What Alchemy Consulting Services does

Alchemy Consulting Services Limited is a UK-based management consultancy founded in 2024 by David Viney, operating via a solo-practitioner model with a trusted network of senior associates. The firm provides fractional CIO, interim technology leadership, AI transformation, cyber security, and board advisory services to organisations that require senior technology leadership without the cost of a full-time executive hire. Its clients span global corporates, regulated industries (financial services, aviation, critical infrastructure), PE-backed companies, mid-transformation organisations, and the not-for-profit sector, with engagements typically delivered as retainers (1-3 days per month over 1-3 year horizons) or time-bound transformation projects.

The firm's intellectual property is centred on three proprietary frameworks: MASTER-AI™, a six-domain AI governance framework grounded in ISO 42001, the EU AI Act, and NIST AI RMF, with 38 controls; the AI J-Curve, a change-management model describing the productivity dip before improvement in AI-driven transformation, licensed under CC BY 4.0; and Value Flow Sankey™, a single-page business case model linking AI investment to benefits. The Technology MOT (£5,950+VAT fixed price) is a standardised diagnostic covering six domains and serves as the firm's entry-point product, alongside a free AI Readiness Scorecard tool that functions as a top-of-funnel lead generator. Alchemy does not develop or sell proprietary software; all frameworks are either consulting methodologies or licensed methodologies.

The revenue model is a mix of fixed-price diagnostics (MOT), monthly subscription retainers (Fractional CIO, Fractional CAIO, Board Advisory, Coaching), and time-and-materials project delivery (ERP transformation, interim leadership, cyber programme delivery). Pricing is publicly disclosed at £1,200/day for fractional/advisory/project work and £5,950+VAT for the MOT. GTM is founder-led, relying on David's personal brand, a 700+ subscriber LinkedIn newsletter (Catalyst), conference speaking, published books, and a presence on the GoFractional marketplace. The firm holds no external investment and is self-funded through consulting revenue.

Name

Alchemy Consulting Services

Legal name

Alchemy Consulting Services Limited

Website

https://alchemy.consulting

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alchemy Consulting Services is a UK-based fractional CIO and AI transformation consultancy founded by David Viney, providing part-time technology leadership, AI governance, and board advisory to corporates, PE-backed firms, and regulated industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

ERP, CRM & Enterprise Applications Consulting (BPAHAEAI), Cybersecurity & Identity Consulting (BPAHAEAG)

Keywords

• Fractional CIO services
• AI transformation consulting
• Technology governance advisory
• Board technology counsel
• Enterprise transformation delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Esher

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Technology MOT (Health Check): Fixed-price diagnostic assessment covering six domains (Strategic Alignment, Client-Facing Technology, Enterprise Technology, AI Readiness, Security & Compliance, Team & Capability). Delivered over 2-3 weeks from kickoff to board briefing. Entry-point product designed to demonstrate value and generate broader engagements.
2. Fractional CIO / Virtual CIO Retainer: Ongoing retainer-based strategic technology leadership. David Viney attends leadership team meetings, owns technology strategy and roadmap, manages vendors and internal IT function. Retainer engagements provide sustained strategic leadership typically 1-3 days per month over 1-3 year horizons.
3. Mentoring, Coaching & Capability Development: One-to-one coaching and mentoring for CIOs, IT Directors, and senior technology leaders. Monthly retainer-based confidential relationships as a trusted peer and sounding board. Standalone mentoring service as well as integrated component of broader engagements.
4. Board Advisory & Technology Steering: Independent technology counsel for Founders, CEOs and Chairs covering AI governance, cyber risk, M&A due diligence, and investment decisions. Retainer-based advisory relationship with board meeting attendance and proposal review responsibilities.
5. Transformation Programme Delivery & Interim Leadership: Time-bound, outcome-defined project delivery for ERP, CRM, and enterprise platform transformations. Also covers interim leadership during technology leadership vacancies. Assignments range from advisory to full programme director accountability.
6. Responsible AI Governance & Delivery: Fractional Chief AI Officer (CAIO) services, AI governance audits, and agentic AI platform delivery. Combines MASTER-AI framework implementation with strategic AI leadership. Includes board-level AI governance representation.
7. Cyber Security Risk & Controls: Fractional CISO services, independent security assurance, and cyber programme delivery. Covers board-level cyber risk translation, incident response, and ongoing security posture management. Services include Mode 1 (Consulting), Mode 2 (Assurance), and Mode 3 (Delivery).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Alchemy Consulting Services is a UK-based management consultancy founded by David Viney that provides fractional CIO leadership, AI governance and transformation advisory, board-level technology counsel, cyber security risk services, and ERP/enterprise platform transformation delivery. The firm works with a small number of clients on retainer, fixed-price diagnostic (Technology MOT), or time-bound project engagements, supported by proprietary frameworks including MASTER-AI™, AI J-Curve, Value Flow Sankey™, and a free AI Readiness Scorecard.

Product overview

Alchemy Consulting Services is a management consultancy — not a software product company. Its offering is a portfolio of human-delivered consulting services, proprietary frameworks, and online assessment tools. The core service is Fractional CIO & AI Transformation, supported by a structured engagement model (Technology MOT → retainer/project). The proprietary frameworks are: MASTER-AI™ (AI governance), AI J-Curve (change management), Value Flow Sankey™ (investment business cases), and the AI Readiness Scorecard (free online assessment). These are delivered as part of consulting engagements or licensed for reuse (AI J-Curve under CC BY 4.0). Complementary services include cyber security advisory, ERP/platform transformation, board advisory, and technology leadership coaching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MASTER-AI™: A practical six-domain framework for AI governance grounded in ISO 42001, the EU AI Act, and NIST AI RMF.
• AI J-Curve
• Value Flow Sankey™
• AI Readiness Scorecard
• Technology MOT

Products and services

• Fractional CIO & AI Transformation Senior technology leadership provided on a part-time or retainer basis, acting as embedded member of the leadership team to define and execute IT strategy, align technology investments with business objectives, oversee digital transformation programmes, manage vendor relationships, govern cybersecurity and compliance, and coach internal IT teams. Target buyer: Founders, CEOs, Chairs and boards of mid-market and enterprise organisations.
• Technology MOT (Health Check) Fixed-price (£5,950 + VAT), fixed-scope technology health assessment covering six domains — Strategic Alignment, Client-Facing Technology, Enterprise Technology, AI Readiness, Security & Compliance, and Team & Capability — delivered as a board-ready briefing deck with prioritised action list within 2–3 weeks. No ongoing commitment required; bookable directly through the website.
• Board Advisory & Technology Steering Independent technology counsel for Founders, CEOs and Chairs on a retainer basis, covering AI governance, cyber risk, M&A technology due diligence, board technology retainer, independent technology assurance, and technology governance design and portfolio steering. Includes board meeting attendance and review of technology investment proposals.
• ERP & Enterprise Platform Transformation Technology transformation across ERP, CRM, and enterprise platforms covering ERP selection and transformation strategy, programme delivery and interim leadership, and programme rescue and independent assurance. Platforms addressed at enterprise scale include SAP, Oracle, D365, Workday, NetSuite, Unit4, and Salesforce.
• Responsible AI Governance Strategy & Delivery Responsible AI strategy and governance services including Fractional Chief AI Officer (CAIO), AI governance audit and standards alignment (ISO 42001, EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF), and agentic AI platform and transformation delivery. Includes advisory on EU AI Act compliance deadlines.
• Cyber Security Risk & Controls Board-level cyber risk advisory delivered in three modes — Mode 1: Fractional CISO and ongoing risk advisory; Mode 2: Independent cyber assurance and board reporting; Mode 3: Cyber programme delivery and incident response. Covers endpoint protection, threat intelligence, SOC management, security awareness, identity & access management, and cyber strategy aligned to regulatory environments.
• Technology Leadership Coaching & Mentoring One-to-one coaching and mentoring for CIOs, IT Directors, and senior technology leaders on a monthly retainer basis as a trusted peer and sounding board, plus team capability and operating model design, and talent pipeline, succession and development (including pro-bono mentoring of young people starting tech careers).
• AI Readiness Scorecard Free, 10-question online assessment providing an honest picture of an organisation's AI readiness across five dimensions — Strategy & Vision, Use Case Identification, Data Readiness, Cultural Readiness, and Leadership Alignment — yielding a score out of 50 and one of four result bands (AI Curious, AI Exploring, AI Advancing, AI Leading). No email required; answers stay in browser.

Quantifiable outcome

• $40m documented commercial value in first year of WPP Open deployment
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NVIDIAcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership during WPP Open build - world's first agentic AI operating platform for E2E marketing. NVIDIA provided GPU infrastructure and AI platform technology as part of £250m programme. This was a past engagement during David Viney's tenure at WPP.
• Google GeminicoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership during WPP Open build - provided Gemini AI models as part of the £250m agentic AI platform programme. This was a past engagement during David Viney's tenure at WPP.
• IBM WatsoncoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership during WPP Open build - provided Watson AI technology as part of the enterprise AI platform. This was a past engagement during David Viney's tenure at WPP.
• Star (Design Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner during WPP Open build - £250m programme delivered in partnership with NVIDIA, Google Gemini, and IBM Watson. Star provided design and implementation partnership for the agentic AI platform. This was a past engagement during David Viney's tenure at WPP.
• London Business School - Data Science & AI InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration on the intersection of AI strategy and organisational change. David Viney is engaged with LBS on research and thought leadership. Supports academic rigour of practitioner frameworks.
• Tony Blair Institute for Global ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTony Blair Institute cited the AI J-Curve framework in their public policy analysis of AI adoption. This represents intellectual influence rather than formal partnership - citation of David's published framework in policy work.
• Pender FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPender Fund cited the AI J-Curve framework in their asset management analysis of AI adoption. This represents intellectual influence rather than formal partnership - citation of David's published framework in investment analysis.
• Cranfield UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavid Viney worked with Cranfield University on the Benefit Dependency Network in the early 2000s. The Value Flow Sankey evolved from this original model - representing twenty years of framework evolution from academic collaboration.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HewardMills: UK-headquartered technology and data consulting firm serving mid-market and FTSE clients with strategy, transformation, and data services. Comparable as a UK boutique competing for similar enterprise technology advisory mandates.
• Adaptavist: UK-based technology consultancy specialising in enterprise platforms, agile transformation, and managed services. Comparable as a UK boutique competing for similar enterprise technology advisory work in regulated sectors.
• BJSS: UK technology and engineering consultancy delivering enterprise transformation, cloud, and platform programmes. Comparable as a UK-headquartered mid-sized technology consultancy competing for enterprise modernisation and digital transformation engagements.

Broad incumbents

• Accenture UK: Global consulting leader with major UK AI/agentic-AI and technology transformation practices. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for board-level AI transformation and ERP/CRM modernisation engagements.
• Baringa Partners: UK-headquartered independent consultancy with strong energy, financial services, and technology practices. Comparable as a UK-focused mid-sized competitor serving similar FTSE and regulated clients on technology strategy and transformation.
• Slalom: Global technology and business transformation consultancy with established UK presence serving enterprise and mid-market clients. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for AI strategy, transformation delivery, and fractional advisory work.
• ThoughtWorks: Global technology consultancy specialising in strategy, platform engineering, and AI-led transformation for enterprise clients. Comparable as an incumbent competing for similar AI transformation and enterprise platform modernisation mandates.
• Capgemini Invent: Global consulting and technology transformation arm of Capgemini with strong UK enterprise and regulated-sector presence. Comparable as a broad incumbent delivering AI strategy, governance, and enterprise platform transformation to similar FTSE clients.
• Deloitte UK: Big 4 firm with substantial UK technology, AI, and cyber consulting practices serving FTSE and regulated-sector clients. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering CIO advisory, AI governance, and cyber strategy that overlaps with Alchemy's portfolio.
• KPMG UK: Big 4 professional services firm with a large UK technology advisory and AI governance practice. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping CIO advisory, AI governance (ISO 42001), and board-level technology consulting to FTSE clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/110107355
• Xx.com/dviney
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alchemy Consulting Services