Enterprise Data & AI Strategy that Turns Confusion into Clarity
Advisor to CIOs, CDOs, and Founders building data and AI-capable organizations
I help organizations navigate data strategy, metadata, governance, and AI adoption in complex environments—aligning people, decision rights, and platforms so data and AI actually deliver value.
The Problems I Help Solve
Most organizations are data-rich and clarity-poor.
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Dashboards multiply
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Metric definitions drift
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AI initiatives stall or create risk
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Governance becomes friction instead of enablement
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Leaders are left trying to make strategic decisions in environments where:​
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Ownership is unclear
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Accountability is fragmented
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Metadata is treated as documentation instead of infrastructure
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AI is introduced faster than operating models can support it
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I help organizations cut through this complexity by establishing clear, scalable operating models for data, analytics, and AI—grounded in metadata, ownership, and decision rights.
Who I Work With
Enterprise Data & Technology Leaders
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CIOs, CDOs, CDAOs, and governance leaders in large, complex organizations who are responsible for:​
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Making data and AI initiatives deliver measurable value
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Reducing friction between business, analytics, and technology teams
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Moving beyond manual, compliance-heavy governance
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Creating clarity around ownership, accountability, and trust
Founders & Product Leaders
Early-stage technology companies building data, analytics, and AI platforms who need:
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Product strategy grounded in real enterprise buying behavior
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Precise positioning and use-case focus
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Insight into how enterprises actually adopt, govern, and scale data and AI
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A translator between product ambition and enterprise reality
What I Do
My work sits at the intersection of strategy, organization, metadata, and AI.
I advise on:
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Enterprise Data & AI Strategy
Defining operating models that align analytics, AI, and governance with business outcomes. -
Metadata-Driven Governance
Using metadata as an active control layer for trust, accountability, and scale—not just documentation. -
Organizational Design & Decision Rights
Clarifying ownership, accountability, and escalation paths so governance enables speed rather than slowing it down. -
Product Strategy for Data & AI Platforms
Helping founders and product teams design offerings that resonate with enterprise buyers and survive real-world adoption.
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A recurring theme across all engagements is helping organizations evolve toward autonomous, metadata-driven operating models that support trusted analytics and responsible AI at scale.
Why Prentice Gate Advisors
I bring 35+ years of experience across the full lifecycle of data and analytics platforms.
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Leadership roles in nine software startups
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Participation in three IPOs
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Multiple acquisitions into large enterprise vendors
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Former Field CTO and VP of Customer Success
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Builder of large, data-focused consulting practices
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Advisor to enterprise executives and early-stage founders
I’ve spent my career working where strategy meets execution—inside enterprises, alongside product teams, and in front of customers. That experience informs how I advise today.
Prentice Gate Advisors reflects a simple belief:
- Clarity beats complexity, especially in data and AI.
Thought Leadership
I write and speak regularly on data leadership, operating models, governance, and AI readiness.
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Highlights include:
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A book for data leaders on autonomous governance
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A regular column for The Data Administration Newsletter (TDAN)
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Executive briefs and papers on metadata, data value, and AI-enabled operating models
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How I Work
Engagements are typically fractional or advisory, tailored to the problem at hand rather than packaged services.
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I work best when:
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The challenge is strategic, ambiguous, or cross-functional
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Clarity, not headcount, is the constraint
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Leaders want an honest perspective grounded in experience