Using cutting edge technology to revolutionise affiliate marketing, a ground breaking whitepaper and a fantastic strategy Mike Dodd captained the ship to become the most talked about ICO of 2016.…
I'm Head of Technology & Artificial Intelligence at Propel Finance, an FCA-regulated UK fintech, where I hold both the CTO and CISO remit and an FCA Senior Management Function. I joined as Head of Development in 2020 and have since grown the technology function from 3 people to 50.
I led the business to ISO 27001 certification in 2023, I'm now leading its ISO 42001 AI Management System programme, and I designed the agentic software delivery pipeline that has lifted development output by 200%.
Before that I spent more than a decade as a developer, team lead and Head of Technology for agencies and brands including Proctor & Stevenson, Immediate Media and Hargreaves Lansdown. I hold a granted international patent, sat on the founding board of DrupalCamp Bristol, wrote 2038 Digital Epochalypse, a book on the Year 2038 problem, and work with the Legacy Systems Foundation to help organisations get their systems ready for 2038.
Certifications
- ISC2 CISSP, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (2026)
- ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer, PECB (2025)
- ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (2025)
- Certified Cybersecurity Technician, EC-Council (2024)
- ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer, PECB (2022)
- FCA Senior Management Function holder under SM&CR
- BSc (Hons) Computer Forensics & Systems Security, University of South Wales
Need a CTO, CISO or AI lead?
Technology, security and AI, together
Most businesses have to hire separately for engineering leadership, information security and AI. I've carried all three in a regulated fintech, so I can help you move fast and stay safe.
- Fractional CTO & CISO
- ISO 27001 implementation and ISO 42001 AI governance
- AI agent development and AI & LLM security reviews
- Cyber security & compliance: Cyber Essentials, PCI DSS and NIST CSF
- Laravel, Drupal, WordPress and PHP development
- Chief Technology Officer, Affiliate Coin
Mike's clear leadership, ability to prioritise and execute, manage client expectations and deliver what is promised resulted in a disaster being averted.
Founder & CEO, Riccardo Web
Why Me?
Lead from the front
When things get hard I'm on the front line with the engineers, handling communication and escalation so the people fixing the problem can focus.
Extreme ownership
Every deadline, incident and bug on my watch is mine. That attitude spreads, and teams start owning their outcomes too.
Security by design
Security comes first. I've held the security mandate in a regulated fintech for six years with no material breach.
Regulated experience
As an FCA Senior Management Function holder I've fronted dozens of bank, partner and regulator audits a year.
AI with assurance
I build AI agents and govern them under ISO 42001, so adoption and assurance move forward together.
Still hands-on
I work at senior leadership level but still pick up a ticket or two a week. I understand the code as well as the strategy.
CLIENTS
17
Years in technology
50
Strong team built from 3
5
Security & AI certifications
200
% output uplift with AI agents