Mark Yarnold
Chief Technology Officer at Cloudlabs
Based in United Kingdom · 25+ years experience
Summary
Chief Technology Officer | Still Building on AWS and AI After 25 Years in the Chair | SaaS at International Scale, Startup and Scale-up, Turnaround and Fractional Leadership
About
AI-Native CTO & Builder | AWS Specialist | Scale-Up Technology LeaderI architect the technology foundations that turn ambitious startups into market leaders — and as a builder CTO, I ship them myself, not just advise from the outside.
With 25+ years building and scaling cloud platforms, I embed AI/ML deep into product DNA — not bolt-on features, but core competitive advantages that drive measurable business impact.
What I Do:I take early-stage and Series A/B companies through their most critical technology transformations: from fragile MVPs to enterprise-grade platforms that scale without breaking on security, cost, or velocity.
For non-technical founders with a validated idea and no one to build it, I step in as the builder CTO; architecture, product and execution owned by one senior operator.
Spec-driven, AI-accelerated delivery: production roughly 75% faster, at about half the cost of the traditional route.
My Technical Sweet Spot:
✓ Event-driven, decoupled microservices architecture
✓ AI/ML integration at platform level (computer vision, intelligent automation, predictive analytics)
✓ AWS Solutions Architecture — cost optimisation, multi-region, security first
✓ Real-time data pipelines and edge computing
✓ Serverless, highly scalable, efficient architectureWhat Sets Me Apart:I don't just build technology, I build the teams and culture that sustain it — turning scattered, dysfunctional agency teams into high-performing internal engineering organisations with clear process and genuine technical excellence.
I'm comfortable in the boardroom translating technical strategy for investors and commercial stakeholders, whilst hands-on enough to architect solutions and review code myself.
Sector Experience:Public Safety Tech | Pharma | Healthcare | Content Protection | Incident Management | IoT & Computer VisionWhen to Connect:📍 Founder/CEO of a startup / scaleup needing a CTO who can scale your platform without breaking it📍 Non-technical founder with a validated idea and no one to build it — I step in as your builder CTO from day one📍 Mission-critical technology struggling with reliability, cost or velocity📍 Need to embed AI/ML into your product but don't know where to start📍 Planning a major cloud migration or architecture transformation📍 Need someone who builds and leads engineering teams, not just manages themI'm passionate about turning bleeding-edge technology into competitive moats — if you're building something ambitious and need strategic technical leadership to get you there, let's talk.
Skills
Software Architecture, Cloud & Infrastructure, M&A / Due Diligence, Platform Modernisation, Cybersecurity, Engineering Leadership, Vendor Management, DevOps, Data & AI
Regions covered
Industry experience
Government, Professional Services, SaaS, Healthcare
At a glance
Mark brings hands-on experience across Software Architecture, Cloud & Infrastructure, M&A / Due Diligence, Platform Modernisation, Cybersecurity, Engineering Leadership and 3 other areas. Available for engagements across Europe, Middle East. Industry experience includes Government, Professional Services, SaaS, Healthcare.
How fractional CTO engagements with Mark work
Mark 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.