The Full Story
Terry Yodaiken – The Full Story
Most consulting engagements fail not because the strategy is wrong, but because no one involved has actually run the operations they're redesigning. That disconnect between theory and execution is what POD Capital Consulting exists to fix.
The Foundation
I spent two decades inside asset management firms, not advising them. At First Sentier Investors, I led teams through the kind of transformations that define careers or end them. A £2.8bn asset migration during Brexit with zero client complaints. MiFID II implementation across 15 jurisdictions. Building an Irish UCITS platform from scratch that attracted £5bn in three years.
These weren't consulting projects with PowerPoint deliverables. They were live operations with real consequences. I held FCA Senior Manager approval. I sat on regulated fund boards overseeing £25bn. I negotiated custody transitions, redesigned operating models under regulatory pressure, and restructured teams while maintaining service quality.
At Armstrong Wolfe, I worked directly with over 40 COOs representing roughly £2 trillion in assets. That gave me real-time visibility into what's keeping operations leaders awake — not trends from research reports, but actual problems from people in the thick of it.
Why Consulting, Why Now
I started POD Capital in 2023 because I kept seeing the same pattern. Mid-market asset managers facing complex operational challenges, but without the internal bandwidth to solve them properly. The big consulting firms were too expensive, too slow, and often too disconnected from how these businesses actually work.
The gap wasn't advice. It was execution by someone who understood both the strategic intent and the operational reality. Someone who had run the function they were being asked to redesign.
And then AI arrived. Through POVIEW.AI, I've been building practical AI governance frameworks and implementation approaches for regulated industries. The opportunity is significant. But so are the risks if organisations get it wrong. Most firms need someone who can sit between the business and the technology teams, translating in both directions. That's become a core part of what I do.
How I Work
No armies of junior consultants. No months of discovery phases. I work directly with clients, typically alongside their existing teams, on problems that need solving now.
My approach is pragmatic. I ask what success looks like in specific, measurable terms before we start. I focus on implementations that actually get adopted, not frameworks that gather dust. And I'm honest about what's achievable given the constraints. Sometimes the right answer is simpler than anyone expected. Sometimes it's harder.
I work best with small-to-mid-market managers, distributors and platforms facing inflection points — growth, regulatory change, or operational overhaul.
Clients tend to appreciate the directness. I've been in their seat. I know what it feels like when someone's burning through your budget while you're still waiting for actionable recommendations.
Beyond Work
I'm South African by birth, spent my early career in Cape Town, and now split my time between Edinburgh and London, Dublin and New York when clients need me there. I still speak at FundForum International and industry conferences. And I still get energised by the moment when a complex operational problem finally clicks into a workable solution.