Based in Singapore, Southeast Asia's AI hub · Clients worldwide
Fractional CAIO and
AI Engineering ServicesChief AI Officer & Engineer
I provide executive AI advisory/strategy and AI engineering services on a per-need basis.
Many leadership teams know AI is critical, but they are not ready for a full-time hire. They need a senior engineer-executive in the loop who can look at the business strategy and write the code. I help companies start and steer their AI journey, focusing on priorities, guardrails, buy-vs-build decisions, and shipping real systems, not slide decks.
1 hour · Questions first? Message me on LinkedIn before you book.
SENIOR ENGINEER-EXEC IN THE LOOP
25+ years shipping in banking, fintech, and enterprise. Still builds.
Capabilities & Focus
Strategy that holds up in the boardroom, and implementation that holds up in production.
Executive AI Strategy
Designing high-ROI roadmaps, setting data guardrails, and navigating compliance.
Hands-on Implementation
Coding and deploying autonomous AI Agents, custom LLM pipelines, and automation workflows.
On-Prem & Open-Source
Specializing in local model architectures that protect proprietary company data.
What is a Fractional CAIO?
A Fractional CAIO (Chief AI Officer) is a senior AI leader you hire part-time. You get the same job as a full-time CAIO: set the agenda, set guardrails, and make build decisions, without a full-time C-level seat.
This engagement also includes AI engineering: a senior engineer-executive who can look at the business strategy and write the code. The retainer is for teams that want ongoing Chief AI Officer leadership in the loop, plus hands-on implementation when it is time to ship.
Based in Singapore
Advice from inside Asia's AI hub
An AI strategy is only as good as the ecosystem exposure behind it. I work from Singapore, the innovation hub where AI in Asia is funded, governed, and deployed first, and bring that exposure to every engagement, wherever your company operates.
The region’s AI capital
Singapore is the regional headquarters for major global tech firms and Southeast Asia’s largest AI hub, where most of the region’s roughly US$9B in AI startup funding is raised. The vendors, models, and playbooks that reach the rest of Asia land here first.
A serious national AI strategy
Singapore runs a refreshed National AI Strategy with an AI council chaired by the Prime Minister, over S$1 billion committed to AI research, and national partnerships with OpenAI and Google. AI here is government-backed infrastructure, not a passing trend.
Governance that wins enterprise deals
IMDA’s Model AI Governance Framework, AI Verify testing, and MAS guidelines for financial institutions are becoming the de facto baseline for enterprise and government AI procurement across the region. I translate them into guardrails your team can ship against.
Frontline signal, not secondhand reports
Working inside this ecosystem, on top of 25 years in Singapore banking, fintech, and enterprise, I see what companies actually deploy versus what only demos well, and steer your agenda with that signal.
Remote-first with clients worldwide. Singapore hours cover the full Asia-Pacific business day, calls with US and European teams are scheduled at overlap-friendly times, and in-person sessions are available in Singapore.
Who hires a Fractional CAIO
Leadership teams that know AI is critical, are not ready for a full-time hire, and need a senior engineer-executive who can look at the business strategy and write the code.
Exec teams, not a lone champion
Founders, CEOs, COOs, and CTOs who need a senior AI voice in leadership meetings, not another tool demo for a single department.
Past experiments, no agenda yet
You have tried copilots, vendors, or a pilot. What you lack is a coherent AI agenda and someone who will hold the line on it.
Not ready for a full-time CAIO
A full-time Chief AI Officer is a heavy hire. You want more than a one-off workshop, without creating a new C-level seat yet.
How to engage a Fractional CAIO or AI Advisor
Fractional CAIO retainer if you want ongoing Chief AI Officer leadership on the AI agenda. AI Advisor if you mainly need a senior sounding board. Project-based help for a focused pilot or build decision.
Fractional CAIO retainer
Ongoing leadership on the AI agenda if you want a senior engineer-exec in the loop with your team.
- Weekly, biweekly, or monthly leadership cadence
- Custom number of calls and async availability
- In the loop with your execs and builders
- Agenda, decisions, and guardrails, not a leftover Slack channel
AI Advisor
A senior AI advisor and sounding board when you mainly need counsel, reviews, and pressure-testing of plans or vendors.
- Review strategy, vendors, and build vs. buy
- Pressure-test a plan before you commit budget
- Office hours or a fixed number of calls
- Useful when you are not ready for a retainer yet
Project-based
Focused help for a pilot, architecture choice, or build decision.
- A defined question with a defined end
- Pilot scoping, architecture, or go / no-go
- Can convert into a retainer if the work continues
- For teams that need a decision, not a standing role
Customized. Not a package.
Retainer, number of calls, project basis. We design the engagement around how your leadership team actually works.
Cadence & calls
Weekly, biweekly, or monthly. We set the number of calls and how reachable I am between them.
Depth of involvement
Strategy with leadership only, or in the room with the team on reviews, architecture, and pilots.
Scope of work
Retainer, advisory, or a single project. Mix leadership with a focused build decision when you need it.
Duration
A 30-day trial, a quarterly retainer, or a project with a clear finish line. Designed together, not a fixed package.
What I help you steer
The job is not more AI. It is a clearer agenda, and systems that actually land.
01
What to prioritize
A short, honest AI agenda. The few bets that move the business, and a sequence your team can actually execute.
02
What to ignore
Vendor noise, demo theater, and work that looks innovative without changing how you operate. Saying no is part of the job.
03
How to set guardrails
Data, vendors, risk, and how your team uses models. Enough structure to ship safely without freezing the org.
04
How to ship real systems
Pilots, architecture, build vs. buy, and staying close enough that something ships. Not a slide deck that dies in a shared drive.
Engineer-led. Not slide-deck-led.
Melvin Vivas · Software Engineer & Senior Technology Leader
25 years across banking, fintech, and enterprise, including senior roles at Standard Chartered Bank and Ohmyhome (Nasdaq). Based in Singapore, working with clients across Asia-Pacific and worldwide.
I still build. When I sit in a leadership meeting, I can tell the difference between a real system and a demo. That is the point of a Fractional CAIO with an engineering background: direction, and staying close enough that it ships.
Built with AI
I ship the systems I advise on. These are products I built, not slide-deck case studies.
Fractional CAIO and AI Advisor FAQs
How the Chief AI Officer engagement actually works
A Fractional CAIO (Chief AI Officer) is a senior AI leader you engage part-time, usually on retainer. The role is the same as a full-time CAIO: set the AI agenda, decide what to build and skip, put guardrails in place, and stay close enough that pilots become real systems, without creating a full-time C-level seat.
Start with a conversation.
Book a 1-hour Fractional CAIO advise call. We review your AI goals, pressure-test your plan or stack, and lock clear next steps. Prefer to ask questions first? Message me on LinkedIn.