Aspirica

Senior technology leadership, without the full-time cost.

I'm Gareth Rooney, a fractional CIO and CTO. I help growing businesses recover stalled programmes, choose and deliver the right systems, secure what they run, and build teams that last.

Book an introductory call See the work
  • CIO 100 UK winner2025 and 2026
  • 25 years in IT18 leading technology functions
  • £2m to £200mturnover of businesses served
  • Certified CISOEC-Council, and MBCS

For businesses that have outgrown ad hoc IT.

Most of my clients are big enough to depend on technology and too small to justify a full-time CIO who has done it all before. I join your leadership team for a few days a month, take ownership of technology, and report to the board.

That might mean a 30-day review to find out where you stand, steadying a programme that's gone off track, or leading the function for years while the business grows.

  • Fractional CIO
  • Fractional CTO
  • IT Director
  • Technology review
  • Programme assurance

What I'm brought in for

Six kinds of work make up most engagements. Many clients need several at once.

Programme recovery

Finding why a programme has stalled (the system, the partner or the team) and deciding whether to rescue, restart or stop it.

ERP and CRM

Requirements, competitive tender, partner selection and delivery. Eight ERP programmes led, most on Microsoft Dynamics.

Cyber security

Critical fixes first, then baselines, monitoring, testing and the right security partner, with clear reporting to the board.

AI adoption

Policy, approved tools and data controls in place, then AI agents that save real time in sales, bids and operations.

Acquisitions and integration

Technical due diligence on targets, then bringing acquired businesses onto group systems in weeks rather than months.

Teams and partners

Promoting the talent you have, recruiting what you don't, and choosing managed service partners through proper tenders.

Selected work

Clients are described by sector and size rather than named.

Manufacturer, about 100 staff

A new ERP that removed the order ceiling

The old system capped peak trading and overran into weeks of backlog. I led a two-phase Microsoft Dynamics implementation covering finance, production, warehouse and e-commerce.

1,500 to 2,700orders processed a day at peak
Retail and wholesale group, about 360 staff

Three acquisitions, one set of systems

As Group IT Director I ran due diligence on targets, then brought three acquired high-street retailers and more than 30 stores onto group systems.

~8 weeksto integrate each acquired business
Manufacturer with UK and US factories, about 1,500 staff

A stalled ERP programme, restarted

Years of project fatigue had left the programme and its partner stuck. I restructured the team and deliverables, set a technology risk committee and a 24-month roadmap.

£80,000a year saved on infrastructure licences
Manufacturer, about 100 staff

A full site move without losing a day

Relocated the business into a new 40,000 sq ft office and warehouse, delivering every technical element of the move around live trading.

0 daysof trading lost

Sectors

Mainly mid-sized businesses with physical operations: plants, warehouses, stores and sites.

  • ManufacturingFurniture, chemicals, textiles, recycling
  • Retail and wholesaleMulti-site and online
  • EngineeringConsultancy and built environment
  • SportNational governing bodies
  • LeisureMulti-site operators
  • Professional servicesClaims, consumer brands, specialist services

How an engagement starts

Usually with a whole-of-technology review for the board, delivered in about 30 days. It shows what's working, what needs attention and what you need to decide.

  1. 1

    Discover

    Interviews with finance, operations and IT leads, site visits, and a look at costs, contracts and policies.

  2. 2

    Assess

    Eight areas rated against good practice, from security and systems to people and spend.

  3. 3

    Recommend

    Options scored and costed, with the team, partners and governance needed to deliver them.

  4. 4

    Plan

    Urgent fixes in 30 days, then a 12 to 24-month roadmap with named decisions and dates.

Gareth RooneyFounder, Aspirica

About Gareth

I've worked in IT for 25 years, the last 18 leading technology functions. I spent twelve years running IT inside manufacturing and retail businesses, latterly as IT Director and Group IT Director, before going fractional in 2021.

Since then I've led technology for more than ten organisations, from a 15-person firm to a 1,500-person manufacturer. I founded Aspirica in 2020 to do this work independently.

  • CIO 100 UK winner2025 and 2026
  • Certified CISOEC-Council
  • Oxford AI ProgrammeSaïd Business School
  • Certified CIO, FoundationAccredited by SIAS
  • Professional Member (MBCS)BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
  • Eight ERP programmesLed or recovered

Let's talk about where you are.

A 30-minute call is usually enough to tell whether I can help. If I can't, I'll say so.

Email
gareth@aspirica.co.uk
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/gareth-rooney