The quiet expert leaders call

DAVID HALLETT

MIoD · FRSA · MBCS

The best kept secret in strategy, systems, and operational clarity.

For over three decades I have helped organisations solve complex problems, modernise systems, and bring order to chaos. From global SAP rollouts and UN agencies to international banks and fast-moving SMEs, I am the quiet expert leaders call when they cannot afford guesswork. I was working with neural networks and machine learning in the late 1990s, and today I help leaders make sense of AI and automation without the hype. I speak business and plain English, not tech jargon.

Work with me What I do

30+ years at board level - UN agencies, global corporates, international NGOs, and high growth SMEs. Among the top 0.1% of consultants globally by depth of experience and real delivery.

David Hallett

Board-level advisor & systems strategist

Discretion Strategy Systems Operations

Clarity. Direction. Real results. No noise.

I work directly with senior decision-makers to fix complexity, stabilise systems, and design practical strategies that actually work in the real world.

Executive advisory and strategic counsel
Systems and operational transformation
Problem solving and technical leadership
AI, automation and data-informed decision support
Fractional CTO or COO for selected clients

Most of my work comes through quiet introductions. If you are here, someone you trust may have suggested you.

Why work with me

I do not arrive with an army of consultants or a suitcase of frameworks. I bring deep experience, clear thinking, and an ability to translate complexity into decisions, including around modern AI, automation, and data.

Unassuming, experienced, effective

I have spent decades operating quietly at senior levels, delivering results that matter.

Board level experience in multiple countries
30+ years in international and SME environments
20+ years with UN agencies and NGOs
MIoD (Institute of Directors), FRSA, MBCS
Bilingual English and French

Clarity in complexity

Most organisations do not lack effort. They lack clarity and direction.

Rapid diagnosis of underlying issues
Connecting strategy, operations, systems, and data
Spotting risks and unintended consequences
Helping teams see the bigger picture

No fluff, no drama

You get direct, honest, and practical advice. No theatre, no jargon, and no unnecessary noise.

Speaks business and plain English, not tech
Decisions grounded in reality
Focus on outcomes, not activity
Supportive but willing to challenge

What I do

I work with leaders who need an experienced mind beside them to untangle complexity, steady major programmes, and ensure that operations and systems support the strategy, not the other way round. Increasingly, this includes making grounded decisions around AI, automation, and data use.

1. Executive advisory & strategy

For CEOs, Directors, and Boards who need clear thinking, senior guidance, and high level technical and operational insight.

Typical outcomes:

Strategic clarity around systems and operations
Reduced risk and better governance
Improved performance and accountability
Sensible, de-risked decisions about AI and automation
Decisions that hold up under pressure

2. Systems & operational transformation

For organisations that have outgrown their processes, inherited a mess, or are struggling with fragmented systems.

I help you:

Understand what is really going on
Map and simplify key processes
Decide what to keep, change, or replace
Identify where AI or automation genuinely add value
Design a practical roadmap you can deliver

3. Problem solving & technical leadership

For companies facing urgent challenges, failing projects, or systems that no longer behave.

Typical scenarios:

Critical systems at risk or failing
Projects over budget, over time, or off track
Vendors promising more than they can deliver
Internal teams stuck and unsure how to proceed
AI or data projects drifting without clear value

I specialise in rapid diagnosis, stabilising situations, and supporting your teams to move forward with confidence. When implementation work is required, I can bring in a small, trusted team of senior developers to cut through and deliver.

4. Fractional CTO or COO

For organisations that need senior leadership but do not require or cannot justify a full time post.

This can include:

Technology and operations leadership
Mentoring internal leaders
Vendor and partner review and selection
Ongoing strategic input on direction and priorities
Guidance on AI use, capability, and risk

5. AI, automation & modern technology

The world is talking about AI. I have been working with neural networks and machine learning since the late 1990s. That history gives perspective on what is genuinely new, what is recycled, and what is simply noise.

I help leaders:

Cut through AI hype and sales pitches
Identify where AI and automation add real value
Design workflows that combine people and tools effectively
Think carefully about data, governance, and risk
Integrate AI into existing operations without chaos

6. Independent review & second opinion

For leaders who want a calm, independent view before committing to major spend or change.

Typical questions:

“Does this proposal actually make sense?”
“Are we being sold something we don’t need?”
“Is this architecture sound and future-ready?”
“Are the risks and trade-offs properly understood?”
“Is AI genuinely adding value in this plan?”

A short, focused engagement to validate thinking, sanity-check vendors, and surface what others may have missed.

How I work

There are many consultants. There are not many who have spent decades at the intersection of operations, technology, and strategy, and who still enjoy rolling up their sleeves to solve real problems, including around AI and automation.

Depth of experience

Over 30 years at senior levels, across sectors and continents.

Former delivery manager for one of the largest global SAP projects
20+ years with UN agencies and NGOs in Geneva
Extensive work with banks, manufacturers, and international brands
Founder of multiple platforms and software products
MIoD, FRSA, MBCS – reflecting both governance and professional standing

A rare combination

Business leadership, systems thinking, and deep technical understanding in one person.

Understands board level concerns and constraints
Comfortable with detail and architecture
Translates between technical teams and leadership
Working with neural networks and ML since the late 1990s
Operates comfortably in the top 1% of global consultants by depth and delivery
Focuses on how things work in practice, not just on paper

Work that speaks for itself

My work is usually invisible outside the organisations I serve. That is how it should be.

Trusted by leaders with serious responsibilities
Long term relationships in multiple countries
Systems and platforms still running years later
Most new work arrives quietly, by referral

Working together

Straightforward, confidential, and adapted to the way you operate.

Direct - you work primarily with me; when extra capacity or delivery is needed, I bring in a small, trusted team of senior developers I have worked with for years.
Confidential - your challenges stay private.
Efficient - fast diagnosis, no unnecessary extensions.
Practical - only solutions that can be delivered.
Flexible - advisory, project based, or retained.

Words from others

Most of my work is quiet and behind the scenes. These short comments capture how some people choose to describe me.

“David is the best kept secret in tech - the quiet expert behind major organisations.”

CEO, United Kingdom

“An unassuming genius. He sees things others do not see until he points them out.”

Director, Switzerland

“The calm, clear mind you want beside you when you are making big decisions.”

Senior Leader, Government Sector

“He combines deep technical knowledge with a very human understanding of how organisations really work.”

Non profit and NGO partner