Alchemist Group appoints Griffiths as fractional CTO

Alchemist Group has appointed James Griffiths as fractional Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Technology Officer, adding a former British Army cyber specialist to its leadership team.

Griffiths joins the parent company of Alchemist, RAIN Group and PCA Law as it expands product and technology work across those brands. His role covers technology, cyber security and digital strategy as the group develops learning systems for corporate clients.

He brings more than 25 years of experience in cyber security, technology and digital transformation. That includes 17 years in the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals, followed by work on cyber programmes for UK government organisations including the Ministry of Defence and GCHQ.

After leaving military service, Griffiths co-founded Cyber Security Associates, helping grow the business from a two-person start-up to an operation with more than 100 employees and revenue above GBP £15 million.

He also leads technology consultancy UtopianKnight. The appointment is fractional, allowing the group to bring in senior leadership part time rather than through a full-time permanent hire.

Technology push

The move follows the recent launch of Alchemist Group's Global Product and Technology function. The division brings together research, human expertise, product design and technology for learning and development services used by organisations responding to changes in artificial intelligence and workforce requirements.

Alchemist Group operates across leadership development, sales training and legal sector business development training. The new function supports all three brands, reflecting a broader effort to integrate technology more closely into its training products and client experience.

Combining technology and security leadership under one executive suggests the company sees cyber risk as part of a wider product and operational agenda, rather than as a standalone compliance issue. For training companies that manage client data and increasingly deliver digital tools, platform governance and information security often become more important as they scale internationally.

The use of a fractional executive is also notable. Growing companies increasingly use part-time Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Technology Officers and finance chiefs to gain board-level expertise while limiting recruitment lead times and fixed employment costs.

This has been especially visible in cyber security, where experienced leaders remain scarce and expensive. A fractional structure can also help companies shape the role around specific priorities such as governance, product oversight, supplier review, incident readiness or technology strategy.

Leadership view

Will Daniel, Global Vice President of Product and Technology at Alchemist Group, outlined the rationale for the appointment.

"As we continue to invest in our product and technology capabilities, having the right expertise around us is critical. James brings a wealth of experience across technology and cyber security, as well as a strategic understanding of how those areas need to support wider business objectives," Daniel said.

Griffiths described the role as part of the group's next phase of development.

"Alchemist Group has a clear vision for the role technology can play in enhancing the development and delivery of its learning solutions and client experience, making a robust technology and cyber security approach essential. I'm delighted to be supporting the Group at such an exciting stage in its growth, helping to align technology, security and business priorities to drive innovation, resilience and long-term success," Griffiths said.

His experience spans both public sector cyber work and commercial scaling. That mix is likely to be relevant for a company building proprietary systems while maintaining oversight of data security, internal processes and customer-facing technology.

More broadly, the hire points to a continuing convergence between product development and cyber oversight. Businesses that once treated information security mainly as an IT concern are increasingly placing it closer to strategic decision-making, especially where digital services form a larger part of the offer.

At Alchemist Group, the appointment comes as it builds technology tools to support the design and delivery of learning products across multiple specialist brands. Griffiths will help shape that work while overseeing the cyber security approach for the group's systems and data.