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Tara Tamiko Thompson
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I’m Tara Tamiko Thompson, CAIP, CAIE, CAIA, an AI Governance Advisor and Oxethica-Certified AI Auditor based in London, United Kingdom. I founded Tara Tamiko Ltd, an independent AI governance practice advising boards, non-executive directors (NEDs), and General Counsel on EU AI Act readiness, AI risk, audit readiness and AI assurance. Organisations move through my AI Governance Pathway™ from ungoverned AI to defensible decisions.
My work tests whether AI use is visible, ownership is clear, material exposures are prioritised, and the evidence behind decisions will stand up to scrutiny.
Below you’ll find my credentials, specialisms, experience, engagements, and contact routes.
Quick facts
- Full name
- Tara Tamiko Thompson, known professionally as Tara Thompson
- Role
- AI Governance Advisor and Oxethica-Certified AI Auditor
- Practice
- Tara Tamiko Ltd, an independent AI governance advisory practice.
- Credentials
- CAIP (Certified AI Professional), CAIE (Certified AI Ethicist), CAIA (Certified AI Auditor)
- Certified by
- Oxethica GmbH, 2026, following training at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
- Specialisms
- EU AI Act readiness, board-level AI governance, responsible AI, audit readiness, conformity assessment, AI assurance, AI literacy under Article 4
- Advises
- Boards, non-executive directors (NEDs), and General Counsel
- Method
- The AI Governance Pathway™: Visibility, Readiness, Assurance
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Speaking
- Represented by Women of AI Agency (WOAI) for all speaking and event bookings
- Enquiries
- Contact form
What I’m known for
- EU AI Act readiness at board level. I advise boards, NEDs, and General Counsel on how to ask the hard questions with confidence, challenge AI governance, and be EU AI-ready without being technical experts.
- Audit readiness and AI assurance. As an Oxethica-Certified AI Auditor, I bring an audit and evidence lens to governance, including gap analysis, review against applicable conformity-assessment requirements, and separately scoped assurance work where appropriate.
- The AI Governance Pathway™. My proprietary method moves organisations from ungoverned AI to defensible decisions. It is organised across three stages: Visibility, Readiness and Assurance.
- AI literacy as a governance obligation. Article 4 of the EU AI Act has required providers and deployers to take measures to support AI literacy since 2 February 2025. My prior career building AI capability inside large organisations sits squarely behind this specialism.
- The board challenge function. My work starts with one question: is every AI decision you make defensible?
Credentials and training
I hold three certifications issued by Oxethica GmbH in 2026, following training at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Each credential can be verified independently through the links below.
- Certified AI Auditor (CAIA)
Qualified to conduct compliance audits of AI systems, assess legal requirements, technical robustness and ethical alignment, and use the Oxethica platform for AI inventory, risk assessment and regulatory documentation.
- Certified AI Ethicist (CAIE)
Trained in AI failure modes, digital ethics, and the global regulatory landscape for AI, including the EU AI Act.
- Certified AI Professional (CAIP)
Equipped with the technical foundations of AI and the ability to assess its impact across business functions, navigate ethical and legal considerations, and identify practical AI opportunities.
The AI Governance Pathway™
The AI Governance Pathway™ is my proprietary, staged method for building AI governance that is owned, evidenced, and live. It is grounded in regulation, guided by ethics, and made operational through literacy.
The Pathway runs through six underlying steps across three stages. The three stages are:
- Visibility. Establish where AI is in use across the organisation and who owns each system and decision.
- Readiness. Establish what is missing, weak, or not yet formalised, and which exposures need executive attention first.
- Assurance. Establish the evidence behind the governance position, so the organisation can show what is in place when scrutiny arrives.
How those stages are applied depends on the organisation’s existing governance and the issue at hand.
My tagline holds the standard the Pathway is built to meet: “You can’t govern what you haven’t formalised.”
How I work
I advise organisations when an AI governance decision, issue or position needs independent challenge. The level of involvement reflects the nature of the work: one defined issue, several related decisions developing over a concentrated period, a need to understand wider organisational context across live issues, or a recurring need for independent advice.
A specific decision or issue
For one defined AI governance issue where a board, General Counsel or senior team needs an independent view. I test the issue, the reasoning, the evidence and the accountability behind the current position, then give my view on what, if anything, should follow.
A concentrated period
For several related governance decisions developing across a defined period. I establish enough organisational context to advise as new issues, papers and decisions arise, without turning the engagement into unnecessary discovery.
A wider organisational situation
For a period where the value comes from seeing more than one decision and understanding how they connect. I consider live issues within their wider organisational context, including relevant perspectives across Legal, Product, Risk, Procurement, vendors and leadership.
An ongoing advisory relationship
For organisations where consequential AI governance decisions and issues recur and continuity is required. I retain organisational context as new decisions and developments arise, providing continuing independent challenge while governance and decision ownership remain with the organisation.
Where forming an independent view requires substantial investigation, analysis or implementation beyond advisory on a live matter, that work is scoped separately.
Background and experience
I arrived at AI governance from inside live organisational workflows. As an AI Learning Specialist at Bauer Academy from 2024 to 2026, I designed and led AI capability programmes for Bauer Media Group and external clients, running more than 100 sessions for more than 1,600 learners, with workshops for organisations including Pfizer and Burges Salmon. Six organisations returned for follow-on sessions and repeat bookings.
That work surfaced a repeating pattern: organisations wanted AI capability, while ownership, decision routes, and evidence were missing or undocumented. I mapped 38 AI-touching stakeholders across 14 business units, covering data protection, legal, compliance, technology, sustainability, and programme management, and built the first consolidated view of owners and decision routes. I also served on the Responsible Media Forum working group on AI governance.
This background is why AI literacy sits inside my governance work rather than beside it. Article 4 of the EU AI Act makes AI literacy a governance obligation. I have built that capability inside global biopharma, independent law and major media organisations.
My insights on AI governance and privacy have been featured in Forbes. I have given a solo keynote at Technology for Marketing, spoken at the University of Westminster, and am featured in an upcoming Routledge publication on AI in journalism.
The regulatory basis of my advisory work
My advisory reflects the EU AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, the Digital Omnibus on AI, which entered into force on 27 July 2026.
| Date | What applies |
|---|---|
| 2 February 2025 | Most prohibited AI practices and the Article 4 AI literacy obligation apply. |
| 2 August 2025 | Obligations for new general-purpose AI models and most penalty provisions apply. |
| 2 August 2026 | Article 50 transparency obligations and most remaining AI Act provisions apply. |
| 2 December 2026 | New prohibited AI practices introduced by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 apply, alongside the Article 50(2) transitional deadline for providers of relevant systems placed on the market before 2 August 2026. |
| 2 August 2027 | Member States should have at least one AI regulatory sandbox operational at national level. |
| 2 December 2027 | Applicable high-risk requirements for Article 6(2) and Annex III systems. |
| 2 August 2028 | Applicable high-risk requirements for Article 6(1) and Annex I product systems. |
Speaking and media
I speak on board-level AI oversight, EU AI Act readiness, AI assurance, shadow AI, and evidence for responsible AI claims.
Women of AI Agency (WOAI) officially represents me for all speaking and event bookings. Event organisers can book me through WOAI.
For media and interview requests on AI governance and the EU AI Act, contact me.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Tara Thompson?
I’m Tara Tamiko Thompson, CAIP, CAIE, CAIA, an AI Governance Advisor and Oxethica-Certified AI Auditor. I founded Tara Tamiko Ltd, an independent AI governance practice in London advising boards, NEDs, and General Counsel on EU AI Act readiness, AI risk, audit readiness and AI assurance.
What does an AI Governance Advisor do?
An AI Governance Advisor guides an organisation’s leadership to a defensible position on its use of AI. In my practice that means clarifying who owns each AI system and decision, establishing what regulation requires, and building the evidence behind the position, so the board can show what is in place when a regulator, a procurement process, or an incident asks.
What is an Oxethica-Certified AI Auditor?
An Oxethica-Certified AI Auditor holds the Certified AI Auditor (CAIA) credential issued by Oxethica GmbH. The certification covers EU AI Act compliance, AI risk assessment, conformity assessment, and responsible AI assurance, and qualifies the holder to conduct gap analysis and governance audits using the Oxethica platform. I completed the training at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, in 2026.
What is The AI Governance Pathway™?
The AI Governance Pathway™ is my proprietary, staged method for moving organisations from ungoverned AI to defensible decisions. It runs through three stages, Visibility, Readiness, and Assurance, and produces governance that is owned, evidenced, and live.
Does the EU AI Act apply to UK organisations?
It can. The EU AI Act is not limited to organisations based in the EU. It can also apply to organisations outside the EU, including where they place an AI system on the EU market or where outputs from their AI systems are used in the EU. Scope for a specific organisation is a question of fact, which is where an assessment starts.
How does working with Tara Thompson begin?
It starts with an introductory conversation about what is happening in the organisation, why it matters now and what needs to be decided. Tara then recommends the level of involvement that fits the situation. That may be a focused piece of advice, support while a developing issue plays out, an ongoing advisory relationship, or separately scoped work where more substantial analysis or delivery is required. Not every conversation needs to result in an engagement.
How do I book Tara Thompson to speak?
Women of AI Agency (WOAI) manages all my speaking and event bookings. Use the WOAI booking page.
Contact and profiles
- Buisness enquiries: contact me
- Introductory Call: calendar.taratamiko.com
- Speaking bookings: book me through WOAI
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/taratamiko
Page last reviewed 17 August 2026. I keep this page current as credentials, engagements, and the regulatory position change.