Accountability Diagnostics
Executive Advisory
Board Advisory
Board & C-Suite Advisor
I help boards, CEOs, and data/technology executives turn AI, data governance, and modernization mandates into operating models that can hold under executive scrutiny.
Selected Organizations Advised
What Leaders Say
“We needed top people to take advantage of the best talent there is. We brought in David Marco to advise and guide us.”
Although the counterterrorism successes were classified, FBI leadership publicly noted that executive management was “very, very happy with what’s been accomplished” and excited about the future potential of the work.
“David brought deep experience, strong judgment, and excellent advisory support to our team. His enterprise data governance expertise helped us navigate common pitfalls and move forward with greater clarity.”
“I engaged Dr. David Marco to guide us through a critical data modernization transition and provide a foundational approach to data governance. He quickly earned the confidence of our leadership and business partners, and delivered agile, thoughtful guidance aligned to both our immediate needs and long-term sustainability.”
“David Marco is a real visionary in data management. At the same time, he understands the executive challenges of managing enterprise data responsibly. Most advisors can do one or the other. David has the skill and savvy to do both.”
“David Marco quickly understood the business need and strategic challenges of our enterprise initiatives. He kept our requirements at the forefront, showed strong accountability for the quality of his work, and helped us meet stretch goals ahead of schedule.”
The Problem
AI, data, and modernization efforts rarely fail because the organization lacks activity. They fail because accountability, decision rights, ownership, and governance were never designed clearly enough to scale.
When accountability is implied, it disappears when the stakes rise.
Advisory Practice
01
Independent assessment for executive teams and boards seeking clarity on whether AI, data, and technology initiatives are supported by the operating model required to scale.
Learn more02
Ongoing confidential counsel for CIOs, CDOs, CTOs, CAIOs, CEOs, and executive teams navigating mandates that will be hard to reverse.
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Independent advisory for boards, audit committees, risk committees, and technology committees overseeing AI, data, and technology accountability.
Learn moreFeatured Advisory Engagement
When AI, data, and technology initiatives become enterprise-critical, boards and executives need more than activity updates. The diagnostic evaluates seven dimensions of enterprise readiness, calibrated to either the executive team or the board.
01 / 07
AI, data, and technology initiatives now affect strategy, risk, and customer trust. The question is whether senior executives own the business and decision consequences, or whether accountability is only implied and disappears when stakes rise.
02 / 07
Governance fails when everyone is consulted but no one has authority. Decision rights must be explicit: who can approve, who can pause, who can override. Otherwise critical calls quietly route to whoever is most senior in the room.
03 / 07
AI ambition often moves faster than data readiness. If quality, ownership, lineage, and definitions cannot support the AI outcomes leadership is promising, no governance model will close that gap retroactively.
04 / 07
Governance has to be designed as a system that absorbs conflict, not a calendar of committees that coordinate activity. The question is whether AI, data, privacy, cyber, risk, and modernization operate as one accountability layer.
05 / 07
Boards do not need more reports. They need risk translated into business consequences they can act on. Decision-useful visibility, not polished assurance, is what oversight actually requires.
06 / 07
Most organizations can report AI and data activity. Far fewer can demonstrate what has changed because of the investment. The diagnostic separates motion from measurable enterprise value.
07 / 07
CIOs, CDOs, CTOs, and CAIOs are being handed mandates without the authority, sponsorship, or decision rights to deliver them. Designed-to-fail roles cost the enterprise twice, in the executive’s tenure and in the program that follows.
Speaking
Dr. Marco is available for conference keynotes, industry forums, and executive convenings on AI governance, data accountability, and the leadership structures that make technology initiatives hold.
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Board, C-suite, advisory, speaking, and media inquiries.