Fractional CIO & IT Advisory · J Christopher LLC

Fractional CIO & Advisory Services
for Leaders Navigating Transformation.

Senior IT leadership — without the overhead of a full-time executive. We bring 25+ years of global CIO experience and Big-4 consulting discipline to mid-size and large companies navigating transformation, complex programs, and high-stakes transactions.

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25+
Years of leadership
12+
Years as Global CIO
4
Global regions served
$8M+
Cost savings, year one
Experience from
Global Management Consulting Big-4 Advisory Global Medical Devices Fortune 500 Manufacturing Global Beverages Specialty Energy

Six disciplines.
One senior-level team.

Each service area is designed to deliver measurable business outcomes — not just technology deliverables. Every engagement is led by a practitioner who has held the role they are advising on.

CIO Advisory & Fractional CIO

Board-level technology leadership on your terms — for companies at any stage that need senior IT direction without the full-time executive commitment. We provide strategy, governance, and C-suite communication from day one.

▸Technology strategy & board-ready roadmaps
▸IT organizational effectiveness & vendor governance
▸Portfolio rationalization & cost containment
Eliminates $400K–$600K full-time CIO cost

Complex Program Management

Senior program leadership, independent quality assurance, and — when required — program recovery. We protect investments that are on track, and diagnose and stabilize those that aren't. Whether the program needs rigorous QA from the start or a clear-eyed recovery plan, we bring certified methodology and operator experience to both.

▸SI governance & contract scope protection
▸Independent program quality assurance — certified QA Director methodology applied to schedule, budget, risk, and delivery integrity
▸Program recovery — rapid diagnosis and stabilization of distressed programs, including root-cause analysis, remediation planning, and executive re-baselining
▸Program health assessment & early-warning reporting
▸Executive-level program communication
Prevents overruns, recovers distressed programs

Platform Architecture & Expertise

Implementation oversight and architecture validation for enterprise platforms — SAP, Oracle, ServiceNow, and Workday. We bring an owner-operator perspective: what it takes to make the platform work for the business, not the integrator.

▸SAP S/4HANA, Oracle, ServiceNow, Workday
▸Architecture validation & technical design review
▸Functional & technical delivery oversight
Protects platform investment and adoption

Data Migration

The most consistently underestimated element of any platform program. We design and govern migration strategy from inception — not as an afterthought when go-live risk is already elevated. Clean data is a business outcome, not a technical detail.

▸Migration strategy & architecture design
▸Data quality & governance frameworks
▸Go-live readiness & rollback planning
Eliminates migration-driven delays and rework

PE & Transaction Support

From due diligence through Day 1 readiness. IT is consistently the most underestimated variable in M&A. We've led carve-outs, separations, and post-acquisition stand-ups at the global CIO level — not in an advisory role, but as the accountable executive.

▸IT due diligence & risk quantification
▸Carve-out & TSA strategy and execution
▸NewCo IT stand-up & Day 1 readiness
Eliminates post-close IT surprises

Organizational Change Management

Technology delivers value only when people adopt it. OCM is almost always the most underinvested element of transformation programs. We design and deliver it as a first-class workstream — alongside the technical program, not after it.

▸Change strategy & stakeholder alignment
▸Communication & training program design
▸IT organizational redesign & turnaround
Drives adoption and realizes platform value

The advisor who has been
in your seat.

Most technology advisors have studied the problems companies face. Jeffrey Gathe has led them — as Global CIO at international companies spanning manufacturing, consumer goods, medical devices, and energy, across four global regions. He has managed board presentations, navigated difficult vendor relationships, and made the calls that couldn't wait.

That operational experience changes what we see, what we recommend, and how we hold ourselves accountable. It's the difference between advice and leadership.

"

"I don't arrive with a pre-written playbook. I start by understanding the real problem — which is almost never the one on the slide. Then I design a solution your team can actually execute."

JG

Jeffrey Gathe

Founder, J Christopher LLC

Operator and advisor in one

12+ years as a Global CIO across four regions, combined with Big-4 management consulting depth spanning strategy, technology advisory, and transformation delivery. You benefit from both perspectives — the operator who has lived the risk and the strategist who has advised on it.

Root-cause focus, not framework delivery

We diagnose before we prescribe. We don't arrive with a solution looking for a problem, and we never force your situation into a methodology built for a different company — because we've seen what that costs.

Senior delivery — no hand-offs

The partner you hire is the person who shows up. There are no junior analysts doing the work behind the scenes. You have direct access to experienced leadership from the first engagement through the last deliverable.

Global scale, right-sized cost

Proven across APAC, EMEA, Latin America, and North America. Our lean model delivers the caliber of leadership found in the largest consulting firms — without their overhead or their billing model.

About Jeffrey Gathe

Jeffrey Gathe, Founder — J Christopher LLC
Jeffrey Gathe
Founder & Managing Principal
J Christopher LLC

With over 25 years of leadership spanning Big-4 consulting and global CIO roles at companies ranging from $1B to $100B in revenue, Jeffrey Gathe founded J Christopher LLC to deliver senior IT leadership to organizations that need it — on their terms, not a global firm's billing model.

Jeffrey's career spans two decades of Big-4 management consulting — including senior roles at a global strategy and technology advisory firm and a Big-4 professional services network — culminating in a Managing Director position leading CIO advisory work across Life Sciences, Industrial/Manufacturing, and Consumer Goods for the Americas. As a Global CIO, he served organizations including a Fortune Global 500 manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, a leading global brewer operating across Latin America, a specialty petroleum products partnership, and a global medical device company undergoing a PE-backed carve-out. Across these roles he led IT organizations spanning 27+ countries, drove multi-million-dollar cost-reduction programs, and managed complex transactions from the technology seat.

Whether the company is building new capability, stabilizing a platform in crisis, or navigating a transaction, J Christopher brings the same commitment: experienced leadership, honest counsel, and solutions designed for the organization in front of us — not a playbook from the last engagement.

Manufacturing & Industrial
Fortune 500 construction equipment · Specialty energy · Global minerals
Consumer Goods & Beverages
Global brewing & beverages, Latin America
Life Sciences & Medical Devices
Global medical device company, PE carve-out
Private Equity Portfolios
Carve-outs · Acquisitions · Turnarounds

Credentials

MIT Sloan
Business Cloud Advisor Certificate
Executive Education
Northwestern University
Master of Management
Kellogg School of Management · United Airlines Fellow
Washington University
B.S. Electrical Engineering · B.S. Computer Science
Bussmann / Cooper Industries Fellow
Management Consulting Certified
Quality Assurance Director & Transformation Director

"Jeff handled the lack of structure, strategy, and staffing with aplomb, driving a multi-faceted agenda of stabilization & risk mitigation, process implementation, sunsetting systems, and establishing an IT organization that truly adds value. Jeff is adept at identifying issues, setting strategy, managing limited resources, and diving deep into the details of execution."

Smiths Medical

Global CFO

"Jeff is a world-class leader who is always delivering quality solutions to his clients. He is extremely smart, knowledgeable and well spoken, adding insight to any conversation. I really enjoyed working with Jeff because of his creative mindset to take clients on a journey towards growth and competitive edge. At the end, Jeff knows how to win and provide great leadership. Jeff is everything you could want in a business leader."

Forcepoint (A Raytheon Company)

Head of SAP

Ready to start a conversation?

Reach out directly by email. Describe what you are facing and we will respond promptly with an honest assessment of how we can help.

Email Jeffrey →

Let's have a direct conversation.

Our engagements begin with a direct exchange — no intake form, no RFP, no pitch deck. Send an email describing the challenge you're facing. We respond promptly with an honest assessment of how we can help and whether there is a fit. Most clients are surprised by how direct that first conversation is.

Email Jeffrey →

Miami, FL

Serving clients nationally and internationally