Shiraz Karmaz
Fractional CIO · Co-Founder, GSD
Builder at heart, executive by evolution. Almost 20 years building engineering organizations and IT functions across healthcare and other regulated industries. Available fractionally for mission-driven teams that need senior tech leadership without a full-time hire.
Senior tech leadership, sized for your stage.
I've spent the last decade taking engineering organizations from zero to scale. At Nue, I built the engineering function from the ground up to 40+ engineers, achieved SOC 2 Type I and II in six weeks instead of six months, and operated as the technical executive partner to the CTO. At ForthBridge, I lead engineering for a healthcare SaaS platform serving 100,000+ members as the primary technical executive to the flagship customer's CEO and C-suite. Before that: IT and infrastructure leadership at Trove Recommerce through 3.5x headcount growth, healthcare platform modernization at UpHealth across four California counties, and HIPAA-compliant CI/CD at Thrasys.
In a fractional engagement, you get the same operating posture I bring to full-time roles: hands-on where it matters, advisory where it doesn't. I'm best deployed when an organization needs senior leadership for a specific outcome—getting your security posture audit-ready, designing the engineering org you'll need 18 months from now, replacing or covering a departing technical executive, or stitching engineering into the rest of the business so it's tied to revenue and customer outcomes. I default to clear written communication, board-level reporting when needed, and embedding into your existing rhythm rather than adding meetings to it.
I do this work for mission-driven organizations specifically because the constraints make the leadership harder, not easier. A 25-person nonprofit with a HIPAA-adjacent data footprint and a board chair who reads every line of the budget needs the same caliber of technical executive that a 250-person Series C company gets—just sized differently. That's the gap I fill.
Three roles. One person. Pick the fit.
Most engagements start as one of these three. Many evolve across them as your needs shift. We'll figure out which framing matches what you actually need on the first call.
Fractional CIO
Senior IT, security, and compliance leadership: vendor and stack rationalization, SOC 2 / HIPAA / PCI readiness, board-level risk reporting, infrastructure decisions across AWS, Azure, or GCP. I've delivered SOC 2 Type I and II twice, led PCI readiness at scale, and managed full vendor ecosystems for orgs from 100 to 350+ employees.
Fractional CTO
For founders making technology decisions that will outlive any single engineer. Architecture choices, build-vs-buy calls, hiring your first technical leads, and building toward AI-native development from day one. I've gone 0-to-1 on engineering organizations twice, including a healthcare SaaS shipping Provider and Patient platforms in under four months.
Fractional VP of Engineering
For organizations with engineering already in flight: scaling teams from 5 to 40+, embedding AI-assisted SSDLC tooling that drove 3× velocity at Nue, leveling up an existing team, or interim coverage during a leadership gap. Currently leading engineering for ForthBridge with 20+ engineers across the US and Serbia.
Engagement, not a contract.
Start with a call
30 minutes, no pitch deck. We figure out whether the work you need is a fractional exec engagement, a managed IT relationship, both, or neither.
Scope to fit
Engagements typically run 8–20 hours per month, structured around your decision cadence (monthly leadership meetings, quarterly planning, board prep) plus ad-hoc availability.
Month-to-month
No multi-year retainers. If the work is done or the fit isn't right, we end clean. If it's working, we keep going. That's the whole arrangement.
The full team behind you
Engaging me as a fractional exec means you also get GSD's operational team for execution. Strategy and delivery in the same engagement, not split across two vendors.
Need senior tech leadership without a full-time hire?
Tell me what you're working on. If a fractional engagement is the right fit, we'll figure out shape and scope on the first call. If it isn't, I'll point you to who can help.
Start a conversation