Fractional CAIO · Integrated AI · Greater Hunter
Most industrial AI strategies never make it to production.The reason is almost never the technology.
McKinsey found two-thirds of organisations still haven't scaled AI beyond a pilot. The failure point is almost always the layer between decision and deployment.
The problem
Manufacturers are being sold tools. Almost none are being given someone whose job is to make the investment work.
This is not a technology failure. AI works. The failure point is almost always the layer between decision and deployment: the governance, the integration, the change management, and the accountability structure that should be in place before a dollar is spent on implementation.
The technology is rarely the constraint. What is missing is the leadership capacity to manage the integration, align the organisation, and build the accountability structures that make deployment stick, and that work sits outside the scope of most technology partners.
That layer is what a Chief AI Officer owns. Most operations do not have one.
What Fractional CAIO is
A senior AI leader, embedded in your business, part-time, without the full-time cost.
Not a consultant who delivers a report and leaves. Not a vendor whose incentives are tied to a platform sale. Someone whose job is to turn AI intent into operational reality, accountable for the outcome, not just the recommendation.
What it includes
- AI readiness assessment and prioritisation
- Vendor and technology evaluation, with no platform bias
- Pilot design and governance
- Internal capability building
- Board and leadership reporting
What it does not include
- Software licensing or platform sales
- Large-team implementation delivery
- Advisory with no accountability for outcomes
Engagement shape
What an engagement looks like
- Time
- One to two days per weekEmbedded in your business, part-time, without the full-time cost.
- Term
- Three to six months minimumStructured around your business needs. Duration is agreed at scoping. Shorter advisory arrangements are available where the scope is clearly defined.
- Fees
- RetainerVaries by scope and time commitment. You receive a scoping proposal after the first conversation.
- Who leads
- Marnie Davey, directlyThere is no delegation to junior team members.
Most manufacturers in the Hunter region do not need a full-time Chief AI Officer. They need the capability at the right moment in their AI maturity, before a budget cycle is committed to the wrong move.
Outcomes
What the engagement is accountable for
A grounded picture before you commit
Where your operation actually sits against operations your size, before a budget cycle is committed to the wrong move.
An independent view on vendors
Vendor and technology evaluation with no platform bias, before you sign anything.
Pilots with governance in place
The governance, integration and accountability structure set up before a dollar is spent on implementation.
An honest picture for the board
Board and leadership reporting that gives a sceptical CFO or board an honest picture, not a pitch.
Capability that stays
Internal capability built inside your team, so the work does not leave when the engagement does.
One accountable owner
Someone accountable for the outcome, not just the recommendation.
Who it is for
Leaders who need AI to work, not another pitch
- Board or leadership interest in AI but no internal capability to execute it well
- A pilot that stalled and you are not sure why
- Need to justify AI investment to a sceptical CFO or board: an honest picture, not a pitch
- Being approached by vendors and want an independent view before committing
If you are already running AI at scale with a capable internal team, this is not for you.
If your team is earlier in the journey, the AI Fundamentals programme for your team is the right entry point. If you need a defined, time-bound piece of work rather than ongoing leadership, consider a Strategic Advisory engagement.
How it works
Three steps, starting with the benchmark
Start with the Industrial AI Benchmark
Every engagement starts with the free, two minute benchmark, which establishes where your operation actually sits against operations your size before any strategy is formed.
Get a grounded picture
The benchmark gives both of us a specific, grounded view of your operation, which makes the first conversation immediate and useful rather than exploratory.
Embed the capability at the right moment
A senior AI leader works inside your business part-time, owning readiness and prioritisation, vendor and technology evaluation, pilot design and governance, internal capability building, and board and leadership reporting. Accountable for the outcome, not just the recommendation.
The person behind it
The Fractional CAIO service is not a team. It is Marnie Davey, directly.
If you engage, you are working with someone who has spent more than two decades inside complex, technology-heavy operations, learning how large organisations make decisions, where digital initiatives stall, and what it actually takes to move from intent to production.
2017 to 2025 · WesTrac
More than seven years at WesTrac, a Caterpillar dealer
Marnie was at WesTrac from 2017 to 2025, with an 18 month break around 2022 to 2023. She managed 24 people across 4 teams, each with its own manager, and designed and implemented, with her team, WesTrac's customer-facing marketing technology stack.
With her team, she led the design, development and launch of WesTrac's customer portal FitFleet, overseeing technology selection, data integration, UX design and change management across a large, operationally complex organisation. Sitecore Experience Award for Intelligent Content Optimisation. Caterpillar Global Excellence Award for Data Management and Insights.
Built data-driven nurture journeys delivering 65% of all leads and 25% of revenue. Grew eCommerce to $150 million. Delivered an eCommerce strategy across retail and large customer segments, earning a Caterpillar Gold Medal for Digital Excellence.
Earlier career
SAS Software · Port of Newcastle · Integrated Contracting
Eight years at SAS Software as Regional Digital Marketing Manager, Asia Pacific, looking after marketing teams in 12 countries, including China, Japan and Korea (a regional role, not line management), and working extensively with the US. US$10 million in pipeline in the first six months of a social selling programme. Strategy and Innovation Manager at the Port of Newcastle. GM Operations at Integrated Contracting, delivering 50% revenue growth within six months.
The Hunter
Marnie is based in Newcastle. Her work is specific to the Greater Hunter: the industries, the operators, the decision-makers, and the pace at which organisations here actually move. In 2026, she was appointed Festival Director of the Hunter Innovation Festival. Board member, Hunter Manufacturing Awards. Also works as Fractional CMO for The Measured Marketer.
Credentials
- Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Business, Deakin University
- Master of Business Administration, Australian Institute of Business
- Graduate Certificate in Technology Management, La Trobe University
- Bachelor of Arts (Internet Studies), Curtin University
- IoT: Business Implications and Opportunities, MIT Sloan Executive Education
- Agile Scrum Master, PM-Partners · AI in Marketing, RMIT · CX Professionals, Forrester
Speaking and recognition
Sitecore Global Symposium (2021) · B2B Marketing Leaders Forum on digital opportunities in manufacturing (2021) · Marketing Optimisation Summit. Featured in SAS Software's global content series. Recognised in Earthmovers and Excavator Magazine for the WesTrac website programme.
Questions
Common questions
- What is a Fractional CAIO?
- A Fractional Chief AI Officer is a senior AI leader who works embedded within your business on a part-time or engagement basis, without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive hire. The role covers AI strategy, governance, vendor assessment, team capability building, and accountability for AI outcomes. For businesses that need senior AI leadership but aren't ready to hire a full-time executive, it's a practical way to close that gap.
- How is this different from hiring an AI consultant?
- A consultant delivers a report or a recommendation and leaves. A Fractional CAIO stays embedded, takes accountability for outcomes, and is involved in the decisions that follow the strategy, not just the strategy itself. The distinction matters most when AI initiatives reach implementation: that's where consultant engagements typically end and where a Fractional CAIO is most active.
- What does a Fractional CAIO engagement include?
- Engagements vary by business need, but typically include AI strategy development, governance framework design, vendor and technology assessment, team capability uplift, and ongoing involvement in AI decisions as they arise. The scope is agreed at the outset and reviewed as the engagement progresses. Marnie Davey leads all Fractional CAIO engagements directly. There is no delegation to junior team members.
- Is this service available outside Newcastle and the Hunter?
- The primary focus is Greater Hunter and Newcastle businesses, where on-site engagement is practical and consistent. Engagements outside this region are considered on a case-by-case basis. Contact us to discuss your location and requirements.
- How long does an engagement typically run?
- Engagements are structured around your business needs rather than a fixed term. Most run across a minimum of three to six months to allow meaningful progress on strategy and implementation. Shorter advisory arrangements are available where the scope is clearly defined. Duration is agreed at scoping.
- What does it cost?
- Fractional CAIO pricing is structured on a retainer basis and varies by scope and time commitment. Contact Integrated AI to discuss your situation and receive a scoping proposal.
The next step
Start with the Industrial AI Benchmark. Two minutes. Specific to your operation.
The benchmark gives both of us a specific, grounded picture of where your operation sits, which makes the first conversation immediate and useful rather than exploratory.