For the MD, founder, or business owner who makes technology decisions without a technical background to make them from.

What this engagement is

This is not technical mentoring. It is not for developers learning architecture, or CTOs developing their leadership.

It is for business leaders — MDs, founders, owners, and management teams — who are responsible for technology decisions they do not have the language or framework to evaluate properly.

The gap is common and consequential. A developer tells you something is technically complex. A vendor presents a solution that solves the problem you described. A platform decision gets made because it is what the team knows. Without a technical grounding, it is difficult to know what to question, what to push back on, and what to take at face value.

The engagement closes that gap.

What it produces

The measure of a successful engagement is simple: you understand what you need to understand to make the decisions.

Not dependency on an advisor. Not a set of rules to follow. Capability — the ability to ask the right questions, evaluate the answers, and make informed technical decisions as a business leader.

The goal is never to make you a technologist. It is to make you a better leader of the technical function you are already responsible for.

Who this is for

Founders who are making technology decisions without a technical co-founder or CTO
MDs and business owners whose development team or IT function reports to them
Management teams preparing for digital transformation or a significant technology investment
Leaders who have been burned by a technology project that did not deliver — and want to understand why, and what to do differently

The approach

Richard King began his career not in technology, but in business operations. Qualified dispensing optician. Bricks and mortar management. Real customers, real suppliers, real P&L pressure.

He brought technology in from the inside — digitised his own industry at a time when most optical practices were still paper-based. He has sat at both sides of the conversation: the business leader who needed to understand technology, and the technical authority explaining it.

That is where this mentoring is grounded. Not in theory, but in the experience of navigating exactly the decision-making environment the client is in.

“I come from the other side of the desk.”

Formats

1:1 ongoing A regular, structured mentoring relationship. Evolves with the business and the leader’s development. No fixed end date — continues as long as it is producing value.

Fixed programme A defined engagement with a specific focus and a clear end point. Useful when the business is approaching a specific decision, transformation, or challenge that requires a concentrated period of development.

Both formats are available. The right one depends on where the business is and what the leader needs.

Geography

Based in Cyprus. Available globally.

Mentoring is delivered remotely. The timezone bridges Europe, the Gulf, and Asia.

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Related engagements

Where mentoring reveals a need for ongoing technical leadership — a named CTO function, or a specific technical project — the following engagements are the natural next step.

Frequently asked questions

Is this for technical people or business leaders? Business leaders. MDs, founders, owners, and management teams who are responsible for technology decisions but do not have a technical background to make them from. This is not technical training or developer coaching.

What does the mentoring cover? It depends on where the business is and what the leader needs. Common areas include: evaluating technology proposals and vendor claims, understanding architecture and data decisions, leading a technical team effectively, preparing for a technology investment or transformation, and understanding what questions to ask and what the answers mean.

What format does mentoring take? Either a 1:1 ongoing relationship that evolves with the business, or a fixed programme with a defined focus and end point. The right format is agreed at the start.

How is this different from hiring a CTO? Mentoring builds your capability as a leader. A CTO — fractional or full-time — provides a technical function. They are different things. Some leaders benefit from both. Others need capability before they are ready to manage a CTO effectively.

How do engagements start? An initial 30-minute conversation to understand the business situation and what the leader is trying to navigate. From there, the format and focus are agreed.

Richard King is CTO at Sixteen Pillars — technical leadership, architecture, and governance for organisations that need it without the overhead of a full-time hire.