RoleChief Information Officer
FocusAI · Cloud · Digital Transformation
BaseGlobal
StatusOpen to Board & Advisory Engagements

Tech
Leader.
Capital
Mind.

Chief Information Officer and technology investor driving enterprise-wide digital transformation, AI-native operating models, and value creation across global organisations. Twenty years at the intersection of technology and capital.

Mohantilak Palaniandy
20+
Yrs in Tech
$3B
Tech Budgets
12
Investments
AI & Machine Learning Cloud Transformation Digital Transformation Cybersecurity & Risk Board Advisory Technology Investor Turnaround & Scale-Up Enterprise Architecture AI & Machine Learning Cloud Transformation Digital Transformation Cybersecurity & Risk Board Advisory Technology Investor Turnaround & Scale-Up Enterprise Architecture
01 — About

Operator with an
Investor's Eye

Mohan is a Chief Information Officer and technology investor with over two decades of experience leading enterprise-wide digital transformation, building AI-native operating models, and scaling cloud infrastructure for global organisations.

He has served as CIO and technology executive across FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 enterprises in financial services, healthcare, and media — consistently bridging the gap between technology ambition and measurable business value.

Alongside his executive career, Mohan is an active early-stage technology investor, backing founders building in enterprise AI, cybersecurity, and developer infrastructure — bringing operator insight to the capital table, having lived the problems the companies he backs are solving.

His track record spans turnarounds, scale-ups, IPO readiness, and complex M&A integrations — with a consistent focus on building high-performance technology organisations through disciplined execution and clarity of purpose.

2021–

Chief Information Officer

Vantage Group plc — FTSE 100 Financial Services. £140M cloud migration, AI underwriting engine, security transformation.

2017

Group CIO & Chief Digital Officer

Meridian Financial Group — $2.4B FinTech across 22 markets. NASDAQ IPO. Cloud-native core banking transformation.

2013

VP Technology & Digital

Helix Health Systems — 3,200-bed hospital network. AI diagnostics, £80M NHS digital programme.

2008

Director of Engineering

Citadel Media Group — Scaled digital platform from 2M to 40M MAU. Built first data science function.

02 — Expertise

Where I Create
Value

01

AI & Machine Learning

Enterprise AI strategy, LLM deployment at scale, MLOps governance, and responsible AI frameworks for regulated industries. Translating AI capability into measurable EBITDA impact.

01
02

Cloud & Infrastructure

Multi-cloud architecture, platform engineering, hybrid infrastructure, and FinOps at enterprise scale. Proven delivery of complex migrations without business disruption.

02
03

Digital Transformation

End-to-end operating model redesign, legacy modernisation, product-led engineering culture, and customer experience-driven technology delivery at FTSE 100 scale.

03
04

Cybersecurity & Risk

Board-level security governance, zero-trust architecture, cyber resilience strategy, and regulatory compliance. Proven rebuilding of security posture post-incident.

04
05

Turnaround & Scale-Up

Rebuilding underperforming technology organisations, delivering rapid stabilisation, and accelerating growth trajectories in complex, high-pressure environments — with a track record across financial services, healthcare, and media at scale.

05
03 — Career

Executive
Trajectory

Chief Information Officer
2021 — Present
Vantage Group plc · FTSE 100 · Financial Services

Leading the enterprise technology agenda for a £6.2B financial services group — spanning cloud transformation, AI-driven product development, and a full-scale cybersecurity modernisation programme. Accountable to the Group CEO and Board Risk Committee.

Delivered £140M cloud migration across 14 business units in 18 months — 22% under budget.
Deployed a proprietary AI underwriting engine reducing processing time by 67% and improving loss ratios by 4.2pts.
Rebuilt the security operating model post-breach; achieved ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II within 9 months.
Scaled the technology organisation from 340 to 680 engineers while cutting contractor dependency by 35%.
CloudEnterprise AICybersecurityFTSE 100£6B P&L
Group CIO & Chief Digital Officer
2017 — 2021
Meridian Financial Group · $2.4B FinTech · 22 Markets

Dual mandate as CIO and CDO across a global fintech. Drove the strategic shift from legacy core banking to a cloud-native, API-first platform — enabling a new generation of digital products and a successful NASDAQ listing.

Migrated 4.2M customer accounts to cloud-native platform with zero downtime.
Launched open banking API platform generating $38M ARR within 24 months.
Led technology workstream for NASDAQ IPO — due diligence, investor narrative, SOX compliance.
Digital TransformationFinTechIPOOpen Banking
VP Technology & Digital
2013 — 2017
Helix Health Systems · Healthcare Technology

Owned the technology P&L for a 3,200-bed hospital network, leading the shift to a fully integrated digital health platform — EHR, clinical AI, and patient mobile products — in a heavily regulated environment.

Deployed AI-assisted diagnostics — 31% reduction in misdiagnosis incidents in Year 1.
Delivered £80M NHS digital programme on time and on budget — only 1 of 3 national sites to do so.
HealthTechClinical AIRegulated Industries
Director of Engineering
2008 — 2013
Citadel Media Group · Global Media & Publishing

Built and led a 120-person engineering organisation through the transition from print to digital-first — architecting the content delivery platform now serving 40M monthly active users.

Scaled digital platform from 2M to 40M MAU over 4 years — no major availability incidents.
Built company's first data science function — personalisation drove 28% uplift in digital subscription revenue.
Platform EngineeringData ScienceMedia Tech
04 — Governance

Board &
Advisory Roles

Active · NED
Orion Cyber Defence
Non-Executive Director · Audit & Risk Committee

Technology risk governance for a £280M listed cybersecurity firm. Chairing the Audit Committee and advising on AI governance and product strategy.

Since 2022 · London, UK
Active · Chair
Tessera AI
Technology Advisory Committee Chair

Guiding enterprise AI product strategy, go-to-market, and regulatory compliance for a Series B AI infrastructure startup with $34M raised.

Since 2023 · San Francisco / Remote
Active · Advisor
GovTech Accelerator
Senior Technology Advisor

Advising cohort companies on enterprise sales cycles, government procurement, and architecture for public sector digital transformation.

Since 2021 · UK Cabinet Office Programme
Active · Mentor
Deeptech Founders Network
Executive Mentor — CTO/CIO Track

Mentoring senior technology leaders and technical founders on the transition from engineering leadership to C-suite and board-level roles.

Since 2022 · London & Remote
Past · NED
Cloudbase Infrastructure
Independent Non-Executive Director

Served through the company's £120M Series C and acquisition by a European cloud provider. Remuneration and Technology Committee.

2019 — 2022 · Amsterdam, NL
Past · Expert Panel
DCMS Digital Skills Panel
Independent Technology Expert

National policy recommendations on digital skills, AI workforce readiness, and the future of technology roles in the UK economy.

2020 — 2022 · UK Government
05 — Insights

Perspectives &
Publications

Harvard Business Review · 2024
The CIO Who Codes: Why Technical Credibility Is the New Boardroom Currency

As AI reshapes what technology leadership means, the gap between CIOs who understand the machine and those who merely manage it has never been more consequential — for organisations and for careers.

Read Article
MIT Sloan Management Review · 2024
You Can't Outsource Your AI Strategy: A CIO's Playbook

Why enterprises that cede AI ownership to vendors are building dependency, not capability — and what to do instead.

MIT Sloan · June 2024
Financial Times · 2023
The $100M Lesson: What Enterprise Cloud Migrations Always Get Wrong

Having led three major cloud transformations, the failure patterns are strikingly consistent — and almost entirely avoidable.

FT Tech · November 2023
Wired UK · 2023
Cybersecurity Is a Leadership Problem, Not a Technology Problem

The boards that treat security as a technical matter are the ones that get breached. Here's how to change the conversation.

Wired UK · March 2023
World Economic Forum · 2022
Governing AI in the Enterprise: A Framework for Boards

A practical governance framework for boards navigating AI adoption — balancing innovation velocity with risk, ethics, and accountability.

WEF Insight Report · October 2022
06 — Investing

Technology
Investor

Investment Thesis

"I invest in founders solving the hardest problems in enterprise technology — the ones I've spent 20 years wrestling with from the other side of the table."

AI
Enterprise AI & intelligent automation
🔐
Cybersecurity & identity infrastructure
Cloud-native developer tooling & platform engineering
📊
Data infrastructure & observability
🏥
HealthTech & regulated industry digitisation
01

Tessera AI

Enterprise LLM deployment infrastructure for regulated industries. 80+ enterprise customers.

Series B
Enterprise AI
Infrastructure
02

Vaultline Security

Zero-trust network access for distributed enterprise workforces. Ex-GCHQ founding team.

Seed
Cybersecurity
Zero Trust
03

DataStack

Real-time data observability platform. $12M ARR. 3× YoY growth. 200+ data engineering teams.

Series A
Data
DevTools
04

Nexus Health AI

Clinical decision support using ambient AI. NHS pilot live across 3 hospital trusts.

Pre-Seed
HealthTech
Clinical AI
05

Cloudbase Infrastructure ↗ Exited

Multi-cloud cost optimisation — acquired for £120M. 4.2× return over 3 years.

Exited
Cloud
FinOps

Let's build
something
exceptional.

Open to board roles, advisory engagements, and co-investment opportunities. I work with a select number of partners each year where I can add genuine, measurable value.

mohan@example.com
✓ Message received — Mohan will respond within 48 hours.