around their real decisions, with agreed cadence and objectives.
The board’s AI agenda: five questions
Our point of view is simple: a board does not need to understand transformers. It needs to ask the right five questions, and insist on evidence in the answers.
1 · Where is the value?
Which two or three use cases materially move revenue, cost or risk in our business, and what is the evidence beyond the vendor’s deck?
2 · What could go wrong?
Model errors, data leakage, vendor lock-in, regulatory exposure, reputational harm. Who owns each risk and how is it monitored?
3 · Do we have the people?
Which capabilities are built, bought or borrowed? What is the talent plan, and is leadership fluent enough to govern it?
4 · How do we know it works?
Which measures reach the board, how often, and what would trigger a stop decision?
5 · Are we compliant, and ready for what comes next?
EU AI Act obligations phase in through 2026–2027; Swiss law follows a sector-specific path. What must be true in twelve months?
Independence, stated precisely
We sell no AI software and hold no reseller or implementation partnerships with AI vendors, and our advisory fees are agreed independently of any product. We do represent one product, ClearView by SBSI, and are remunerated when a client licenses it through us. That relationship is disclosed in every relevant proposal.
Where we add value
In scope
- Generative AI strategy at board and executive level
- AI governance, risk and regulatory readiness (EU AI Act, FADP/GDPR)
- Executive and board coaching on technology leadership
- Independent review of AI investments and vendor proposals
- Operating-model implications: talent, data, platforms
Not our focus
- Implementation of AI systems (we connect you to delivery partners or contractors)
- Legal opinions (we work alongside your counsel)
- Selling AI software or platforms. We hold no reseller or implementation partnerships with AI vendors. Our one product relationship, ClearView by SBSI, is disclosed in every relevant proposal.
Regions
Boards and executive teams in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and international groups with European operations. Sessions in English or German, in person or remote.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a board need independent AI advice?
Because most information reaches the board through vendors or management with a proposal to defend. An independent counterpart helps the board ask sharper questions, weigh risk proportionately and hold management to measurable outcomes.
What does an AI board briefing cover?
Typically: what generative AI can and cannot do today, implications for your sector and strategy, governance and regulatory duties, the risk register and a concise set of oversight questions for management.
How does executive AI coaching work?
Confidential one-to-one sessions structured around the leader’s real decisions: investment cases, organizational change, communication with the board and with employees. Cadence and duration are agreed individually.
Do you cover the EU AI Act and Swiss data protection?
Yes, from a governance and management perspective: classification of use cases, roles and controls. Formal legal opinions come from your counsel; we make sure the two fit together.
How are advisory engagements priced?
Individually, after a briefing call, depending on format, cadence and scope. We deliberately do not publish standard fees.
Request a partner briefing call.
Tell us where your board or leadership team stands on AI. We will propose a format and an agenda.
The short route: describe your need in a few sentences via the contact form. The detailed form is optional and can be added later.