Garonne Fractional Governance

Garonne Fractional Governance is the practice of a single consultant, Aurélien Castagnède, who acts as a part-time AI governance lead for education technology and HR software companies that are too small to hire one. Clients typically have between twenty and two hundred employees, sell into schools, universities or corporate HR departments, and have been asked by a customer or investor to show that someone owns AI risk. The arrangement is a monthly retainer for a fixed number of days, usually two to four per month, covering the AI system inventory, classification under the EU AI Act, drafting of the acceptable use and model governance policies, and attendance at whatever steering meeting the client already runs. Where a client is heading for ISO/IEC 42001 certification the retainer can extend to acting as management representative during the audit. Everything is done remotely from Bordeaux, in French or English, with quarterly in-person visits by agreement. Aurélien does not perform one-off gap analyses as standalone projects, and will refer engagements requiring a legal opinion, technical model testing or a full implementation team to other firms. Retainers run for a minimum of six months with a month's notice thereafter.