Norrell Partners — Fractional CIO / CISO Services

Is This You?

You may need a CIO — and not know it yet.

Norrell Partners works with companies roughly $3M–$100M in revenue that have solid IT or operations leadership on staff, but no one to answer the strategic questions that leadership was never hired to own.

A trusted Director of IT or VP of Operations runs day-to-day technology well, but strategy, planning, and system decisions fall outside their role — and everyone quietly knows it.

You're facing a major call — a new ERP, a system migration, an acquisition — and no one in-house has made that decision before.

You suspect you need stronger technology leadership, but a full-time CIO isn't in the budget, or isn't the right fit yet.

You want cybersecurity and governance run by someone who's actually done it — not addressed for the first time after an incident.

Norrell Partners was founded by John R. Norrell to bring the same order to complexity that he has delivered as a full-time CIO/CISO — transforming fragmented technology environments into scalable, disciplined operating models that accelerate growth, strengthen governance, and increase enterprise value.

His career began in the United States Air Force, leading technical operations for Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems — radar, navigation, and precision-landing infrastructure where there is no margin for error. He carried that same discipline into nine years leading government contract operations for U.S. Coast Guard District 11, with responsibility for the electronics and communications infrastructure supporting the West Coast National Distress Network, Federal Search and Rescue Network, and radar and radio communications systems — then into two decades of enterprise technology leadership across public companies, PE-backed organizations, and founder-led businesses.

As CIO/CISO of Gersh, a private-equity-backed global talent and sports representation company, he built the organization's first enterprise technology function from the ground up — unifying operations, cybersecurity, and infrastructure across 16 countries through multiple acquisitions, with zero material security breaches.

His experience spans technology and SaaS, cybersecurity, digital media and AdTech, entertainment, consumer products, manufacturing and distribution, e-commerce, payments and transaction processing, professional services, and government-related operations — leading organizations from lean, partner-enabled teams to groups approaching 200 professionals, with technology budgets ranging from approximately $5 million to more than $45 million.

He was named a 2026 HotTopics Global CIO Top 100 award recipient.

At a Glance

Budget scale led$5M – $45M
Teams ledUp to ~200
Countries operated16+ / 70+
EducationMBA, BS MIS
BasedLos Angeles Metro
Engagement ModelNationwide / Remote / On-Site

Approach

A strategic partner, not a replacement.

Norrell Partners works alongside the IT or operations leader you already trust to run things — giving them (and you) the strategic layer, judgment, and executive-level track record that role was never designed to carry alone. Most engagements blend both functions below, scaled to what you actually need.

Fractional CIO

Technology Strategy & Operations

Strategic partner to your existing IT Director or VP of Operations
Technology strategy and multi-year roadmap
System selection and major vendor decisions (ERP, CRM, and beyond)
M&A technology diligence and post-close integration
Enterprise modernization — ERP, finance, HR platforms
AI adoption strategy and workflow automation
Vendor, MSP, and technology budget oversight
Board and investor reporting on technology performance

Fractional CISO

Cybersecurity & Governance

NIST- and ISO-aligned security governance programs
Zero Trust architecture design and rollout
AI security governance and risk management (AAISM)
SOX and PCI compliance readiness
Incident response planning and tabletop exercises
Board- and investor-level risk reporting

Track Record

Selected Executive Impact

Outcomes delivered across public companies, PE-backed organizations, and global platforms.

$238M acquisition enabled — Served as lead technology executive through a $238M acquisition, delivering SOX readiness, scalability, and systems integration.

16-country integration, zero disruption — Unified applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data across multiple acquisitions for a PE-backed global organization.

92% cost reduction via AI — Reduced per-unit workflow costs while expanding operational coverage from 25% to 100%.

47% faster month-end close — Transformed finance, HR, and reporting platforms; 20% faster AP cycle times.

450M+ users, 2.1B+ daily transactions — Built ML and predictive analytics platforms at scale for a global ad-tech business.

Zero material security breaches — Sustained across more than a decade of global operations under NIST/ISO-aligned governance.

2014 — Present

Chief Information Officer / CISOPE-Backed Global Professional Services Firm

First CIO hired; built the enterprise technology and security function from the ground up for a global talent and sports representation firm operating across 16 countries.

2013 — 2014

Acting CTO / VP, Global Technology OperationsPublic Global Ad-Tech Platform

Recruited by the Board to stabilize and scale a platform serving 450M+ users through a $238M acquisition.

2011 — 2013

Director, Global Technology OperationsPublic SaaS / PaaS Platform

Standardized operations across 30 global offices following IPO; integrated six acquisitions.

2007 — 2011

Director of Information TechnologyGlobal Manufacturing & Distribution Enterprise

Supported a $90M ERP transformation across 70+ countries with zero critical downtime.

1999 — 2007

Global IT DirectorPrivately Held Talent & Entertainment Firm

Raised system availability from 95% to 99.99%; cut technology operating costs by 50%.

USAF / USCG

Branch Commander, Air Traffic Control & Landing SystemsU.S. Air Force & Coast Guard District 11

Led mission-critical radar, navigation, and communications operations; nine years directing electronics infrastructure for federal search-and-rescue networks.

Our Network

One firm, built to scale with your engagement.

Every engagement starts with John directly. As client needs grow — multiple concurrent engagements, specialized industry expertise, or coverage across time zones — Norrell Partners brings in vetted, senior fractional CIOs and CISOs from its network, each held to the same governance and delivery standard.

John leads every client relationship and sets the technology/security strategy personally.

Associate CIOs/CISOs are brought in only when scope or scale calls for it — never by default.

All associates are senior operators with direct enterprise CIO/CISO experience, not generalist consultants.

Credentials

Certifications & Recognition

CISSP

Certified Information Systems Security Professional — ISC2

CCISO

Certified Chief Information Security Officer — EC-Council

AAISM

Advanced AI Security Management — ISACA

MBA

Executive Management — University of Phoenix

BS, MIS

Information Systems Management — University of Phoenix

MIT Sloan

AI: Implications for Business Strategy

2026 HotTopics Global CIO 100

Recognized among the top 100 CIOs globally by HotTopics for leadership in enterprise technology, AI adoption, and organizational transformation.

Give your IT team the strategic partner they don't have time to be.