Expert in Programme Delivery & AI Transformation · Bath, Bristol, London

DanielDunton

Programme & Portfolio Director

With over 17 years leading high-stakes digital transformation, I stay hands-on and close to delivery, bringing clarity to complex programmes by building trusted teams and sharper ways of working. Increasingly that means putting AI to work in delivery itself: designing agents and automated workflows and leading the build of AI products that give organisations a real edge.

17+
Years' experience
£8m+
Annual programme budgets
70%
Client satisfaction uplift
80%
Reduction in team turnover
Based in Bath · Available for on-site & hybrid engagements
01

About

I'm a specialist in programme delivery and team leadership, with a track record spanning Financial Services, Healthcare, Sport, Energy, Publishing and AI. I've worked in consultancies, agencies and product houses. Always in the most complex, highest-stakes corners of the business.

I founded and ran a digital consultancy for five years before moving into senior delivery roles, which means I understand commercial reality as well as craft. I know what it takes to build a business, not just manage a project.

I have also built and shipped my own SaaS products and AI agents, so I understand delivery from the inside out. I bring that into client work, designing agents and automated workflows that take the manual effort out of programme operations and give teams and leadership faster, clearer information.

What sets me apart is my ability to restore trust in struggling programmes, bring structure to chaos and grow the people around me. I've been promoted from every permanent role I've held. I've also hired and developed Project Managers who've gone on to significant careers.

Whatever the title, I stay hands-on and close to the work. I am as comfortable leading a single team's sprints and standups as steering a multimillion pound programme. I am happy working at delivery manager level where that is the right fit for the team.

I'm a certified Scrum Master and a certified Leader Who Coaches, mentored by a highly regarded PMI consultant. I bring methodology without rigidity and governance without bureaucracy.

  • Complex programme & delivery leadership
  • AI delivery & strategy
  • AI agents & workflow automation
  • SaaS & product development
  • Digital & business transformation
  • Agile and traditional delivery
  • Programme governance
  • Portfolio management
  • Team building & coaching
02

Experience

Feb 2025 to Jun 2026
Digitas | Publicis
London
Programme Director, Transformation & AI

Brought in to turn around a major client programme at risk, rebuilding Agile ways of working, offshore communications and governance and lifting team productivity by around 25%. Went on to lead the development of Model Sight, an AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) SaaS product used across multiple clients, providing data visualisation and a strategic framework for improving how brands and products rank inside LLMs. Also managed a portfolio of AI projects and initiatives across the business.

AI Product Model Sight AEO / LLM Visibility AI Portfolio Management Programme Governance
Feb 2025 to Present
Independent
Bath
Delivery Consultant

Work with clients to transform their operating models and ways of working. Driven process innovation, improved distributed team communications and morale.

"An expert at parachuting into problematic programmes and getting them on track."
Active Consultancy Fractional Delivery Programme Direction SaaS Product Building
Mar 2021 to Oct 2024
Future Platforms
London
Head of Project Management

Joined as Project Director, promoted to Head of Project Management. Led strategic account leadership for a major transport operator, Domino's and LIV Golf. Restored a struggling account from loss-making to the agency's most profitable. Personally responsible for £5m+ of revenue sold to that client. Improved client satisfaction scores by 70% through Agile coaching and governance transformation.

£5m+ Revenue Account Leadership Agile Coaching P&L Ownership
Feb 2020 to Mar 2021
cxpartners
Bristol
Freelance Programme Director

Led a significant organisational change programme for HCA Healthcare, a major private healthcare organisation. Rolled out Scrum methodology and new processes organisation-wide, creating a portfolio prioritisation framework that gave leadership clear, data-driven visibility for the first time.

Healthcare Organisational Change Portfolio Management
Aug 2018 to Jan 2020
SOON_
London
Programme Director

Joined as Senior Producer, hired permanently as Programme Director. Part of the Leadership Team, responsible for recruiting and developing the delivery function. Managed the most complex programmes in the agency and shaped all pre-sales and client engagement strategy.

Leadership Team Pre-sales Team Building
Jun 2015 to Aug 2018
Propagator Group
London
Digital Programme Manager → Digital Programme Director

Promoted to manage and enhance multiple digital products across Publishing and Healthcare. Reported directly to the MD & CEO, instrumental in re-engineering communication processes internally and externally. Drove the company's operational evolution.

Publishing Healthcare Product Development
Jan 2013 to Apr 2015
Foolproof Ltd
London
Digital PM → Digital Portfolio Manager

Hired as Digital Project Manager, promoted to Portfolio Manager. Responsible for pre-sale scoping, planning, costing and delivery across HSBC, Nationwide and Santander. Supported PM team development and had lead responsibility for portfolio profitability.

Financial Services HSBC Nationwide Santander
Sept 2008 to Jan 2013
Seed Consultancy
Bath
Founder & Managing Director

Founded and ran a digital consultancy for five years, offering brand design, web design and digital transformation services. Grew the business from scratch, developing the brand and client base independently. This is where the entrepreneurial and commercial instincts that underpin my approach today were built.

Founder Brand Design Digital Transformation
03

Achievements

Founded and successfully ran a digital consultancy for 5 years, growing it from a blank slate into a full-service digital transformation business.

Managed programme budgets exceeding £8 million a year across multiple organisations and sectors.

Improved client satisfaction scores on multiple accounts by at least 70% through governance, communication and Agile coaching.

Led the development of Model Sight, an AEO SaaS product giving brands data-driven visibility into how they rank inside LLMs, deployed across multiple clients.

Reduced staff turnover within project teams by an average of 80% through improved leadership, coaching and team culture.

Promoted from every permanent position held. Consistent recognition of performance, leadership and commercial impact.

Personally sold £5m of revenue to a major transport sector client, turning a loss-making account profitable.

Hired, trained and promoted Project Managers who have gone on to highly successful careers. A genuine source of professional pride.

Delivered programmes across Financial Services, Sport, Healthcare, Energy, Publishing and AI. Genuinely sector-agnostic delivery expertise.

04

How I Work

01

Clarity before velocity

I establish shared understanding before anything moves. That means proper discovery, stakeholder alignment and a prioritisation framework everyone trusts. Speed without clarity just creates expensive rework.

02

Governance that enables

Structure should accelerate delivery, not slow it down. I design governance that gives leadership visibility and teams autonomy, cutting through noise to focus on what genuinely matters for delivery.

03

People at the centre

The best programmes are built on trusted relationships. I invest heavily in team culture, coaching and communication. A motivated, aligned team consistently outperforms any process.

04

Build the tools, not just the plan

I bring AI into delivery directly, designing agents and automated workflows that remove repetitive work. I would rather build something that fixes a problem permanently than manage around it.

05

Get in Touch

Available for delivery and programme roles, from delivery manager through to programme director, including AI transformation and AI product work. I stay hands-on whatever the title. Permanent, contract, or fractional. Based in Bath with full flexibility for hybrid and on-site work.