Strategic Depth

To be honest, it all happened very quickly. One day, I was in Vancouver, picking out skis for the next season, when I saw an ad in the back of the CA magazine asking for auditors in the Cayman Islands. A month later, I was there, starting my first audit with Arthur Andersen.

At the time, it seemed like a no-brainer: working for a great firm, in an international setting, with clients from all over the world. It was my first taste of the offshore industry, in a tax-free environment, which I loved. When I wasn't in the office, I was on — or in — the ocean.

In my free time, I became a competitive freediver, setting a Canadian record and representing Canada at the World Championships in 2000, where we came fourth in the team event.

My clients were banks, hedge funds, and even a joint venture called SeaLaunch — a consortium of American, Russian, Ukrainian and Norwegian companies successfully launching satellites into space. Ah, the olden days, when the world worked together! Let’s just say it lit up our audit risk assessment…

That first role shaped everything that followed. It set me on a path through Guernsey, Luxembourg, and now Jersey — working with clients from all over the world, building teams, serving on boards, and learning how to lead with curiosity and calm, no matter where I am.

It’s true that regulations have grown and grown over the years — and they will continue to do so. Change is the only constant in our industry.

I was pulling out some of my old textbooks for my daughter, Annabelle, who has just started her career as a Trainee Compliance Administrator with a great firm here in Jersey — VG (proud dad alert!). One of the texts, Money Laundering: The Practitioners' Guide, was published in 2000. The title is a little misleading — but what really struck me was how little it covered the core AML concepts we now take for granted. No mention of PEPs, no sanctions screening, no risk-based assessments.

Since then, we’ve had FATCA and the Common Reporting Standard — seismic shifts in the regulatory landscape. I still remember sitting in an industry group, discussing FATCA’s implications and hearing concerns about how clients would never tolerate the costs. But FATCA and CRS didn’t just reshape reporting obligations; they reshaped client behaviour. They made it clear that nondisclosure was no longer defensible, and firms had to engage more proactively and deeply to maintain compliant client relationships. For me, these changes presented an opportunity. We could support our clients in meeting their obligations with clarity and structure, and yes — we could charge appropriately for that work. The net result was a de-risked client base and a more transparent, commercially viable way of operating.

My approach to compliance has always been grounded in meeting the standard, documenting the logic, and making it commercially sustainable. When that happens, both clients and regulators respond well. And when it doesn’t — well, I’ve seen the consequences too. Up close.

It’s true — I’ve had some exciting times along the way. But the only way to bring a team through a storm is with transparency, planning, and teamwork.

My leadership style was forged early, through sport. I began coaching rowing while still at university, then moved on to high school crews competing at national level, and regional squads at the provincial level in Canada. Along the way, I acquired formal coaching qualifications and eventually took up an international posting with Keio University in Japan, one of the oldest and most prestigious rowing programs in Asia.

I was fortunate to learn coaching from some of the best, including Canada’s national coaches, whose crews were delivering gold medal performances on the world stage at the time. One lesson has always stuck with me: When do you give your crew feedback and encouragement? Every time the blades come out of the water. Regularly, consistently, and supportively. Plan to win.

That approach translated directly into how I lead regulated businesses. Sometimes the stakes are just as high. I remember one particularly complex project — deconstructing two separate businesses under the same roof, merging them into a single, coherent operation, and then acquiring a new regulatory licence for that entity.

Set the plan. Let all stakeholders, especially the regulator, know what the plan is. Measure progress. Share updates. Be clear, and be calm. One of my proudest moments was receiving a rare compliment from that regulator for a job well done, delivered in front of my boss just as I was preparing to hand over the reins and leave the jurisdiction.

That was a gold medal moment. Quietly satisfying — the kind you carry with you.

Yes — this was easily the most challenging time in my career. After more than two decades with the same firm, the suddenness of the transition hit me hard. It shook my confidence and left me questioning what came next — something I’ve since learned is more common among senior professionals than we often admit. Going from a supportive team environment to suddenly facing the wolves on my own was a shock. I was lucky to maintain relationships with many of my colleagues after leaving, but the absence of that shared momentum hit me hard.

I also went from being constantly busy — leading businesses, working long hours, making decisions — to having too much time on my hands. And with that came guilt. I couldn’t even enjoy the freedom I’d gained. Walking down the beach in the sun with my dog Amigo at 11 a.m. on a weekday sounds idyllic. But when you’re carrying guilt and self-doubt down the beach with you, it just feels wrong.

Something shifted when we moved house, leaving town and moving out to the west coast of Jersey. With the support of my wife Sarah, I slowly began to feel something I hadn’t in a while: gratitude. Even though I still wasn’t fully employed, I realised I had time — and that time was a gift. My confidence began to return. I’ve always been a creative problem solver, and I started to turn that inward: What am I good at? What do I enjoy? What do I want to build?

I'm reminded of a note my daughter gave me when I was particularly stressed during my time in Luxembourg. It read: "You can do anything if you try. Don’t give up. Always try your hardest, even if it is hard. Believe in yourself." I still have it. That simple message — in her handwriting — said more to me than any executive coaching ever could.

I’m grateful that opportunities followed.

Since starting out on my own, I’ve had the chance to work with a range of businesses — from established asset managers to startups — where I could apply both my professional training and real-world experience. And each engagement has reinforced what I believe about advisory work: it’s not about telling people what they want to hear, it’s about helping them get to the right answer.

One of my first engagements was with an asset management firm considering whether to invest a significant sum into — or through — a Luxembourg-based investment platform. I spotted red flags early when I looked into the platform’s regulatory and governance disciplines, procedures, and reporting. My recommendation not to proceed wasn’t what the client hoped for — but I was able to offer a clear alternative: a practical route forward, a list of vetted service providers, and a structure that would work. I later learned they went ahead with my recommendation. That was satisfying.

In another case, I worked with a firm that had been badly let down by a service provider. I helped them rebuild their accounting processes, which resulted in the firm reissuing several years’ worth of reports. I also advised the Managing Director on strategic decisions around a new IT offering to support a new service rollout. I continue to check in with them to witness their evolution and hope to continue to support them in the future.

I’ve also supported a family who had fallen out with their trust service provider after an issue was unnecessarily escalated into a complex AML matter, due to a breakdown in communication and a lack of clarity in the requests being made. I was able to help de-escalate by understanding what the trust company was looking for and ensuring the client could provide it. This helped bring the issue to a close and likely helped the client avoid significant and expensive litigation. It also reminded me that, in highly regulated environments, a collaborative and clear approach is often the best route to resolution.

Not every engagement ended in success. I once advised a client on valuation who didn’t agree with my conclusions and didn’t pay. Lesson learned: When someone’s revenue forecasts are off by a factor of a thousand, you may want to get paid up front, especially if you're the one bringing the realism.

Due to my personal experience struggling to deal with career change, I have been pleased to be able to lean into mentoring, initially through the IoD, where I was paired with a young entrepreneur building out his business. I likely saved him over £100,000 by steering him away from expensive custom systems and toward scalable, off-the-shelf solutions. I have also found myself supporting colleagues, new and old, through career changes. Am I a career coach? No, but I am always willing to lend an ear after learning that there really is not much support out there for professionals going through profound career changes.

One thank-you note I received — just for listening — meant the world to me. It reminded me that while we often measure our value in billable hours, sometimes the most meaningful thing we offer is perspective.

I’m fortunate to be working on a few very different — but equally engaging — initiatives. I serve as a Non-Executive Director on the board of a digital asset fund on behalf of the promoter, based out of Singapore, called GSG. This is a fund that invests in companies engaged with digital assets. It’s a fast-moving space, full of regulatory and technical challenges, and I really enjoy helping the board, service providers, and the promoter navigate those complexities.

While digital assets bring a complex set of risks — from valuation and counterparty risk to liquidity and legal uncertainties — they also benefit enormously from the application of 20th-century risk management disciplines. Traditional governance structures, combined with 21st century fintech-enabled oversight tools, can go a long way toward making this emerging space safer and more robust. For me, that intersection — where new markets meet established principles — is where the real intellectual and professional challenge lies. It’s one I find both rewarding and energising.

Currently, I am working with Graphene, a UK-based and FCA-regulated fintech start-up that delivers Infrastructure-as-a-Service to the discretionary investment management sector. My role involves providing fractional CFO-as-a-Service and acting as a board advisor. It’s a marked shift from the mature professional services environment I came from — one where change was often approached with caution.

At Graphene, everything moves fast. We are building scalable infrastructure to empower wealth managers to take full control of their data and value chain. Our platform simplifies the complexity of data and ownership, allowing clients to operate data-driven propositions without the traditional burden of high operational risk or cost.

What’s particularly rewarding is navigating the balance between innovation and governance. Stakeholder expectations in this space are different — they demand agility and results, but also rely on strong risk frameworks. My role involves helping the team move at pace while embedding commercial discipline and strategic foresight. It’s this tension between vision and structure that makes the work both challenging and deeply fulfilling.

And outside of finance, I’m really pleased to report I've gone back to the sea! I recently joined Jersey Marine Conservation (JMC) in a strategic advisory capacity. JMC is a local charity doing important work to protect our marine environment. It’s deeply rewarding to bring some of my professional skills to a cause I care about — and it feels like I’ve come full circle from my early days in Cayman, freediving and spending every moment I could on or in the sea.

These roles might seem disconnected, but to me they’re all about stewardship — whether it’s of capital, community, or nature. Across all these roles, what unites them is the responsibility to safeguard something valuable. I try to show up the same way in every context: with curiosity, a problem-solving mindset, and a focus on good governance. My new firm is called Intendance, which is French for stewardship. This isn't a word used much anymore, but it resonates deeply with me.

I’m always curious about what’s next — and I feel lucky to be in a position where I can now choose projects that I truly believe in. I’d love to find that elusive Non-Executive Director position with a trust company, investment manager, or fund services business — one that would let me bring my multijurisdictional experience to bear in a meaningful way. I’ve served on dozens of boards across a range of sectors and jurisdictions, and I believe strongly in the value of independent oversight, especially in today’s evolving regulatory climate.

In the meantime, I’m continuing to build my advisory work through Intendance — offering board-level insight, commercial guidance, and fractional CFO services to firms that are scaling or navigating complexity.

Technology has always played a central role in my professional life. I started out swapping backup tapes and rebooting servers, and over the years, moved into managing IT service providers, internal help desks, and cross-jurisdictional project teams. I’ve often been the person holding vendors and project managers to account, sometimes making the difficult decision to shut down initiatives when the cost-benefit equation didn’t stack up. I’ve always advocated for solutions that genuinely improve business performance, and I’ve never been afraid to experiment along the way. I don’t claim to be an IT specialist, but I’ve long been a champion of pragmatic innovation, and I’m energised by what tools like AI can unlock when paired with imagination and commercial insight.

I’m also pursuing a pair of AI-supported side projects. One addresses a persistent pain point in professional services — time recording and billing — while the other is aimed at a broader consumer market. Both would have been difficult to attempt without the support of AI, but with its help, I’ve been able to plan, prototype, and begin building viable solutions. AI even helped me rediscover coding skills I hadn’t touched in years. Developing an iPhone app, tweaking code, and seeing it appear live on my phone and watch within hours was incredibly satisfying — a reminder of how empowering modern tools can be when paired with experience, curiosity, and the courage to explore. Watch this space.

I can't be certain what the future holds - but I've learned not to give up, to try hard (even when it’s hard) — and to believe in myself. I owe so much of that resilience to the unwavering support of my family: to Sarah, for her steady wisdom and quiet faith in me; to Madeleine and Annabelle, for always reminding me what really matters; and to Amigo, my loyal companion, who’s been beside me on every beach walk, tail wagging, no matter how I was feeling.