The podcast dedicated to helping CTOs excel.
Join The CTO Playbook community
~~
Join The CTO Playbook community ~~
Welcome to
The CTO Playbook
The podcast dedicated to helping CTOs excel.
With 30 years in the tech industry, including over a decade as a CTO, our host Adam Horner has coached and mentored more than a hundred engineers and tech leaders.
This podcast covers crucial topics for CTOs, providing insights, strategies, and practical advice to build and refine your own playbook to help you excel.
Listen on your favourite platform
-
![]()
YouTube
-
![]()
Spotify
-
![]()
Apple Podcasts
-
![]()
Amazon Music
-
![]()
CoHost
Who should listen?
CTOs and tech leaders facing fast-paced demands and growing responsibilities.
Feeling overwhelmed as a CTO with rapidly advancing tech changes and expanding responsibilities? The CTO Playbook is here to help. Designed for CTOs and tech leaders, our podcast offers actionable insights and practical advice. Each episode features top industry leaders, providing you with the tools and knowledge to navigate your role with confidence and level up. Listen now and transform your leadership skills.
Why listen to The CTO Playbook?
Gain tools and knowledge from top tech leaders
Adam Horner's extensive experience mentoring engineers and tech leaders ensures you’ll get the guidance you need. Whether you're tackling projects, fostering innovation, leading teams, or shaping strategy, this tech leadership podcast is your essential resource.
Engaging interviews: Learn from top tech leaders.
Leadership tips: Get practical advice.
Latest strategies: Stay updated on trends.
Start your journey with The CTO Playbook today. Listen now to build your own playbook to help you excel in your role.
Why create a podcast for CTOs?
From engineer to strategic CTO—learn from the journey.
Adam has been a CTO for over a decade, and his journey from engineer to strategic CTO was challenging. He learned through the school of hard knocks, making avoidable mistakes and facing countless challenges. Often out of his comfort zone and wishing for more guidance, he created this CTO podcast to provide the support and advice he once lacked.
Join The CTO Playbook community on Slack
Enhance your leadership skills by joining The CTO Playbook Slack community. Connect directly with your host, Adam Horner, and fellow CTOs and leaders in tech to share experiences and learn from each other's playbooks. Get exclusive access to practical advice, suggest topics for future episodes, and be part of a supportive network of tech leaders.
Listen to the latest episode
Use your favourite podcast platform to listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Cohost, and more!
Meet your host - Adam Horner
Adam Horner brings over 30 years of software development experience, with the last decade dedicated to leading teams as a Chief Technology Officer. He has driven innovation and growth across diverse industries, including FinTech, GovTech, RegTech, MarTech, big data, and information security.
Adam’s journey from Engineer to strategic CTO was challenging. He learned through the school of hard knocks, making avoidable mistakes and experiencing slower progress. This experience fuels his mission to support CTOs on their growth journey through CTO coaching and this podcast, providing the guidance and acceleration he once lacked.
Adam also provides fractional CTO services to help startups and scaleups accelerate.
-
Adam’s personalized, pragmatic coaching is designed to accelerate your tech leadership journey and transform you into a confident, strategic leader. He focuses on aligning tech strategies with business goals, developing leadership skills, enhancing strategic thinking, and improving team performance. Through his blended coaching, teaching, and mentoring approach, Adam ensures CTOs can navigate complex challenges and excel in their roles.
Having coached and mentored hundreds—from engineers to VPs to CTOs in both startups and large enterprises—Adam understands the unique challenges tech leaders face. His targeted, effective guidance supports your personal and professional growth, boosting your confidence and advancing your career.
With Adam as your CTO coach, you'll gain the confidence and skills to elevate your leadership and drive your organization to new heights.
-
Adam's technical background, strategic leadership, and clear communication make him a trusted Fractional CTO and advisor. Companies rely on him for his strategic leadership, and his ability to use technology for a competitive edge, aligning tech projects with business goals to deliver practical and effective solutions.
As a fractional CTO, Adam focuses on three core pillars:
Aligned Strategies: Ensuring technology strategies align with business goals, helping companies achieve objectives and gain a competitive edge.
Empowered People: Coaching team members to reach their potential, fostering a positive and productive work environment.
Optimized Processes: Streamlining workflows through risk assessment, effective communication, and an optimized product development lifecycle to boost productivity and reduce errors.
Whether developing software solutions or guiding tech strategy, Adam’s dedication to excellence helps clients accelerate software development and attain their goals.
-
CTO at Synova Technology
As the CTO Adam focuses on helping CTOs, startups, and scaleups accelerate through CTO coaching and fractional CTO services.
CTO at Realforce
Restructured the engineering teams and overhauled the marketing technology platform, aligning the technology strategy with business objectives, financial sustainability, and market dynamics through turbulent times.
Co-founder & CTO of Satago
At the VC-funded fintech company, he delivered a disruptive solution in single invoice finance and accounts receivable management, now a leading product within TruFin PLC.
Palantir Technologies
Embraced multiple roles in technical sales, big data management, information security, and technical recruitment during its hypergrowth phase. Contributions were instrumental in escalating European sales from minimal to tens of millions of US dollars annually.
Other services
-
CTO Coaching
Accelerate your tech leadership journey with personalised CTO coaching.
-
Fractional CTO Services
Access top-tier technology leadership without the full-time cost.
-
Strategy Workshops
Drive strategic alignment to grow your startup or scaleup.
