FRACTIONAL & INTERIM CIO/CISO LEADERSHIP
Security that closes the deal.
Systems that scale the company.
Technology, security, and AI governance leadership for growth-stage companies,
from an executive who has held the seat. Engaged in weeks, not months.
The full-time hire can wait.
The enterprise deal, the audit, and the AI rollout can't.
Secure. Scale. Govern.
Three capabilities. One objective: help your company scale with confidence.
SECURE
Fractional CISO
The security program your customers, auditors, and insurers expect — SOC 2 and ISO 27001 readiness, enterprise security reviews, incident response, and board-ready risk reporting.
SCALE
Fractional CIO
Technology and business systems that scale with your company — cloud, ERP, CRM, identity, data, and IT operations — built for growth, operational efficiency, and investor diligence.
GOVERN
AI Governance
Practical policies, controls, and audit evidence for AI systems and agents — helping your company deploy AI responsibly and answer enterprise customers' governance questions with confidence.
An executive in the seat. Not just an advisor.
The challenge: As companies scale, enterprise customers, auditors, investors, and boards begin expecting executive-level accountability for technology and security. But hiring a full-time CIO or CISO can be expensive, time-consuming, and premature.
How we engage: Engagements are fractional — a defined number of days each week — or interim, providing full-time leadership for a defined period. Each begins with an agreed scope and a 90-day plan. Based in Seattle and available to clients nationwide, with on-site availability when it matters. Engagements can begin within weeks.
What you get: An experienced executive who participates in leadership decisions, owns outcomes, manages critical vendor and assurance relationships, and builds a function that keeps working after the engagement ends.
The judgment and accountability of an experienced executive, without the full-time commitment.
Who you'll be working with.
Justin Donato is the founder of ForgeProof and former CIO of WellSaid Labs, a generative AI voice company. Previously, he spent 14 years at Nintex in progressively senior leadership roles spanning enterprise technology, business systems, infrastructure, and cybersecurity.
He holds CISSP and IAPP AI Governance Professional (AIGP) credentials, along with master's degrees in business administration and applied finance. He is completing a Master of Science in Cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins University, with an expected graduation in May 2027. His research on AI-driven malware detection was published at IEEE MILCOM 2025.
He works directly with a select number of companies, providing executive accountability rather than advice alone. Equally comfortable in a board meeting, an incident response bridge, or an auditor's walkthrough, he brings hands-on leadership to complex technology and security challenges.
Executive leadership when you need it.
Now accepting select engagements.
If your company — or one in your portfolio — needs experienced CIO or CISO leadership without the full-time commitment, let's talk.
A 25-minute conversation is a good place to start.
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