Paul Miles — Independent Specialist Positioning (11-note knowledge graph)

Tag: S-2026-03-17-paul-positioning Type: own-writing Author(s): Paul Miles (Red Strata) Date of source: 2026-03-17 Date ingested: 2026-05-17 Authority weight: own-writing — high authority on intent and direction; no external verification. Raw file: Open Brain corpus snapshot at /_raw_sources/open-brain-2026-05-17-corpus.md (the 11-note structure was captured three times verbatim on 17 March 2026 — treated as one source).

What it claims

Paul authored an 11-atomic-note knowledge graph defining his practice positioning. The structure:

1. Identity — Independent specialist delivering governance frameworks and assurance for data and AI capabilities in financial institutions. Focus: data governance, AI governance, regulatory assurance, programme governance. Positioned between risk, data, AI, regulatory compliance.
2. Strategy — Career Transition — From transformation consulting to governance and assurance specialist. From delivery → oversight + specialist delivery. From broad consulting → focused niche. From active BD → relationship-driven work. Target model: 3 days/week, €250k–€350k revenue, low travel, solo operator.
3. Services — Four primary lines: Governance Framework Design; Independent Governance Assurance; Programme Governance Specialist; Regulatory Readiness & Evidence.
4. Engagements — Six recurring engagement types: data governance operating model design; regulatory data / BCBS239 remediation; AI governance framework implementation; governance assurance reviews; programme governance roles; regulatory readiness & evidence preparation.
5. Buyers — CDO, CRO, Head of Internal Audit, Programme Directors.
6. Acquisition — Relationship-driven. Existing network, repeat clients, partner referrals, internal audit relationships. Low visibility. No heavy marketing. Trust-based.
7. Market — Demand Drivers — EU AI Act, BCBS 239, DORA, model risk governance, regulatory scrutiny. Problems: AI governance, data lineage, data ownership, governance effectiveness, regulatory evidence.
8. Risk — Downturn Strategy — Anchor work in governance and regulatory assurance. Avoid reliance on large transformation programmes / single large engagements. Preferred model: mix of retainers + short engagements.
9. Evolution — 3-Year Path — Year 1: reposition, anchor role, deliver frameworks. Year 2: expand assurance, build repeatable diagnostics, deepen audit/risk relationships. Year 3: stable portfolio of retainers + assurance + selective programmes. Target: 3 days/week, €250k–€350k.
10. Constraints — Explicit Non-Goals — Do NOT pursue: thought leadership strategy; frequent posting; conference speaking; board-level positioning; building a consulting firm. Focus instead on: trusted delivery, specialist expertise, relationship-driven work.
11. Insight — Core Strategic Principle — The most resilient position is independent specialist operating between risk, data, AI; delivering governance frameworks and regulatory assurance inside regulated financial institutions.

A companion note (also 17 March 2026) articulates differentiation against Big 4 firms — see S-2026-03-17-paul-big4-differentiation.

Notable quotes

• “Senior delivery, every time” — Paul’s positioning line (from companion differentiation note).
• “Faster to value” / “Practical over theoretical” / “Low overhead, high expertise” / “Trusted relationship” — counter-positioning lines.
• Do NOT pursue: thought leadership strategy; frequent posting; conference speaking — constraints note.

What’s speculative vs. asserted

• Asserted (as intent): all positioning, service-line, target-model and constraint statements.
• Speculative (as outcome): the 3-year evolution path, target revenue band, and target operating cadence are forward-looking intentions, not realised outcomes.
• ⚠️ Internal tension: the explicit non-goals list rules out “thought leadership strategy” and “frequent posting” — yet Paul operates a daily regulatory-intelligence capture routine that produces material indistinguishable in form from thought-leadership posts. See Independent Specialist Positioning for the surfaced tension.

Topics this feeds

• Independent Specialist Positioning
• Service Line — Governance Framework Design
• Service Line — Independent Governance Assurance
• Service Line — Programme Governance Specialist
• Service Line — Regulatory Readiness and Evidence

Open questions raised

• How the explicit non-goal of “no thought leadership” reconciles with a daily public-facing intelligence capture routine.
• Whether the 3 days/week target is sustainable alongside the volume of practice-build tooling work also captured in the corpus.

Ingestion note

The 11-note structure was captured three times verbatim on 17 March 2026 (the original idea-type note and two re-saves). Treated as a single source; the duplicates are noted in open-brain-2026-05-17-corpus.