Kaimar Karu Digital governance and operating models

Independent advisor to governments, enterprises, and scale-ups

Helping senior leaders govern critical technology and digital services with confidence

I work with leadership teams to design and govern technology, including how AI is used in their organisations, so that ambition, risk, and operational reality remain in balance. This is grounded in cabinet-level responsibility as Estonia's Minister of Foreign Trade and IT, operating-model work with large government and technology organisations, and leading the strategy, development, and authorship of globally adopted frameworks such as ITIL.

  • Strategic change implementation with a people-centric, pragmatic approach
  • Operating model design and implementation for large digital organisations
  • AI governance integrated with existing risk, audit, and governance structures
Discuss an engagement View advisory areas
Nearly three decades of leading public and private sector digital, service, and product operations and transformations Authored ITIL guidance now used across most FTSE 100 organisations, and by practitioners in more than 150 countries Crisis leadership for Estonia's digital and economic response, recognised by the OECD as an example with global impact

Advisory and consulting

I take on a limited number of global engagements where digital transformation, governance uplift, and operating model redesign have direct impact on strategic initiatives, national programmes, or mission-critical operations. My professional reputation depends on the quality of outcomes, which is why I work only on projects where I can make a meaningful difference.

Who I work with

  • Ministries, regulators, and national authorities responsible for digital platforms, AI policy, and critical infrastructure
  • Regulated enterprises in financial services, energy, telecommunications, and healthcare
  • Global scale-ups preparing for larger customers, strategic investors, and more demanding governance requirements

How I work

  • Directly with boards, ministers, CIOs, and senior product and operations leaders
  • As an independent perspective alongside internal teams and existing partners — not as a competitor to your advisors
  • Focused engagement on a small number of high-consequence initiatives each year

Advisory area

Strategic change and implementation

Turning ambitious strategies into lasting organisational change by structuring initiatives so that momentum, ownership and accountability are clear at every stage.

  • Transformation roadmaps with clear milestones and governance checkpoints
  • Continual feedback mechanisms that keep decisions grounded in delivery reality
  • Capability building that embeds change beyond the initial programme

Advisory area

Digital Government

Designing digital services and national infrastructure that citizens can rely on, combining strong identity and security with practical, everyday usability.

  • Digital identity and trust architecture at national scale, with cross-border interoperability
  • Governance models for cross-agency platforms and shared services
  • Stakeholder engagement strategies that build and sustain public trust

Advisory area

AI Governance

Integrating AI into existing risk, audit and operational structures so that legitimate use is possible and boards, auditors and regulators can see how it is controlled.

  • AI governance frameworks aligned with existing risk and control structures
  • Clear decision pathways for AI deployment in live services and operational environments
  • Board and committee briefings on AI risk, assurance, and monitoring

Advisory area

Operating Model Implementation

Designing operating models that leaders can explain and staff can execute - connecting strategy, funding, decision rights, and service management into a coherent whole.

  • Target operating models for large-scale IT and digital functions
  • Service and product management aligned with ITIL, agile techniques, and industry best practice
  • Clear capability milestones so leaders can see which parts of the organisation have genuinely adopted new ways of working and which still need support

Track record

Selected engagements are described in general terms to protect client confidentiality. The scale of responsibility and outcomes reflect the type of work I am typically engaged to deliver.

Government

Tax authority digital and IT operating model

Central government · Digital and IT organisation

Designed and implemented an end to end operating model for a national tax authority's digital and IT organisation, shaping the work of several thousand staff.

  • Aligned governance and funding to products and services
  • Defined patterns for interaction within and between teams
  • Created a shared language for decisions across business and technology leadership

Global scale-up

Service operations at 100M+ user scale

Global communications provider · Operations and portfolio

Worked across two organisations during acquisition and integration, focusing on service operations, portfolio alignment, and organisational collaboration for a platform serving 100+ million active users.

  • Supported integration of service operations across two organisations
  • Led portfolio management work for CIO office, eliminating duplicate initiatives
  • Embedded Service Management practices while aligning with agile and DevOps approaches

Government

Cross-government IT investment framework

Government · IT and digital spend

Advised on a unified framework for major IT and digital investments across multiple ministries and agencies.

  • Common criteria for business cases and prioritisation decisions
  • Improved visibility of overlapping or duplicated initiatives
  • Clearer basis for AI and automation investment choices

Global scale-up

Operational audit preparation

Global SaaS provider · Service Management

Strengthened Service Management and governance so a strategic external audit and investor due diligence for international expansion could be completed with confidence.

  • Structured assessment of Service Management capabilities against enterprise expectations
  • Remediation of high-risk issues before external review
  • Introduced a lightweight continual improvement model appropriate for product teams

Speaking and briefings

I brief boards and leadership teams, and speak at conferences and internal events on Digital Transformation, AI Governance, Service Management, and Digital Identity. I engage directly with executive and practitioner audiences worldwide.

Topics

  • AI governance and trust in live services: practical frameworks aligned with existing governance
  • Modern Service Management and ITIL in product-based organisations
  • Operating models that connect strategy to delivery
  • Digital identity, digital governance, and public trust: lessons from Estonia and beyond
  • Decision-making in complex, multi-stakeholder environments using the Cynefin framework

Formats

  • Keynotes and conference presentations
  • Panels and fireside conversations
  • Closed-door briefings for boards and executive committees
  • Workshops and masterclasses for senior leadership teams

For speaking enquiries, please get in touch.

Background

I work with leadership teams on the design, governance, and funding of digital technology and AI in their organisations. The work usually centres on corporate and national policy, governance, delegation and enablement structures, ways of working, and operating models for critical services.

I began my career in the mid-1990s in technical roles and moved through product management, service operations, and executive leadership. I later served as Estonia's Minister of Foreign Trade and Information Technology, responsible for digitalisation, cyber security, trade policy, and crisis response, with a portfolio representing around 11% of the state budget.

Before and after that role, I have worked with public and private sector organisations worldwide, including industry leaders, software scale-ups, government agencies, and professional services firms.

At AXELOS, I led the strategy and development of ITIL and PRINCE2, authored core publications ITIL Practitioner and Sustainability in Digital and IT used by practitioners in more than 150 countries, and built coalitions across Agile, Lean, DevOps, and Service Management communities.

More recently, I co-authored the ITIL AI Governance white paper and led the development of the practical ITIL How to Implement publication.

In current engagements I draw on tools and ideas from complexity science (including the Cynefin framework), Service Management, and AI governance, adapting them to the constraints and objectives of each organisation rather than applying a standard template.

I am usually brought in when organisations are reworking their operating model or facing sharper external scrutiny: major programmes not landing as expected, regulators probing AI and data, or boards wanting more confidence in how digital investments are governed. The work focuses on making decision-making, funding, and accountability traceable in practice: clarifying forums, roles, and information flows, testing them on real services, and leaving behind structures that leadership teams can adjust and run themselves.

Highlights

  • Cabinet-level responsibility for Estonia's digital, trade, and cyber agenda, including crisis leadership recognised by the OECD.
  • Strategic owner of the ITIL and PRINCE2 portfolio, with guidance now embedded across most FTSE 100 organisations and in more than 150 countries.
  • Designed end-to-end operating models and governance for large government technology organisations and multi-billion-pound services.
  • Lead author of ITIL implementation guidance (ITIL Practitioner, ITIL How to Implement), translating best practice into usable action.
  • Advisor to boards and executives on AI governance, digital operating models, and high-stakes service portfolios in public and private sectors.

Focus areas

  • Governance of digital technology and AI Board-level and executive structures for decision rights, risk, assurance, and regulatory expectations.
  • Operating and funding models for IT and digital functions How strategy, portfolios, platforms, and teams fit together and are financed in practice.
  • Service Management and ITIL in large organisations Making ITIL and related frameworks usable across complex, multi-supplier estates without adding bureaucracy.
  • Digital identity, data-sharing, and national platforms Architectures, trust frameworks, and operating models for digital state infrastructure and regulated ecosystems.
  • Decision-making in complex and uncertain environments Sense-making, crisis operating models, and cross-organisation coordination when situations do not fit standard playbooks.

Engagement options

I work with a small number of organisations at any given time so that I can stay closely involved and accountable for outcomes. Engagements are tailored, but typically fall into four patterns.

Executive advisory partnership

Ongoing access to an independent advisor for senior technology and transformation leaders, on a fixed monthly commitment with a mix of scheduled calls, document review, and support for key decisions and external scrutiny.

Embedded programme role

Time-bound, part-time role inside a major change programme or operating-model shift, typically 2–4 days per week, working with sponsors and internal teams on governance, design choices, and landing new ways of working.

Executive briefings and workshops

Short, focused sessions for boards and leadership teams, usually half-day or one-day formats combining briefing, Q&A, and working discussion to align understanding and support specific decisions.

Diagnostic reviews and roadmaps

Defined, short-term engagements over 2–6 weeks to answer questions such as "Are we set up properly for this?", combining interviews and evidence review with concise findings, key risks, and a practical improvement roadmap.

For engagement requests or collaboration enquiries, please contact me on LinkedIn to start the conversation.

Contact via LinkedIn