The Speed of Years

People often say the years get faster as you get older because each one becomes a smaller proportion of your life. Maybe. But I’m not convinced.

For me the years feel faster because I’m doing more. I’m choosing more. I’m saying yes to more – and no to more. I’m living more intentionally, more boldly, more deliberately.

2025 didn’t drag. It flew. Blink and you miss it.

But look at what fits inside a year when you actually step forward.

But look at what fits inside a year when you actually step forward.

Group CIO: Everything Changes

2025 began at full tilt – Group CIO of a FTSE250 global cyber firm, running an organisation that spanned continents, time zones, cultures, and expectations. It was a role many would kill for. Who doesn’t want to be the Group CIO of a global cyber business? Me apparently.

Because behind the polished title sat the complexity that defines real leadership – people, politics, decisions you can’t undo, and trade-offs that carry weight. I was proud of the team, proud of the work, but also deeply aware that big shifts had happened and still needed to happen. We reorganised, modernised, and set the business up for the future. And with that came the inevitable personal impact on people.

Leadership in 2025 was not about maintaining the status quo – it was about reshaping it, often faster than felt comfortable. It was about responding to the market, to risk, to technology, and to opportunity. It was relentless. And it was a privilege.

But something else was happening too.

The Near Miss (AKA the Almost-CEO)

Somewhere between board papers, strategy reviews, and major transformation decisions, I found myself deep into a CEO recruitment process for a digital transformation business. Four interviews in – so close I could picture the office, the team, the work.

It didn’t land. And thank God.

Because sometimes the doors that don’t open tell you just as much as the ones that do. The near miss forced a moment of clarity – one that lingered quietly until my partner finally said the words:

“You’re not really happy at work, are you?”

It hit harder than any performance review ever could. I wasn’t unhappy – but I wasn’t fulfilled either. The joy had gone. And that’s when the truth surfaces.

Leadership sometimes means walking away from the thing everyone else thinks you should want.

Big, Bold, Brave

Exiting a Group CIO role isn’t small. It’s seismic. It takes timing, planning, a bit of courage, and more than a little stubbornness. But it was the right move – the only move.

Big, bold, brave decisions don’t arrive through inspiration. They arrive through accumulation. Tiny signals. Repeated moments. Conversations you didn’t expect to have. The sense that the next chapter isn’t out there – it’s waiting for you to step into it.

And so I stepped.

What Chill Time? (Spoiler: There Wasn’t Much)

After exiting, I imagined a blissfully slow summer.

Instead, I tiled a kitchen. Not just tiled – but herringbone! Who in the right mind would do that – clearly not me.

Ran around giving talks, panels, and hosting events.

Spent time in Cornwall, did some gardening leave that was somehow busier than employment, and found myself knee-deep in ideas, frameworks, and business concepts.

It wasn’t chill. It was transition. A change is as good as a holiday.

A reset disguised as downtime.

A season of letting the brain breathe so new possibilities could actually form.

Reigniting Relentica

October arrived like someone hit fast-forward. Suddenly, I was:

• A founder again.

• A business developer.

• A strategist.

• A salesperson.

• A one-woman delivery machine.

Relentica was always there as my previous interim vehicle, on-ice for a few years, it just needed defrosting. And now it was the business.

I learnt new skills, sharpened old ones, rebuilt networks, opened doors, knocked on others, and found a phenomenal community of fractional leaders and small-business owners hustling to build the future of work.

I plugged myself firmly into the Manchester digital ecosystem. Events, panels, coffee chats, client meetings – the rhythm was and is constant. The energy returned. And the clarity came with it.

This – this – is the work I’m meant to be doing. And I’m loving it.

Helping organisations simplify, grow, modernise, and navigate the chaos of technology, data, and AI.

Working with brilliant people.

Driving outcomes.

Thriving.

The Speed of Years

People often say the years get faster as you get older because each one becomes a smaller proportion of your life. Maybe. But I’m not convinced.

For me the years feel faster because I’m doing more. I’m choosing more. I’m saying yes to more – and no to more. I’m living more intentionally, more boldly, more deliberately.

2025 didn’t drag. It flew. Blink and you miss it.

But look at what fits inside a year when you actually step forward.

And Now… 2026

If 2025 was the year of brave decisions, 2026 is the year of big outcomes.

I have this feeling – a strong one – that 2026 is going to be extraordinary.

More brilliant people. More meaningful work. More growth. More clarity. More ambition.

Relentica is in motion. I’m in motion. And the future feels wide open.

I might not want the years to fly by… but if they’