AI & technology training, strategic consultancy, and AI governance — for individuals and companies
Three ways to work with me directly, alongside the AI Readiness Audits and automation work I do through VisionXY7: hands-on training that builds real AI & technology capability inside your team, strategic consultancy for organisations that want boardroom-level judgment on where AI belongs in the business, and dedicated AI Governance work for organisations that need to know exactly where they stand against ISO/IEC 42001, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and the EU AI Act — and to get audit-ready.
This isn't just a tool demo. Every session is led by a business consultant first, technologist second — Dr. Mahdi Seify holds a PhD in AI-Driven Business Analytics and an MBA, is an ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, and has led programmes from £12k to £200m across 25+ years. You get judgment on where and how AI should be used, not just a walkthrough of a chatbot.
AI & technology training
For many SMEs and individuals, teaching people to use AI and everyday technology confidently and safely is a faster, cheaper route to real value than commissioning a custom-built AI agent. This is practical, hands-on training — not theory — tailored to the tools your team already has and the tasks that eat their time.
One-to-One Coaching
For sole traders, freelancers, professionals, and anyone who wants focused, judgment-led guidance rather than a generic course.
- Confident, safe day-to-day use of AI tools (ChatGPT, Copilot, and similar)
- Practical time-saving workflows for your own role
- Booked in single hours or short blocks — no minimum commitment
- Online by default; in-person by arrangement
Small Team Training Day
For teams of up to 10 attendees — a curriculum built around your actual tools, data, and daily workflows, not a generic slide deck.
- AI & technology literacy across the whole team
- Safe, GDPR-aware use of AI with company data
- Hands-on workflow automation basics your team can apply immediately
- Take-home resource pack and follow-up Q&A
Company Training Day
For larger groups and multi-department rollouts — typically 10–25 attendees, scaled to your company's size and structure.
- Department-specific tracks (ops, marketing, customer service, leadership)
- AI governance & responsible-use guidance for the whole organisation
- Manager briefing on where AI fits the wider strategy
- Optional multi-day programme for larger rollouts
Strategic AI & business consultancy
For organisations that need more than a course — direct access to PhD-level strategic judgment on AI adoption, governance, and where it genuinely belongs in the business. The same calibre of thinking I bring to £12k–£200M programmes, priced to be accessible to SMEs, not just enterprise budgets.
Strategic AI & Business Consultancy
- AI strategy, adoption roadmaps, and prioritisation
- AI governance aligned to ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management Systems), and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework
- EU AI Act risk-tiering and compliance readiness
- Board and leadership-team advisory sessions
- Vendor and build-vs-buy decision support
Prefer ongoing access?
An ongoing fractional advisory retainer — a set number of hours each month for direct strategic input, without the cost of a full-time Chief AI Officer.
Scoped to your business's size and how much ongoing access you need — confirmed on a discovery call.
Read more about what a fractional Chief AI Officer engagement covers in my Insights series.
AI Governance — the full lifecycle
From first assessment to certified governance. Readiness assessment → policy and control framework → independent review → certification readiness. Five stages, ISO/IEC 42001-structured, grounded in the ISO/IEC 27001 audit methodology I hold and use. This is not a single service but a sequence — the method is published in full here, including the eight dimensions, the maturity anchors and the standards crosswalk.
Two ways to engage at any stage, mirroring the Lead Auditor / Lead Implementer split I hold under ISO/IEC 27001: an independent review that tells you where the gaps are, or hands-on implementation that closes them.
I prepare organisations for certification and review their AI management systems independently. I do not certify, and cannot. ISO/IEC 42001 certification can only be granted by a certification body accredited under ISO/IEC 42006 — and a body that consulted on your system is barred from certifying it. What this work produces is a readiness position, prioritised findings and an evidenced management system; it never states that an organisation is, or is not, compliant with any standard or regulation. Naming that boundary plainly is the strongest credibility signal on this page.
AI Governance Audit
The Lead Auditor Approach
An independent gap assessment of your AI systems and practices — not a sales pitch for implementation work. You get a clear, evidence-based findings report either way.
- ✓Gap assessment against ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management Systems), ISO/IEC 23894 (AI Risk Management), and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework
- ✓EU AI Act risk-tier classification for each AI use case in scope
- ✓Prioritised, board-ready findings report — scoped for one AI system or organisation-wide
- ✓Led personally by an ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor & Lead Implementer
AI Governance Implementation
The Lead Implementer Approach
Project-oriented, hands-on delivery — I lead and build alongside your team, not a report that sits on a shelf.
- ✓Build an AI Management System aligned to ISO/IEC 42001: policies, roles, and controls
- ✓AI risk register and EU AI Act compliance documentation, use case by use case
- ✓NIST AI Risk Management Framework (Govern–Map–Measure–Manage) embedded into daily operations
- ✓Staff governance training and sign-off support — project-based or ongoing
Prefer to build this capability in-house?
Internal AI Auditor Training upskills your own team to run ISO/IEC 42001 internal audits between external reviews — delivered as an extension of the Company Training Day format above, and scoped to the findings of your own governance review rather than taught in the abstract. Built on the ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor methodology I hold and use.
Audit principles, evidence and sampling, writing a finding that holds up, and running the internal audit clause of ISO/IEC 42001 in practice.
The foundation day plus a worked internal audit against your own management system, and the evidence pack a certification body will expect to see.
This trains your people to audit; it does not qualify anyone as an external auditor, and it is not a certification course. The method they will be taught is published here.
Discuss Internal Auditor TrainingAnd if the answer is that nobody owns AI here
The most common finding in a governance review is not a technology gap — it is that no single named person is accountable for AI, and nobody has the authority to refuse a tool that has already been adopted. That is a decision-rights problem, and it usually does not require an executive hire. Fractional Chief AI Officer from £1,800 per month — one to four days a month, chairing your AI Leadership Council and owning the governance calendar.
The Chief AI Officer Question →EU AI Act GPAI obligations came into force on 2 August 2026; high-risk obligations were deferred to 2 December 2027 under the Digital Omnibus package. In the UK, the Artificial Intelligence (Regulation) Bill [HL] remains a private member’s bill rather than government policy, and the approach is regulator-led — ICO, MHRA, FCA, CQC, GDC. No UK AI statute does not mean no obligations: sector regulators are already active, and data protection law already applies.
Regulatory position verified: 3 September 2026Training and consultancy pricing, explained
Is training cheaper than commissioning a custom AI agent?
Often, yes — especially for businesses that mainly need their people confident and safe using existing AI tools (ChatGPT, Copilot, and similar) rather than a bespoke automated agent. Training is a one-off or occasional cost that builds capability your team keeps; an agent build is a larger, ongoing engagement suited to a specific repeatable workflow. Many clients start with training and only commission an agent once they know exactly what they need automated.
Why is training priced per hour for individuals and per day for companies?
An individual typically needs a focused one-to-one or small block of hours, so hourly pricing keeps the cost proportionate and genuinely accessible. A business session covers a group, a curriculum tailored to the company's own tools and workflows, and preparation time — a day rate reflects that scope more fairly than a per-head hourly charge.
What determines the final training price?
Four things: whether the session is online or in person, the number of attendees, the company's turnover/size band, and how much bespoke content is needed for your sector. Every price on this page is a genuine "from" figure — a short scoping call confirms the exact quote before anything is booked.
How is the consultancy service different from the AI Readiness Audit?
The AI Readiness Audit (from £950) is a fixed-scope diagnostic — a defined piece of work with a findings report. Strategic consultancy is ongoing or project-based advisory time — strategy, governance, board input, or hands-on decision support — billed hourly, daily, or as a monthly retainer depending on how much ongoing access you need.
Does the consultancy cover AI governance standards like ISO/IEC 42001 or the EU AI Act?
Yes. Strategic AI & Business Consultancy includes AI governance advisory built on Dr. Seify's ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor & Lead Implementer methodology, extended into ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management Systems), ISO/IEC 23894 (AI Risk Management), the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, and EU AI Act risk-tiering and GPAI compliance obligations. There is also a dedicated AI Governance Audit & Implementation service for organisations that want this as a standalone, deliverable-led engagement.
Do you offer AI Governance as a dedicated audit or implementation project, separate from consultancy?
Yes. AI Governance Audit is an independent gap assessment against ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management Systems), ISO/IEC 23894 (AI Risk Management) and EU AI Act risk-tiering, delivered as a Lead Auditor-style findings report. AI Governance Implementation is the hands-on, project-based build of an AI Management System — policies, AI risk register, and EU AI Act compliance documentation — delivered as a Lead Implementer-style engagement. Both are scoped and quoted individually on a discovery call, since scope depends heavily on how many AI systems are in use and which regulation applies.
Can you train our own team to run internal ISO/IEC 42001 audits?
Yes — that is what Internal AI Auditor Training is for. It upskills your own staff to conduct internal audits between external reviews, built on the ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor methodology I hold and use. A 1-Day Foundation is from £1,250/day online or £1,600/day in person; a 2-Day Certification-Prep Programme is from £2,200 online or £2,800 in person and includes a worked internal audit against your own management system. It is scoped to your own governance findings rather than taught generically. It trains people to audit internally — it does not qualify anyone as an external auditor, and it is not a certification course.
Do you certify us against ISO/IEC 42001?
No, and no consultancy can. ISO/IEC 42001 certification is granted only by a certification body accredited under ISO/IEC 42006 — and a body that consulted on your management system is barred from certifying it. What I do is prepare you for that assessment and review your system independently, using the Lead Auditor and Lead Implementer methodology I hold under ISO/IEC 27001. If you want the detail of how that review is structured, the methodology is published in full.
How much does a fractional Chief AI Officer cost?
From £1,800 per month for one to four days a month, including chairing your AI Leadership Council and owning the governance calendar. The final rate depends on days per month, the number of AI systems in scope, and whether a regulated sector is involved. The full picture — including when it is too early to appoint one — is here.
How much does the AI Governance Audit or Implementation cost?
There is no flat advertised rate for AI Governance Audit or Implementation, unlike training and consultancy. Scope varies too much by organisation — number of AI systems, sector-specific regulation, and whether an audit, implementation, or both is needed — so every engagement is scoped and quoted individually on a free discovery call before anything is booked.
Start with a free 20-minute discovery call.
Tell me whether you're after training for yourself or your team, or ongoing strategic consultancy — I'll recommend the right starting point and confirm exact pricing for your size, format, and attendee numbers.