A part-time path to senior expertise for growing advice practices

Most advice practices reach a point where the principal can no longer cover every leadership role alone. Finance, marketing, legal and technology each call for senior judgement. Yet few firms carry the revenue or the workload to justify a full-time executive in each of those seats.

A growing pool of fractional leaders offers another route, giving businesses access to experienced specialists for part of the week.

The Fractional Directory’s APAC Fractional Leadership Report 2026 counts 1,015 fractional leaders across Australia.

Michelle Allbon, chief executive and co-founder of The Fractional Directory, says flexible leadership “has become a high value option for Australian businesses, and the market is ready for even more businesses to engage.”

What a fractional leader brings

The report defines a fractional leader as a founder or senior executive who joins a company’s leadership team part-time. They stay for three months or more and carry direct accountability for outcomes. Unlike a contractor, they have operated at the highest levels of the C-suite.

Most work with several companies at once, often mixing board roles, embedded leadership, consulting, advisory and coaching. The group is concentrated in specialist roles such as CMOs, CFOs, general counsel and CISOs, and companies tend to bring in a fractional leader for a single function. One in five Australian leaders offers two roles.

“Many of Australia’s fractional leaders have built deep expertise in a particular field, and they bring practical skills that many businesses can’t afford to hire full-time.”

The cost of senior expertise

According to the report, two days a week of a senior fractional leader costs a business about $110,400 a year. That is less than half the median full-time CFO salary for an SME in Sydney.

For an advice firm considering its first finance or marketing executive, the figure gives partners a practical starting point for the conversation.

Finance features prominently in the data. More than one in ten of Australia’s fractional leaders are listed as CFOs, which the firm sees as a sign that companies trust fractional leaders with their finances.

A practice preparing for a merger, an acquisition or a succession plan can bring in that experience for the life of the project.

“Australian businesses look for people who know their field when they face a specific challenge, whether that’s marketing, finance or security. Fractional leadership lets them bring in that expertise for as much time as they need,” says Allbon.

The model also appeals to the leaders themselves. Those working three days a week earn about $165,600, close to a full-time executive salary, spread across several companies instead of depending on one. Sydney is home to 49 per cent of Australia’s fractional leaders, with the remaining 51 per cent in Perth and other parts of the country.

Technology and AI leadership

Technology is another area where advice firms often want senior input without adding a permanent role. The report identifies the fractional chief AI officer as an emerging role. Of the Australian leaders who hold the title, half help companies identify where AI can give them a competitive advantage, and around four in ten also develop an AI strategy and roadmap.

AI also extends beyond that single title. Nearly four in ten Australian chief AI officers list it as their second role, often CTOs, COOs or product leaders who add AI to what they offer. Across all roles, helping companies find AI opportunities ranks fifth among the hundreds of outcomes fractional leaders offer.

“For most companies, a full-time Chief AI Officer is hard to justify, as the role is expensive, hard to hire and its scope keeps changing. Fractional leadership gives a company C-level AI and tech leadership with accountability,” says Allbon.

For practices assessing AI tools for file notes, client communications or research, accountable part-time oversight can help turn early trials into a considered plan.

Starting with the problem

The report suggests companies start with the problem they need solved and then find a leader who offers that outcome. Fractional leaders often focus on outcomes linked to change, from guiding a founding team through growing pains to pivots, restructures and deals.

“Every Australian business needs experienced leadership to grow,” says Allbon. “What matters is having the right people in the right jobs for the right amount of time. With more than 1,000 fractional leaders, there’s now an option for almost every seat.”

Allbon says The Fractional Directory is building standards that let businesses compare leaders by capability and choose them with confidence.

For advice firms strengthening their leadership bench, a part-time senior hire brings specialist judgement into the business at a scale that suits the practice, with room to expand the role as client numbers increase.