The future of work is evolving, and Aetos, a fast-growing compliance and data privacy firm based in Orlando, Florida, is ensuring the next generation is ready for it. This year, Aetos is sponsoring five MBA students from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business to attend FRAK 2025, a national conference in downtown Minneapolis dedicated to fractional professionals.
The sponsorship marks a creative collaboration between Aetos, the Ross School of Business, and FRAK, designed to give students real-world exposure to the growing field of fractional leadership, a model that allows seasoned professionals to serve multiple organizations as part-time executives.
“The fractional model is still largely populated by experienced leaders, people who have already spent years in corporate roles,” said Shayne Adler, CEO and Co-Founder of Aetos. “By introducing students to this world earlier in their careers, we’re helping them see an entirely new path forward in how leadership and business can work.”
Aetos specializes in helping startups and small-to-mid-size businesses navigate compliance challenges efficiently and confidently. As a fractional Chief Compliance Officer, Adler supports companies that lack the resources or need for a full-time compliance department but still face the same regulatory demands as large corporations.
The five students attending FRAK are part of Ross’s Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) program, a hands-on consulting experience where MBA candidates work with real companies on strategic challenges. The Aetos team is currently conducting research into the fractional CXO (Chief “X” Officer) space and advising Aetos on market strategy, client engagement, and business scalability.
“These students have been bringing insights and data that even surprised me,” said Adler. “They’re exploring how the fractional model is shaping the future of work, and they’re excited by what they’re discovering. FRAK gives them the chance to learn directly from those already succeeding in the space.”
For Adler, the connection between education, entrepreneurship, and emerging workforce trends is personal. A University of Michigan alum, she reached out to the Ross faculty as Aetos was refining its own marketing and positioning. That outreach evolved into a meaningful collaboration that benefits both her company and the students eager to explore nontraditional career paths.
“This partnership started because I volunteered as a mentor,” Adler explained. “I didn’t have to be a big-name sponsor like Microsoft or Equinox to make it happen. Universities want their students to engage with real, growing companies. It’s been an incredible, mutually beneficial experience.”
The move also reflects a broader shift in how companies and professionals approach work. As AI and automation accelerate business agility, more organizations are turning to fractional leaders to gain high-level expertise without adding full-time headcount.
“Smaller companies want to stay lean and agile,” said Adler. “Fractional executives give them access to the same caliber of leadership as large corporations, at the right scale for their needs. It’s where the future of business is headed.”
FRAK 2025, held October 27–29 in Minneapolis, brings together fractional CMOs, CFOs, COOs, CHROs, and other executives from across the country for two days of learning, connection, and inspiration. With Aetos’s support, the attending students will have the unique opportunity to network with these leaders and see the business model in action.
“Our goal is to create a bridge between today’s fractional professionals and tomorrow’s innovators,” said Steve Margerin, Chief Revenue Officer of FRAK. “Aetos’s sponsorship perfectly captures the spirit of collaboration and future-thinking that defines the fractional movement.”