Artificial intelligence has moved beyond experimentation. Boards and leadership teams are no longer asking whether to adopt AI, they are asking how quickly they can execute without destabilizing their organization.
What many companies discover is that the biggest obstacle is not technology. It is leadership.
For decades, SaaS growth relied on expanding users and licenses. The more seats a company sold, the higher its perceived value.
Agentic AI introduces a different possibility, one where software doesn’t just support work, but performs it.
That shift has led to a “SaaSpocolypse.” Software as a Service companies have shed market value in the face of the rapid emergence of agentic AI. In response, Jack Dorsey, CEO of Block, laid off 40 percent of his workforce and was rewarded with a 24 percent jump in the company’s stock price.
Is that the only way forward? No, says one of our InterimExecs RED Team CIOs.
AI is often framed as a productivity story. But, according to one of our RED Team Interim CIOs whose expertise involves transforming organizations using AI and technology, the problem is something very different.
“They don’t have the workforce.”
“Agentic AI” is one of the hottest terms out there. But what does agentic AI really mean? It’s not chatbots, copilots, or incremental automation. That is so last week in our AI-fueled world.
In our interview with an Interim CIO who has led multiple deployments, the distinction was clear: agentic AI isn’t about assisting users, it’s about artificial intelligence agents actually doing the work.
And it’s big. Really big. In fact, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in his keynote address at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show that enterprise AI agents would create a “multi-trillion-dollar opportunity” for many industries, from medicine to software engineering.
So how do you get a piece of that?
Agentic AI changes how software works by executing workflows instead of supporting users. This shift challenges seat-based SaaS economics and requires experienced executive leadership to guide transformation.
For years, SaaS valuations were built on a familiar model: growth, recurring revenue, and expanding user seats. Companies scaled by adding customers and increasing adoption inside organizations.
No more.
Agentic AI is changing not just how software is built, but how work itself gets done. And for many SaaS companies, especially those in the broad middle of the market, that shift has immediate implications for valuation, growth narratives, exit strategies, and executive leadership needs.
Veteran tech executives are increasingly drawn to the flexibility and fresh challenges of interim and fractional CIO roles. Whether you’re seeking more control over your time, eager to solve complex problems at scale, or simply ready for a new phase in your career, the interim path offers an exciting opportunity to make a high-impact difference across organizations.
But making the leap from a traditional, full-time C-suite role to interim work isn’t as simple as updating your resume. It requires a mindset shift, new strategies, and a clear value proposition. In a panel hosted by Robert Jordan, CEO of InterimExecs, seasoned interim leaders Dominic Luzi, Tom Murray, and John Matthesen shared their hard-won insights on what it takes to succeed as an interim or fractional CIO. Here’s what you need to know.
Technology can make or break your business. Whether you’re navigating a high-stakes digital transformation, cleaning up an IT disaster, or preparing your company for sale, you need smart, decisive leadership. But what happens when your organization can’t wait six months to recruit the perfect permanent CIO?
That’s where an interim CIO comes in.
Unlike a full-time hire, interim CIOs bring speed, clarity, and deep experience — often stepping in after a CIO departs, during a crisis, or ahead of a major initiative.
This guide breaks down what every CEO, board member, or private equity investor should know about hiring an interim CIO—how to recognize when you need one, what they actually do, how they differ from CTOs and fractional executives, and what traits to look for.
When technology stalls or transformation fails, it’s rarely because of tools or code. More often, the root issue is leadership — misaligned, ineffective, or stuck in the weeds.
That’s where interim CIOs step in. The best ones don’t just manage systems. They stabilize teams, reset direction, and accelerate outcomes — often under immense pressure and tight timelines.
At InterimExecs, we work with elite interim leaders across the globe through our RED Team. We sat down with some of our top-performing interim and fractional CIOs to understand what separates the good from the truly great.
Here’s what we found:
It’s a common scenario: A company invests big bucks in a massive ERP implementation only to watch the effort stall. Or worse, fail altogether.
Maybe the problem is the lack of planning or ERP software curation. Maybe it’s not thinking ahead for future needs. Or maybe it’s not having an experienced ERP implementation executive who can make that integration sing.
For all that goes into ERP implementation — ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is, after all, managing, streamlining, and tying together all essential business processes — strategizing every step should be a non-negotiable.
“ERP systems usually get replaced every seven to 10 years. I’ve been with some companies where they hadn’t replaced them for 25 years,” says Bruce Howard, an InterimExecs RED Team member and Interim CIO who has spent much of his career implementing ERP solutions.
“There’s a planning phase to bring all of the pieces together and make sure you’ve got a clear approach and clear people assigned. And then you need a methodology for the way you select systems and implement,” he says.
To better understand the components of a successful ERP implementation process and a clear look at how an ERP strategy can support business operations and better decision-making, we asked Howard and interim executives Tony DeLima and Alonso Vargas to walk us through the essential elements.
In today’s world, every company needs to function as a technology company. eCommerce? Of course – without tech, there is no e in commerce. Auto manufacturers? You bet — carmakers spend at least as much time and energy on developing the software that runs their vehicles as they do getting the mechanics right. Healthcare? Absolutely — just ask the folks at Ascension Health, America’s largest Catholic hospital chain and the victim of a cyberattack that left nurses and doctors scrambling to take notes by hand and send patient orders by fax.
When every company is a technology company, it means that all key stakeholders, not just the IT teams, need a high-level understanding of the role technology initiatives play in achieving business goals from product development to strategic planning.
Did you just buy new tech for your company? Congratulations! Now, it’s time to start thinking about an upgrade.
So says David Mitchelhill, a long-time interim Chief Technology Officer.
Mitchelhill, who served in various CIO roles at organizations like Klarna, Freeletics, and the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice, is a sharp-tongued critic of everything from Salesforce to Microsoft to company owners who don’t take the time to learn about and understand technology.
By the time a company’s technology solution is a year old “it’s already decrepit,” he says.
The speed of technology development is doubling every year. Companies that don’t have AI-driven decision-making are now too late for three reasons:
1. Difficulty acquiring complex knowledge
2. Scarce talent expertise
3. Time to interweave AI-driven knowledge into the company’s fabric
Crypotcurrency. NFTs. Bitcoin. Blockchain. They’re the hip new financial products and all the cool kids are talking about them. As many as 40 million have invested in them.
But what are cryptocurrencies and how will they affect the way you run your business in the future?
We talked to Stephen Meade, founder of TheBullsEyeGuy.com, who shared his expertise in a cryptocurrency 101 tutorial. In this beginner’s guide, he explains what cryptocurrencies are, explodes some myths about what they’re good for and helps you understand how you may use them to manage your business in the future.
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