Hire an interim AI governance lead
Your organization needs working AI governance, but a full-time hire takes months and a large consultancy sends a team with a learning curve. An interim lead who has done this before delivers in weeks what otherwise takes quarters.
The direct answer
Embed AI provides an interim AI Governance & Compliance lead: Zahed Ashkara, a lawyer and AI governance specialist who connects Legal, IT and business. He sets up your AI governance so it actually works, from AI inventory and risk classification to policy, Article 50 transparency and the evidence dossier for regulators and buyers. Available as a freelance engagement per day, as a fixed scope or as coaching for your own team. No agency overhead, no junior learning on your budget.
What an interim AI governance lead concretely delivers
Working AI inventory and classification
All AI systems mapped, risk class per system with reasoning, ownership assigned and the register anchored in existing processes so it stays current.
Policy people actually follow
AI policy, usage guidelines and a governance structure that fits how your organization really works, aligned with Legal, IT, HR and the business.
Deadlines met
AI literacy (Article 4, already in force), the Article 50 transparency obligations by 2 August 2026, and preparation for the high-risk obligations by 2 December 2027.
Evidence instead of promises
A dossier a regulator, auditor or buyer can read directly: classifications, decisions, training evidence and supplier agreements.
Interim lead or a fixed-scope project?
Not sure? Start with the free quickscan or the guided AI governance scan (EUR 2,950, creditable once against a follow-up engagement that starts within 60 days). After that it is clear whether a sprint suffices or interim direction makes more sense.
Who you hire
Zahed Ashkara is a lawyer and AI Governance & Compliance consultant. He worked as a governance specialist for, among others, a major Dutch bank and an international publisher, and founded the Responsible AI Platform (an independent knowledge source on the EU AI Act) and LearnWize, the learning platform organizations use to make AI literacy demonstrable. His opinion writing on AI regulation has appeared in Het Financieele Dagblad. Certifications: CAICO (Certified AI Compliance Officer) and AI Meets Law.
Frequently asked questions about interim AI governance
What does an interim AI governance lead cost?
That depends on the size and duration of the engagement; we discuss the rate in an intro call. For a well-defined start there are fixed prices: the AI Act Readiness Sprint costs EUR 9,900 and the Compliance Bundle EUR 21,900. The guided governance scan (EUR 2,950) is creditable once against a follow-up engagement that starts within 60 days.
How many days per week is an interim lead available?
Usually one to three days per week, on site or remote. For many organizations one day per week is enough to direct the work, provided execution is owned internally. We match the volume to your situation.
Why a lawyer as AI governance lead?
The EU AI Act is a legal framework that has to land in technology and processes. A lead who can read the legal text and also work directly with engineers and data teams prevents the translation errors that appear when Legal and IT each keep their own reality.
Can the interim lead also train our own team?
Yes, that is usually the point. The goal is governance that keeps working after the engagement ends: ownership assigned, processes anchored and demonstrable AI literacy per role via LearnWize. No vendor lock-in is one of our guarantees.
How is this different from a large consultancy?
You get one senior specialist instead of a team with overhead and rotating juniors. The approach is hands-on: not a report that disappears in a drawer, but a working inventory, policy and evidence dossier. And the prices of the fixed engagements are simply published online.
How quickly can an interim engagement start?
After an intro call and scope confirmation, usually within two to four weeks. If your situation is more urgent, for example towards the Article 50 deadline of 2 August 2026, say so and we will see what can start earlier.
Explore in a short call whether interim direction fits
Start with the free quickscan or book an intro call directly. Within a week you know whether a sprint suffices or an interim lead makes more sense.