Applied AI Engineering Director & Consultant

I build AI intohow organizations run.

Twenty years across enterprise, government, international organizations, and professional sport — designing the decisions, agents, and controls that take AI from pilot to production.

Start the conversation See the track record
20+
Years
80+
People Led
30+
Engagements
02 — About

I help leadership teams turn AI into operating leverage: better decisions, faster research, cleaner handoffs, and accountable execution.

I start with real work — decisions, handoffs, risk — and design agentic workflows that give teams leverage without removing accountability.

ApproachableOperator-ledGovernance-awareExecution-first
03/method/

From transformation ambition to operating discipline.

A practical sequence for organizations that need to move from AI pilots to systems the organization actually runs.

  1. 01

    Discovery Session Workshop

    Where are decisions slow, handoffs fragile, approvals opaque, or expertise trapped in a few people?

  2. 02

    Architecture Design

    Define the human-AI split: what leaders own, what agents handle, where review happens, and how risk is managed.

  3. 03

    Consulting

    Hands-on consulting on the highest-leverage workflows — with implementation support or accompaniment through a partner ecosystem.

  4. 04

    Change Management

    Training, monitoring, metrics, and ownership so AI becomes part of how the organization runs.

04/structured offers/

Four entry points for operational AI leverage.

Each engagement starts with a concrete operating problem, then moves into the design, adoption, and controls required to make it stick.

  1. Offer 01:

    AI Operating Assessment.

    From scattered AI initiatives to a prioritized operating map.

    Best for leadership teams moving beyond pilots.
  2. Offer 02:

    Agentic Workflow Blueprint.

    From manual bottlenecks to governed human-agent workflows.

    Best for teams ready to redesign critical workflows.
  3. Offer 03:

    Governance & Adoption Sprint.

    From AI enthusiasm to accountable usage, controls, and adoption.

    Best for organizations preparing to operationalize AI.
  4. Offer 04:

    Executive AI Education.

    From confusion to shared leadership language.

    Best when adoption depends on shared understanding.
05/proof/

Proof across complex operating environments.

Technical depth. Business judgment. Teaching clarity. AI that survives governance, adoption, and execution.

20+
Years operating
80+
People led
30+
Engagements
5
Languages
Selected outcomes
  • Shipped agentic research, drafting, and review workflows that teams use daily — with human sign-off, audit trails, and output leaders can defend.
  • Led 80+ people across engineering, data, and delivery through cloud and AI transformation in banking, aviation, and consumer goods.
  • Moved leadership teams from AI briefings to working practice across Europe, MENA, and LatAm — as director, faculty, and guest lecturer.
Stanford UniversityMIT Professional EducationCornell UniversityUdacityReal Madrid Graduate SchoolISDE Law Business SchoolUniversidad de BarcelonaUniversitat Politècnica de CatalunyaOBS Business School
Selected references are shown as education or operating context signals. Some prior work was delivered through employers, partners, or confidential engagements and is represented at sector level.
06 — Decision Point

Decide.Align.Execute.

If you want AI that earns trust and drives performance, I'll build the controls, operating model, and rollout plan your teams can run with. I take on a small number of engagements at a time — fit decides, not budget.

LinkedIn

Every request is reviewed with context. If there is a real fit, I'll follow up personally with the next step.

● hello@rafaelcastro.aiEurope · Middle East · The Americas
Rafael Castro in a black sweater and sunglasses, smiling in black and white
Rafael CastroAI Consultant