Fractional CPO
Stop Hiring for a Role You Can't Yet Define.
Fractional CPO — Embedded Product Leadership from Day One
60% of first product leadership hires fail within 18 months. You need product leadership now — not after a costly misfire. A Fractional CPO takes the seat, builds the function, and hands over when you're ready for the permanent role.
No commitment — a 30-minute conversation to explore fit.
The Gap
When There's No One in the Room Who Owns Product
"We have engineers, designers, and PMs — but no one owns the product strategy."
"I'm making product decisions by default because no one else will."
"We hired a VP of Product and they were gone in six months."
"The board keeps asking about product strategy and I don't have a good answer."
"We need someone who can lead product, not just advise on it."
"Every quarter the roadmap changes because no one has the authority to hold the line."
These aren't consulting problems. They're leadership gaps — and they compound every month the seat stays empty.
What It Is
Not a Consultant. Not an Interim. An Embedded Leader.
A Fractional CPO operates as a member of your executive team — with decision-making authority, direct reports, and accountability for outcomes.
Take the Seat
Join the executive table. Own the product strategy. Make decisions. Represent product in board meetings and investor conversations.
Build the Function
Hire and manage the product team. Design processes and frameworks. Establish the operating model that will outlast the engagement.
Hand Over
Hire the permanent CPO. Run a structured handover. Optional transition coaching to protect the investment and ensure continuity.
Two Paths
Acceleration Pack vs. Fractional CPO
Two different services for two different situations. The right choice depends on whether you need advice or leadership.
| Acceleration Pack | Fractional CPO | |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Consultant advises | Embedded leader acts |
| Duration | 4–6 months (phased) | 6+ months (ongoing) |
| Authority | Recommends; client implements | Direct decision-making authority |
| Output | Deliverables and frameworks | Business outcomes and team capability |
| Best for | Companies that have or will hire product leadership | Companies that need product leadership now |
How to Decide
Choose the Acceleration Pack if you have (or plan to hire) a product leader and need an external assessment and operating model to set them up for success.
Choose the Fractional CPO if the seat is empty, you're not ready for a permanent hire, and product decisions are stalling because no one has the authority to make them.
Who It's For
One Role, Three Perspectives
For Founders & CEOs
"I need to stop being the de facto CPO."
You're making every product decision because no one else will. A Fractional CPO takes that weight off your plate immediately — leading product while you focus on the business. When the time is right, they'll help you hire the permanent replacement and ensure a clean handover.
For Product Leaders
"I need a senior partner, not another consultant."
If you're a Head of Product or VP reporting into a founder who still controls product decisions, a Fractional CPO above you can create the executive cover you need. They hold the strategic conversation at board level while you focus on execution and team development.
For Board & Advisors
"We need product leadership before we can make the permanent hire."
The permanent CPO hire is a significant investment — and it fails 60% of the time when the organisation isn't ready. A Fractional CPO de-risks the hire by building the function first, defining the role clearly, and ensuring the organisation is configured for the permanent leader to succeed.
Engagement Structure
How It Works
What's Included
- Executive table seat — product voice in leadership
- Product strategy and vision
- Team management and hiring
- Process design and operating model
- Board reporting and investor communication
- Structured handover to permanent CPO
What's Not Included
- Engineering management
- Day-to-day product management (sprint-level)
- Full-time (5 days/week) availability
2–3
Days per week
6 months
Minimum commitment
90 days
Notice after initial term
What Happens Early
Week 1
Executive alignment, product audit, and stakeholder mapping. You stop making product decisions by default.
Month 1
Strategic roadmap, team assessment, and the first board-ready product update. The organisation sees product leadership in action.
Month 3
Operating model in place, team structure defined, hiring underway. The function is taking shape — not just on paper.
Your Fractional CPO
Cyril Le Roux
This is not delegated.
Every Fractional CPO engagement is delivered personally by Cyril Le Roux — not by a junior consultant, not by a contractor from the network. You get 20+ years of product leadership experience, directly embedded in your organisation.
Cyril has sat in the seat you're trying to fill. He's inherited teams with no strategy, walked into organisations where "product" meant taking orders from sales, and built the structures that turned reactive feature factories into outcome-driven product organisations. He has done this across Telecoms, Automotive, Retail, Healthtech, and EdTech — from late-stage startups to established enterprises.
The Fractional CPO model exists because some companies don't need advice — they need someone who has done this before to step in, lead, and build. That requires seniority, trust, and direct accountability.
Case Study
Companial: Building Product Leadership From Zero
Companial — the world's largest Microsoft Dynamics distributor with 1,100 partners across 75+ countries — had zero product management capability. A product launched 18 months prior had failed to gain traction. There was no product org, no operating model, no shared language for how products should be built.
Produxity built the function from scratch: target operating model, role definitions, a repeatable methodology for building and launching products, and a transition roadmap the team could execute independently. The kind of work a Fractional CPO does from the inside.
"Now we have not only the target operating model, which is maybe the best composition, what we as a company can have but as well a way how to move into it from where we are today."
Frequently Asked Questions
The longer the seat stays empty, the more decisions get made without product leadership.
Cyril takes on a limited number of Fractional CPO engagements at any time to ensure focus and impact. Book a confidential introductory call to explore fit.
Book a Call90-day notice after the initial term. No long-term lock-in.