The advisory practice of Michael Schaeffer: AI governance for boards and executive teams, and fractional operating leadership for companies in build, growth, or repair.
R = C − A
AI GOVERNANCE ADVISORY
Most organizations adopting AI have a tooling plan and no governance plan. This work is the second one: oversight structures that fit how decisions actually get made, risk posture calibrated to the deployment, policies people can follow, and board-level fluency on what is changing and how fast.
The advisory work draws on published research, including a threat model of crisis-accelerated consortium formation among AI developers and a governance framework for human–AI collaboration — both below.
FRACTIONAL CEO / COO
Some companies need an operator more than they need advice. Fractional and interim mandates: scaling operations, organizational design, leadership transitions, turnarounds, and the kind of crisis weeks where experience is the only thing that compounds fast enough.
The record behind it: a fitness company founded and scaled to 15 studios, 250 employees, and 7,000 teachers trained, through acquisition. 79% revenue growth as chief executive of a professional services firm. A $2B+ AUM practice built at Morgan Stanley. AI governance study through Oxford Saïd and BlueDot Impact.
HOW ENGAGEMENTS WORK
Three forms. Focused sprints — two to six weeks, one question, one deliverable. Fractional retainers — a fixed share of an operator’s week, ongoing. Interim mandates — a seat held until it is filled. Scope and cadence are set in an initial conversation. No pitch decks; a working session.
Research
An independent research program on observation and agenda — R = C − A — run on the open record: pre-registered tests, published results, falsifications included. Selected publications: