Thirty years in the room where digital and AI businesses are built and governed.
I’ve spent three decades building, leading and governing digital and technology businesses, as a founder, CEO, Chair and Non-Executive Director. I co-founded Company Net, one of the UK’s first internet development companies, and led it from 1996 to 2023 through an acquisition, a management buyout and, ultimately, a successful exit.
I went on to co-found Pogo Studio and the digital health venture Pogo Digital Healthcare. Today, I work in AI as Growth Director at Exception, where I’m involved in the growth of UDAL, its AI governance platform.
That range of experience, founder, operator, Chair and NED, means I understand digital and AI businesses from every seat at the table: the pressure of the CEO’s chair, the scrutiny of the boardroom and the governance questions AI now puts in front of both. I bring that experience directly into the advisory work I do today.
Alongside this, I write on leadership, entrepreneurship and creative thinking. I have written six books to date, including The Leadership Book: Achieving the Empathetic Edge, and speak at conferences and leadership gatherings.
Credentials
“Success in leadership doesn’t come from answering the ‘how’ questions - it comes from understanding the why.”
The Entrepreneur’s Book
Neil Francis
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I advise CEOs and senior leadership teams in digital and AI businesses, bringing an independent perspective to growth, leadership, strategic decision-making and AI governance.
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I work with Exception’s leadership team on growth, partnerships and go-to-market strategy, with a particular focus on UDAL, Exception’s AI governance platform.
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I co-founded Company Net in 1996 and ran the business as CEO for its first ten years, taking it through rapid growth, acquisition and a management buyout. I then moved into an advisory role, supporting the CEO and business through to my exit in 2023.
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I co-founded Pogo Digital Healthcare to apply digital technology to healthcare, working at board level on strategy, growth, partnerships and the development of the business.
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I co-founded Pogo Studio and helped shape its strategy and growth, working with the leadership team as the digital product and innovation business developed.
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As Vice Chair and Trustee, I contributed to board-level strategy, governance and oversight of one of Scotland’s leading health charities, supporting the executive leadership team through significant organisational change.
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As Chair, I led the board and worked closely with the executive team on strategy, governance and growth, supporting the charity as it developed its reach and impact.
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Appointed by Northstar Ventures following its investment in each business, providing independent board-level guidance to founders and leadership teams on growth, strategy and governance.
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Over three decades, I have worked with senior leaders in major private and public-sector organisations, helping them navigate digital transformation, innovation, leadership and organisational change.
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I have written six books on leadership, entrepreneurship and creative thinking, including The Leadership Book: Achieving the Empathetic Edge, drawing on the lessons and experiences of building and leading businesses.