Ian Roughley
Fractional CTO / VPE, Executive Coach
Based in United States · 25+ years experience
Summary
I helping teams move from early traction to scale with faster delivery, stronger leadership, and less chaos · Seed to Series C Startups.
About
I build accountability-driven cultures that deliver consistently without sacrificing innovation. Building and incorporating AI-native development processes to accelerate time-to-market, without sacrificing quality. I'm at my best when things are undefined and moving fast.
When I can make a difference:
• Changing how the team builds — when the work has to get faster and leaner without waiting for headcount, and adopting tools isn't the hard part; changing how people scope, build and review is
• Removing architecture as the business constraint — when architecture and supporting infrastructure is throttling growth instead of enabling it, and early technical decisions are starting to limit what the product can become
• Closing execution gaps — when funding and product-market fit are real, but delivery predictability and velocity are inconsistent
• Building leadership around a technical founder — when the company needs engineering leadership but the founding CTO is still building, and the answer is a working partnership rather than a handoff
Skills
Software Architecture, Cloud & Infrastructure, Platform Modernisation, Engineering Leadership, Data & AI
Regions covered
France, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Asia-Pacific, Australia, Netherlands, United States, Europe, North America, Ireland, Germany, Canada
Industry experience
Fintech, Professional Services, SaaS, Education, Healthcare
At a glance
Ian brings hands-on experience across Software Architecture, Cloud & Infrastructure, Platform Modernisation, Engineering Leadership, Data & AI. Available for engagements across France, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Asia-Pacific, Australia, Netherlands, United States, Europe, North America, Ireland, Germany, Canada. Industry experience includes Fintech, Professional Services, SaaS, Education, Healthcare.
How fractional CTO engagements with Ian work
Ian works on a fractional basis — typically one to three days a week for an agreed engagement length — so you get senior technical leadership without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. Engagements commonly include technical due diligence, board reporting, engineering team leadership, technology strategy, architecture reviews, hiring support, and stepping in as interim CTO during a transition.