Sentinel — AI Governance Engagement
A structured six-stage methodology that maps your entire AI estate, scores every risk, models every financial opportunity, and delivers a complete governance programme at Day 12. Not a report. A programme.
Who Sentinel is for
Sentinel is for CEOs, COOs, and risk leaders at regulated UK financial services organisations who need to establish a defensible AI governance position — and cannot afford the six-month timeline or six-figure fee of a Big 4 engagement.
You are personally accountable to your board for AI risk. You know your current governance position is not fully defensible. You need a complete, independently validated programme — fast.
Who Sentinel is not for
Sentinel is not the right starting point if your organisation already has a complete, independently validated AI inventory and an established governance programme that satisfies your board and regulators.
If that's you, Citadel as a standalone subscription may be the right fit.
Why it exists
The standard approach to AI governance is a workshop, a questionnaire, and a PowerPoint. A consultant asks stakeholders what AI they use. Stakeholders name the tools they remember. The consultant produces a list. The list goes stale in three months.
Sentinel was built around a different question:
What does the AI you're not thinking about cost you?
AutoDiscover scans your estate before the first interview. Shadow AI is included by default. From there, every system is scored for regulatory exposure and modelled for financial value. The output is a capital allocation recommendation your CFO can take to an investment committee.
Two ways to start
Most clients begin with the Diagnostic. The fee is credited in full if you proceed.
£3,500 – £5,000 · one day · credited on upgrade
AutoDiscover configured 48 hours before arrival. By end of day you have a preliminary risk score, your top 3 AI risks identified, and an automation opportunity shortlist with estimated ROI. A Diagnostic Report is delivered the same day.
£18,000 – £28,000 · 12 days fixed · Diagnostic fee credited
The complete programme. Full AI inventory, regulatory assessment, financial modelling, board delivery, and Citadel Platform go-live at Day 12. Everything your board needs. Everything your CFO can act on.
Not sure where you stand before booking? Take the 8-minute AI Governance Scorecard →
The six stages
Every stage produces structured, auditable output that feeds into the final board delivery and Citadel go-live. Nothing is produced for the sake of process — everything has a downstream use.
What you receive at Day 12
Pre-engagement
Before Day 1
Automated scanning of your cloud estate, SSO directory, and SaaS footprint before a single interview takes place. Shadow AI is surfaced automatically. You receive a complete preliminary inventory before Day 1.
Stage 1
Days 1–3
Structured stakeholder interviews validate and extend the AutoDiscover inventory. Business context, ownership, and deployment intent are captured for each system. The AI register is finalised and agreed.
Stage 2
Days 3–6
Each system is assessed against EU AI Act obligations, NIST AI RMF controls, ISO 42001, and sector-specific frameworks (FCA, PRA, ICO, SRA, CQC). Risk scores assigned. Regulatory exposure quantified in monetary terms.
Stage 3
Days 5–8
Automation opportunities are modelled using the Sentinel Capital Allocation Engine — NPV, IRR, payback period, and risk-adjusted return. Each opportunity benchmarked against sector comparables.
Stage 4
Days 8–10
Your AI maturity is benchmarked against sector peers using the EAIC Maturity Model. Gaps are mapped. A prioritised 12-month governance roadmap is produced with ownership and timelines.
Stage 5
Day 12
A customised board presentation delivers all findings, recommendations, and the capital allocation model. Citadel goes live simultaneously — pre-populated with your complete AI inventory and risk scores.
What happens after Day 12
Citadel is pre-populated with everything Sentinel found. Monthly board scorecards, real-time risk scores, compliance tracking — running automatically from Day 12 onwards. ~70% of Sentinel clients proceed to a Citadel subscription.
Frequently asked
The Sentinel Diagnostic costs £3,500–£5,000 and is credited in full against a full engagement. Full engagements are priced at £18,000–£28,000 depending on estate complexity and sector. All fees are fixed — no day rates, no scope creep charges.
AutoDiscover uses read-only API connections to your cloud infrastructure, SSO provider (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace), and SaaS tooling. No agents are installed. No write access is requested. IT involvement is typically under four hours.
Organisations that believe they have a small AI footprint consistently find the largest discrepancies. The average client expects 8 systems; we find 34. Sentinel finds what stakeholders cannot see — not what they already know about.
Each AI system is assessed against applicable frameworks (EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, FCA/PRA, ICO, SRA). Risk scores are weighted by likelihood and impact, then translated into monetary exposure using sector-specific penalty benchmarks.
No. The 37× average ROI figure is based on completed engagements. Individual results depend on estate complexity. We do not guarantee specific financial outcomes — but we do guarantee the quality and completeness of the methodology.
The Sentinel Diagnostic at £3,500–£5,000. One day, no further obligation. The Diagnostic fee is credited in full against any subsequent engagement.
A Sentinel Diagnostic takes one day and starts at £3,500. Most clients find more than 100× that figure in risk exposure and automation opportunity. The fee is credited in full if you proceed.
Fixed fee · No day-rate surprises · No commitment beyond the Diagnostic
