Strategist.
Operator.
Evangelist.
Christopher Donaleski has spent 15+ years closing the gap between what leadership decides and what organizations actually do. Founder of AI Advisory Group, author of The Validated Mind, and the operator behind $40M+ in measurable transformation value.
Numbers that survived the audit.
Eighteen years, one throughline.
Click any role to expand it.
2021 — Present Founder & Principal · AI & Decision StrategistAI Advisory Group ›
Founded a decision-science advisory firm serving CEOs and leadership teams across energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and scaling tech — from AI opportunity identification and governance through adoption strategy and value realization.
- AI transformation strategies and multi-year roadmaps for 15+ organizations: readiness, use-case prioritization, ROI models, phased adoption
- Created The Validated Mind™ decision intelligence framework — provisional patent on decision scoring and computational logic
- Maps client workflows with DMN to define human-in-the-loop guardrails balancing innovation speed with risk
- Fractional CTO/CSO for clients navigating growth, AI integration, and transition periods
- Writes Technology Last, a monthly leadership newsletter on practical AI
2019 — 2024 Director, Digital Strategy & TransformationBureau Veritas ›
Directed enterprise-wide digital transformation across a global, matrixed organization, partnering with C-level executives to translate strategic intent into measurable outcomes.
- $15M+ in financial gains from cross-functional programs spanning Finance, Operations, and Technology
- Productivity up 40% through automation, process redesign, and Prosci-grounded adoption strategy
- Post-acquisition billing optimization accelerated cash cycles by 47 days
- Drone inspection program: +20% field efficiency in year one; preserved 20% of revenue during COVID-19 as remote-inspection SME
- Low-code asset management platform cut procurement cycle time 40% and excess inventory 18%
2016 — 2019 Business Solutions Architect, Special ProjectsBureau Veritas ›
- Unlocked $25.5M in working capital — Days Sales Outstanding cut from 137 to 63 through billing and collections redesign
- Rescued a global e-Reporting program stalled for two years; delivered a working platform in four months across New York, Paris, and India
- Built real-time KPI dashboards adopted by executive leadership for strategic decisions
2010 — 2024 Co-Founder & Co-Owner Exited 2024Spectre Grid Technology (MSP) ›
- Grew a healthcare-sector managed services provider from $0 to $1M+ in recurring cybersecurity and help desk revenue — built alongside corporate leadership roles
- Owned P&L, pricing, vendor selection, and client success across the full lifecycle: build, scale, sell
- Led the company through a successful exit via acquisition in 2024
2016 — 2018 Director of Business Process TransformationKiwa (formerly PPI Quality) ›
- Scaled qualified inspector capacity 900% in six months — from 300 to 3,000+
- $10M+ in new revenue from first-ever contracts with ExxonMobil EMRE, Zachry Group, and Arena Energy
- Built a PMO overseeing 50+ inspectors on domestic and international projects; automated resource allocation for rapid mobilization
2012 — Present Principal ConsultantOSQ International ›
Quality management consulting, third-party inspection project management, and special projects across the energy sector. Engagements include Freeport-McMoRan, Bureau Veritas, BP, TIEC, DNV-GL, ExxonMobil (contract), Anadarko, Enbridge, Qatar Petroleum, and Chevron.
2008 — 2012 Early careerTechnology, design & project delivery ›
- Network Engineer, Fox Entertainment Group — earned Fox's Xtra-Ordinary Award, the company's highest honor
- Director of Product Design, OCS
- Accounts Manager, Aaron's
- Project Manager, Data Projections — oversaw ExxonMobil and Katy ISD technology installations
Selected case studies.
A fast-growing advisory firm was ready to automate its way out of growing pains. We validated the workflows first, then built a scalable operating system around how the firm actually works.
Read →A rollout one quarter from being written off. Instead of more software, we led with Decision Validation and change management — 95% adoption in three months.
Read →The first attempt failed by leading with the tool. We consolidated 100+ systems into a single repository and cut turnaround time by more than half.
Read →Eighteen months of stalled digital reporting had nothing to do with the technology. We fixed the alignment underneath it and shipped on existing tools — no new licensing.
Read →A billion-dollar company was overpaying across fragmented, tool-by-tool buying. One governed process put enterprise spend under a single transparent system in year one.
Read →HoloLens was the plan until the field pushed back. Walking away from the flashy tech won with lidar-equipped iPads — and the first remote China-to-US inspection.
Read →A stalled build scoped around one department. Realigning every function it touched took two weeks — and turned it into an automated system that scaled within a year.
Read →A $75M+ business line was choking on ~140-day payment cycles and departments that couldn't agree on the numbers. Aligning the metrics and the people freed cash in six months.
Read →Build, buy, or over-invest? A billion-dollar enterprise faced a high-stakes application call with IT, Finance, and Operations pulling in different directions.
Read →The close crawled for 10+ days while the data team built in isolation. Translating between them produced an automated reporting platform both sides trusted.
Read →A tight budget and strict IT policy narrowed the options fast. Rather than force a platform the environment couldn't support, we validated a resourceful path instead.
Read →In his own words.
Five questions, answered straight. No corporate speak.
What inspires you?›
The gap. Every organization has a space between what leadership decides and what actually gets done — that's where value dies, careers stall, and transformations fail. I've spent my whole career in that gap, and AI has just raised the stakes on closing it. Helping a leadership team see clearly, decide well, and follow through — that never gets old.
How would you describe your leadership style?›
Collaborative and deliberately unbiased. I make the end objective visible to everyone, then formulate the path together — Finance, Operations, and Technology in the same room, aligned on the same outcome. I'd rather build alignment carefully than force compliance quickly, because forced compliance always collapses under pressure.
What's your philosophy on AI?›
Technology last. Validate the decision first. Everyone is racing to implement the newest tool; almost no one is asking whether the decision behind it is sound. AI should strengthen human judgment, not replace it — the organizations that win will combine disciplined decision-making, great leadership, and the right tools to support their people, in that order.
Why write The Validated Mind?›
Because I kept watching smart leaders make expensive decisions on instinct, urgency, or the loudest voice in the room. Decision validation isn't about slowing progress or eliminating intuition — it's a discipline that makes judgment visible at the moment it matters most. The book turns fifteen years of watching decisions succeed and fail into something leaders can actually use.
And the drums? 🥁›
Weekend drummer, proudly. Drumming is the same discipline as transformation work: you hold the tempo so everyone else can play their part, you listen more than you play, and the space between the notes matters as much as the notes. Also, it's very hard to check email from behind a kit.
The Validated Mind
"Decision validation is not about slowing progress or eliminating intuition… It is a discipline designed to make judgment visible at the moment it matters most."
“Christopher unlocks a groundbreaking exploration of why traceability isn't just a technical feature — it's the foundation of organizational trust, accountability, and the confidence to act in an AI-driven world.”
“AI is not really my field — but Donaleski made me realize it doesn't have to be for this book to matter. What he's really writing about is how we make decisions, why we trust what we trust, and what we pass on without ever questioning it. Thought-provoking, accessible, and the kind of book that changes how you think.”
“I didn't expect this book to challenge the way I see things — but it truly did. Christopher has a way of taking complex ideas and making them feel deeply personal. It made me pause and reconsider thoughts and assumptions I didn't even realize I was holding onto.”
“The Validated Mind isn't about the tech. It's about us. AI doesn't invent new judgment — it takes whatever judgment you already have and runs it a thousand times a day, at scale, without blinking. The line that got me: the most important decision in the age of AI isn't what the system decides. It's what you decided before it did.”
“In the Age of AI, your judgment is the last competitive advantage. Most industrial leaders are worried about AI taking over. Christopher Donaleski's new book argues that the human in the loop is more important than ever.”
“At Farther we talk often of the intersection of artificial and human intelligence. Christopher Donaleski lays out the decision process we as professionals need to make with the assistance of technology. Excellent insights into how we can overcome the inhibitors to adoption of growth and execution!”
“If you aren't human-validating your AI, you are just scaling your blindspots — and thus your failures — at lightspeed. Christopher Donaleski is always interesting; this time he hits the nail on the head big time.”
“Most leaders believe AI will improve their organizations. Few stop to ask whether their decisions are worth scaling. The Validated Mind is a serious contribution to how we think about decision-making in the Age of AI.”
“If you're in a leadership position and need clarification and insights into how to manage the AI revolution, check out this book.”
25+ certifications. Zero shortcuts.
- Prosci® Change Management Practitioner · 2025
- Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) · Exit Planning Institute, 2025
- Digital Business Transformation Management · CXO Transform
- Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
- Agile for Everyone · AgileTraining.Co
- Certified Executive Coach (ACSTH) + 8 specialty coaching certifications · Center for Executive Coaching
- Certified Master Facilitator
- Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner · Genos
- Everything DiSC® · PXT Select · NLP Practitioner
- ICF Member since 2021
- ISO 9001 Lead Auditor · BSI
- Level II Magnetic Particle & Liquid Penetrant Testing (ASNT)
- Level I Ultrasonic Testing (ASNT / NAS-410)
- API Spec Q1 8th & 9th Edition
- LinkedIn-assessed: Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, HTML, WordPress, Photoshop
BA, Mass Communication / Media Studies
Extended Studies — French Language & Culture
Don't take his word for it.
"One of those rare leaders who sees beyond today's AI trends and focuses on the bigger picture: helping organizations make better decisions, build stronger leadership, and create systems that scale."