50+staff
You run a business with 50+ staff
AI could move your numbers. You need a senior owner for it, not a full-time hire.
I fix the problems that cost you margin. AI is how I do it faster.
Imran Anwar, fractional Chief AI Officer to CEOs, boards and investors in the UK and GCC: AI strategy from someone who builds it.
50+ staff Senior AI adviser, UK and GCC600+projects
$1.3bn+raised by founders
Premier League
10xproven returns
Deutsche Bank
$2.6bn+business value
WIRED Trailblazer
1unicorn
Trusted by
600+Projects delivered for brands like these
$1.3bn+Raised by the founders we back
$2.6bn+Combined value of businesses supported
10xProven returns on investment
Is this you?
Most clients have 50+ staff and a board, owner or investor to answer to. Larger groups hire me for sprints, briefings and keynotes.
$return on AI spend
You are spending on AI, but cannot show the return
Licences, a pilot or two, and no owner, no business case, no number.
1seat at the table
You want one senior person, not another vendor
Someone at the board table who has built AI products, not just read about them.
Tick the ones that sound like you.
Bring me a problem
Problems I solve
Bring me one of these.
In 30 minutes I will tell you whether AI is the answer, and what fixing it is worth.
- “Our margins are being squeezed and we can't add headcount.”I take hours out of the work that eats margin, so the same team delivers more.
- “We've spent on AI pilots and can't show the board a return.”A short list of projects, each with a business case and a number the board can track.
- “Our investors want an AI plan before the next board meeting.”A credible plan that supports the value story, with costs and risks set out.
- “Staff are putting client data into AI tools and there are no rules.”Clear policy, approved tools and controls, so the risk is managed, not banned.
- “Quotes, reports and replies take days when they should take hours.”Faster turnaround, happier customers and more revenue from the same team.
- “Everyone is selling us AI and we don't know who to trust.”An independent view, a fair supplier shortlist and contracts that protect you.
Senior help, sized to the problem
Four ways to work with me as a fractional Chief AI Officer, AI strategy consultant or speaker. AI consultancy in the UK, and AI consulting in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and the wider GCC.
Fractional Chief AI Officer
A senior owner for AI on your leadership team. Priorities, risk, suppliers and a return you can report.
Explore the roleAI Strategy Sprint
A Pilot to Profit plan: where AI pays first, what it costs, and a case your board can sign off.
Explore the sprintBoardroom AI Briefing
Your leadership team leaves agreed on where AI moves your numbers, and where it is a distraction.
Book a briefingKeynotes
What AI changes for margin, risk and growth. Practical, honest, and built on real ventures.
Book Imran to speak
How I build
Check your readiness
Hands-on, and vendor neutral
Build partner on Anthropic and OpenAI, and hands-on across AWS, Microsoft, Google and the main automation tools. I choose tools last, once we know the problem and the return.
Claude
by Anthropic. Enterprise apps, agents, analysis and code.
OpenAI and ChatGPT
Assistants, custom GPTs and the OpenAI API.
AWS
Secure hosting, Bedrock and data pipelines.
Microsoft
Copilot and Azure, governed and measured.
Google Workspace
Gemini across Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Meet.
Automation
n8n, Make and Zapier, wired into your systems and governed.
Also in the toolkit: Slack, HubSpot, Notion, Motion, Perplexity, Runway, ElevenLabs and Higgsfield.
The show
Watch on YouTube
What would you automate?
I ask business leaders where time and money leak, then show what the fix is worth. Sometimes I build it live.
The newsletter
Subscribe on LinkedIn
Applied Intelligence
The executive briefing on AI, venture building and operational strategy. Published weekly on LinkedIn.
Latest21 October 2026It's Easier to Be Optimistic About AI When You're Making the Decisions
Leaders are far more confident about AI than their teams. Why that gap matters, and what employers owe the next generation.
Read on LinkedIn →
14 October 2026Business Beyond Borders
What working in Saudi Arabia has taught me about building relationships across borders, and the opportunity for the North East.
Read on LinkedIn →
9 October 2026Borrowed Experience
You don't have to learn every lesson the hard way. On learning from people ahead of you, and passing it on.
Read on LinkedIn →
Free AI readiness assessment
Where does your business stand?
Eight questions, two minutes. You get an AI readiness score and the three things to do first. Want the numbers too? Try the AI ROI calculator.
Question 1 of 8
Pick the closest answer
Resources
Tools from my board work.
The templates I use with leadership teams, free, plus a free AI ROI calculator and practical guides. Use them alone, or bring me in to run it.
Get all five free templates
The Opportunity Finder, AI Acceptable Use Policy, 90-Day Roadmap, ROI Worksheet and Board Briefing. Download them straight away.
AI Opportunity Finder
Score 20 everyday processes and find the three where AI pays back first.
Get it freeAI Acceptable Use Policy
An AI policy for employees, ready to adapt. Fill in the brackets and publish.
Get it freeAI ROI Worksheet
Cost, time saved and payback, with a worked example for your finance director.
Get it freeBoard AI Briefing
Ten questions every board should ask about AI, and the red flags to listen for.
Get it freeThe Pilot to Profit Playbook
The full five-stage method behind my work with boards, in one workbook.
- All five stages, from first briefing to scaled results
- Every template, editable, plus worked examples
- Business case and board paper templates
- Supplier and tool selection scorecard
Want it done properly, and fast?
A Boardroom AI Briefing, a four to six week Strategy Sprint, or a fractional Chief AI Officer two to four days a month.
Book a callFrom first call to real results
- 1. BriefingA half day with your leadership team.
- 2. DiagnosticWhere AI saves or earns most, and what stands in the way.
- 3. RoadmapA Pilot to Profit plan your board signs off.
- 4. BuildWe build the first wins with your team.
- 5. LeadI stay on as your fractional Chief AI Officer.
Imran Anwar
About Imran
They didn't listen. So I built it.
Early in my career I was ignored for being young. My employer paid a big consultancy to say what I had already recommended. So I started Alt Labs in 2017 to make sure good ideas get built, whoever they come from.
I led innovation at London Midland Railway and Go-Ahead Group, where ideas had to survive boards, regulators and passengers. Since then: 600+ projects, founders who have raised $1.3bn+, one unicorn and 10x proven returns. Today I advise CEOs, boards and investors across the UK and GCC.
WIRED x HSBC Trailblazers 2025
Arab Entrepreneurs Digital and AI Award
British Muslim Entrepreneur of the Year (Digital)
FSB Business of the Year, National Winner
Insider North East 42 Under 42 2026
Tees Business Leader of the Year 2025
The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026
What I have built
Founder and CEO · 2017
Co-founder · 2026
Founder and CEO · 2023
Three companies, not a slide deck
Alt Labs
The AI and venture building company. Build partner on Anthropic and OpenAI, headquartered in Middlesbrough and Riyadh. 600+ projects, founders backed have raised $1.3bn+.
altlabs.co.uk →GABI AI
Real-time voice translation on calls and video, so people who do not share a language can talk as if they did. Built for a UK and GCC world.
gabiapp.com →Flok
The largest co-working space in the North East of England, ranked among the best in the UK. The physical home for the founders we back.
flok.life →
Featured in
Tees Business
WIRED x HSBC Trailblazers
The Sunday Times Best Places to Work
Entrepreneurs' Forum
Teesside business leaders on patience and contracts
FAQ
Straight answers
The questions leaders ask me most. If yours isn't here, ask me directly.
Ask me a questionWhat does a fractional Chief AI Officer do?
Owns AI at board level a few days a month. Picks the problems worth solving, manages risk and suppliers, and reports the return.
Is my business big enough?
If AI could move a cost, risk or revenue line that matters to your board, yes. Most clients have 50 to 200 staff. Bigger? See below.
Do you work with larger companies?
Yes. For organisations of 200 to several thousand staff, I work alongside your technology and data leaders on an AI Strategy Sprint, a Boardroom AI Briefing or a keynote.
Do you work with private equity and investor-backed firms?
Yes. I help boards and operating partners find where AI adds value across a business or a portfolio, and build the case.
Which sectors do you work in?
Most often private equity and investor-backed firms, financial services, family groups in the GCC, and transport and logistics, where I led innovation at London Midland and Go-Ahead Group.
Do you build as well as advise?
Yes. My team builds what we plan, so you get something that works, not a report.
Which AI tools should we use?
Start with the problem, not the tool. I work across all the major platforms, so I recommend what fits your data, systems and risk.
Do you work in the GCC?
Yes. I provide AI consulting in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and the wider GCC, with Alt Labs' international headquarters in Riyadh.
How do I measure the ROI of AI?
Start with the hours a process takes today, what that time costs, and how much AI can realistically save once people use it. Then set that against build and running costs. Try the AI ROI calculator.
Do you help with AI governance and policy?
Yes. I set up an AI governance framework that fits your size: an AI acceptable use policy for employees, approved tools, risk checks and simple reporting to the board. Start with the free AI governance framework guide.
How much does a fractional Chief AI Officer cost?
Retainers are priced by days a month, two to four, with a three-month minimum. Sprints are a fixed fee agreed upfront. Book a call and I will quote for your business.
Do you offer AI keynotes in Saudi Arabia and the GCC?
Yes. I speak on AI, innovation and venture building at events across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the wider GCC, as well as the UK.
What is the AI readiness assessment?
Eight questions on your people, systems, data and budget. You get an AI readiness score and three priorities to act on first. Take it here.
Work with me
Tell me the problem.
Three quick steps, under a minute. You will leave our first conversation with three priorities for your business, whether we work together or not.
- A personal reply within one working day
- No sales sequences. Your details are never sold
- Working across the UK and GCC
Or email
hello@imrananwar.ai