Your finance experience is worth more than your last job title.

Redundancy

The role has gone. The institution has moved on. But thirty years of commercial intelligence hasn't gone anywhere — and decoded shows you what to build with it.

Burnout

The politics. The compliance burden. The 5am calls to New York. You're done with the structure — not the work. There's a way to keep doing the work, on your terms.

Retirement Horizon

You're not ready to stop. But you are ready to stop doing it for someone else. The finance sector still needs your knowledge — just not inside an institution.

Ready For Independence

You've seen how it works from the inside. You know where the value is. You want to own a piece of it — as a consultant, fractional CFO, NED, or board advisor.

Your input template

01

Expertise Themes

The recurring problems you've spent a career solving — capital allocation, risk management, regulatory navigation, financial transformation, M&A integration.

02

Commercial Opportunities

How your finance expertise translates into services the market pays for — fractional CFO, independent consultant, board advisor, NED, expert witness, mentor.

03

Sector Crossover

Industries outside financial services that need exactly what you know — scale-ups, PE-backed businesses, family offices, public sector reform, emerging markets.

04

Positioning Clarity

Move from "Former MD, Investment Banking" to something buyers respond to — a one-line proposition that makes the right clients want to call you immediately.

05

Future Directions

A shortlist of practical routes based on your specific experience — so you leave with a starting point, not a blank page and a LinkedIn profile refresh.

Rewire

Stop seeing yourself as a banker, a CFO, a fund manager. Start seeing yourself as someone who holds decades of commercially valuable intellectual property.

Repackage

Turn that expertise into clearly defined services. Name what you do so the right clients understand it immediately — and are willing to pay for it.

Repurpose

Deploy your finance expertise far beyond the sector you built it in. The problems you solve in banking exist in healthcare, tech, property, and hundreds of other industries.

Meet the founder

Jamie Sylvian

Three decades living the Executive Nomad life. Jamie has run a location-independent business at executive and board level for global brands including British Gas, London Electricity, BetVictor and Casey Research.

He co-founded the marketing business that became Uswitch.com, sold for £210m in 2006. Expertise decoded is built on everything the real Jamie learned doing it — across 13 countries, from his laptop.

Published Work

The Executive Nomad Operating System

Founder, The Executive Nomad Ecosystem

Read the book →

Can a former CFO or MD genuinely build a consulting business from scratch?

Yes — and finance professionals are particularly well placed to do it. The skills that made you valuable inside an institution — commercial judgement, risk thinking, financial architecture, stakeholder management — are exactly what scale-ups, PE-backed businesses and family offices will pay for on a fractional or advisory basis. The transition is not about starting over. It is about repackaging what you already have into a form the market can buy.

I have been made redundant from a senior finance role. What are my realistic options?

Redundancy at senior finance level typically opens four paths: another full-time role inside an institution, fractional CFO work across multiple clients, independent consulting in your area of specialism, or a portfolio of NED, advisory and coaching work. Many finance professionals find the independent options more lucrative and more satisfying than returning to the institutional environment that just cut them. The decoded tool on this page will show you which path fits your specific experience within three minutes.

How long does it realistically take to replace a finance executive salary through consulting?

Most finance professionals who commit fully to the transition have their first paying client within 60 to 90 days and reach income parity with their previous role within 12 months. Fractional CFOs with strong networks often move faster. The variable is not your expertise — it is how clearly you have packaged what you offer and how directly you are communicating it to the right buyers.

I am approaching retirement but not ready to stop working. Is independent consulting a viable third act?

It is arguably the most natural third act for a senior finance professional. You have decades of pattern recognition, sector relationships and commercial credibility that no younger consultant can replicate. Boards and scale-up founders want that depth. A portfolio of two or three NED or advisory roles, combined with selective consulting engagements, gives you continuity, income and intellectual stimulation on your own schedule.

Does leaving a finance institution mean leaving behind the income level that comes with it?

Not necessarily. Fractional CFOs operating independently typically charge between £1,500 and £3,500 per day. With two or three retained clients at fractional rates, the annual income often exceeds what the institution was paying — with none of the compliance burden, internal politics or fixed hours. The model works because businesses need senior finance intelligence but cannot justify a full-time executive hire at that level.

What does decoded actually do and how is it different from a career quiz?

decoded is not a personality test or a career quiz. You give it one real career win — a deal, a turnaround, a transformation you led — and it analyses the commercial intelligence inside that win. It hands you back three named consulting businesses you could launch, specific sector crossover opportunities, and a positioning statement that replaces "former CFO" with something buyers actually respond to. The output is commercial, not motivational.

What is the Rewire, Repackage, Repurpose framework?

It is the three-stage methodology Jamie Sylvian developed over three decades of building location-independent businesses at executive level. Rewire means changing how you see yourself — from employee to owner of intellectual property. Repackage means turning your finance expertise into clearly defined services that clients can understand, evaluate and commission. Repurpose means deploying that expertise beyond the sector you built it in, into the much larger market of businesses that need financial leadership but cannot access it institutionally.

What is rewiredAi and how does it complement decoded?

decoded gives you the commercial blueprint from your specific career win. rewiredAi takes you deeper — a free AI model trained on Jamie's three decades of methodology, built to have an open-ended conversation about your results, your options and your next move. Where decoded is fast and structured, rewiredAi is conversational and personal. The two work together — decoded first to establish what you have, rewiredAi to help you work out what to do with it.

How is Executive Nomad different from a traditional outplacement or career coaching service?

Outplacement helps you find another job. Executive Nomad helps you stop needing one. The focus is not on your next employer — it is on building a business from your existing expertise that you own outright, that travels with you, and that pays at or above the level you were earning institutionally. The methodology is commercial, not therapeutic. It starts with what the market will pay for, then works backwards to what you need to build.

Is this only relevant if I want to travel or work remotely?

No. Location independence is an option the methodology makes available, not a requirement. Many Executive Nomad clients work from a home office in the same city they have always lived in. Others work from a different country every quarter. The point is that the business model does not tie you to a desk, an office or a single geography — what you do with that freedom is entirely your choice.

Can I genuinely run a senior finance consulting business from anywhere in the world?

Yes. The finance consulting market has shifted permanently toward remote and fractional engagement. CFO advisory, board work, financial transformation consulting and M&A support are all delivered virtually by senior finance professionals operating from wherever they choose to be. Your clients care about your judgement, your network and your track record — not which city your laptop is open in.

What does a typical week look like for an independent finance consultant?

A fractional CFO with two retained clients might work two days per week per client, leaving two days for business development, thought leadership or personal projects. An advisory or NED portfolio typically involves monthly board meetings, ad hoc calls and periodic strategy sessions — closer to six to eight days per month in total. Most independent finance professionals report working fewer hours than in their institutional roles while earning comparable or higher income.

How do I manage the psychological shift from a senior institutional role to working independently?

The identity shift — from a role inside an institution to being the institution — is real and takes deliberate work. The Rewire stage of the methodology addresses this directly. It is not motivational coaching. It is a structured reframe of where your value actually sits and what it means to own it rather than rent it to an employer.

Do I need to give up financial security to make this transition?

Not if you plan the transition properly. Most successful transitions are staged — the first client is secured before the institutional role ends, or a redundancy payment provides runway. A fractional or consulting income is also more resilient than a salary in one critical respect: losing one client does not end your income, where losing one job does. Diversification across three or four clients is a stronger financial position than dependence on a single employer.

At what age is it realistic to start building an independent consulting practice from a finance career?

The most effective transition window for finance professionals tends to be between 45 and 60 — enough seniority and credibility to command premium rates, enough runway to build something substantial. The question is not your age. It is whether you have solved real commercial problems at a level clients will pay for — and after a decade or more in senior finance, the answer is almost certainly yes.

What is a fractional CFO and is it the right model for my background?

A fractional CFO provides senior financial leadership to a business on a part-time or project basis — typically one to three days per week — across multiple clients simultaneously. It is the right model if you have operated as a CFO, FD or senior finance director and want to maintain that level of strategic engagement without the full-time commitment. The market for fractional CFOs has grown sharply as scale-ups and PE-backed businesses seek institutional-grade finance leadership they could not previously afford.

How do I become a non-executive director with a finance background?

Finance professionals are among the most sought-after NED candidates because boards need independent financial oversight. The path typically starts with your existing network — companies where you have existing relationships, sector peers, or advisory introductions. Your first NED role is almost never found through a job board. It comes through demonstrating your perspective publicly and through direct relationship development.

What does finance executive coaching actually involve and who pays for it?

Finance executive coaching is typically paid by corporates investing in their senior leaders, by PE firms supporting portfolio company management, or directly by individuals preparing for a transition. As a finance professional, you coach from experience rather than theory. Day rates for experienced finance coaches with credible track records run from £800 to £2,500 depending on the client and engagement.

What is a portfolio career and how does it work in practice for a senior finance professional?

A portfolio career combines multiple income streams from your expertise simultaneously — typically a mix of fractional executive work, NED positions, advisory roles and selective consulting or coaching. For a senior finance professional it might look like: one fractional CFO engagement two days per week, one NED position on a quarterly board cycle, and one or two advisory relationships generating retainer income. The total income often exceeds a single salary, with significantly more autonomy.

Can my finance expertise translate into sectors I have never worked in?

This is one of the most underestimated aspects of a finance career. The problems you have solved — capital allocation, risk management, financial transformation, regulatory navigation, M&A integration — exist in every sector. A CFO who built their career in banking brings exactly the financial rigour that a healthcare group, a tech scale-up or a property developer is looking for. Sector crossover is not a compromise. For many finance professionals, it is where the most interesting and best-paid work is found.

What is the Untethered 1:1 session and who is it for?

Untethered is a private 60-minute strategy session with Jamie Sylvian, designed for senior finance professionals who want to understand exactly how the Executive Nomad methodology applies to their specific career, background and goals. The session covers market fit, product fit, tax strategy for independent operators, and a clear next-steps plan. Every Untethered session includes a printed copy of The Executive Nomad Operating System, posted to you anywhere in the world before the call. Book your session here.

What is the Unlocked programme and how is it different from the 1:1?

Unlocked is the flagship Executive Nomad weekend workshop — a two-day online intensive in small cohorts, once per month. Day 1 covers your commercial positioning, core offer, target sectors, pricing architecture and founder story. Day 2 you build your one-page website live, create your outreach sequence, draft your first proposal template and leave with a launch-ready business. From Day 3 through to Day 33, your dedicated Pathfinder strategist works with you directly until you land your first client — or they continue for free until you do. See Unlocked dates and book your seat.