Fractional is not half a person

Early-stage regulated ventures need governance and operating calibre they cannot afford full-time. The two standard answers both fail: hire someone cheaper full-time, and the role's fit-and-proper bar isn't met; hire someone excellent as decoration, and the bar is met on paper while the work goes undone.

Fractional works — but only when the role is engineered for it. Scope the decision rights precisely. Make the information arrive pre-digested, so senior judgment is spent on judgment. Put the cadence on the calendar so presence is structural, not heroic.

Done properly, a fractional senior person is not half a person. It is a whole person applied to a well-designed fraction of the problem — which, at this stage, is the honest shape of the job.