Graham

Graham Orrell

Helping founders and financial services leaders turn complex technology into clear strategy, execution and commercial...
Fintech Founder | Technology Advisory | Fractional CTO | Angel Investor at Illustrations Cloud

Areas of expertise

I help founders, leadership teams and investors navigate the point where commercial ambition runs ahead of what their technology, team or platform can actually deliver.

  • A SaaS or data platform that needs to be properly productised and made scalable
  • A technology strategy that is unclear, misaligned with business goals or simply missing
  • Legacy infrastructure creating operational risk, cost or friction
  • An engineering team that lacks structure, pace or the right leadership
  • Technology decisions - architecture, vendors, hiring, investment - that need experienced challenge
  • A financial services business that needs stronger data, digital infrastructure or governance

I bring board-level thinking and hands-on delivery experience together, so clients move from uncertainty to clarity, confidence and execution.

About Me

I am a fintech founder, fractional CTO and technology advisor with 25 years of financial services technology leadership across Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, Merrill Lynch and Standard Bank.

I founded and scaled NorthLink Digital into a 15-person consultancy serving nearly 50 clients before its acquisition in 2024, and I currently build and run Illustrations Cloud, a B2B SaaS platform for financial services firms.

I work with founders, leadership teams and investors who need senior technology leadership without a full-time hire. That typically means defining strategy, modernising platforms, structuring engineering teams, or turning a complex product or data environment into something scalable and commercially useful.

Clients come away with clarity they did not have before - a clear strategy, a practical roadmap and a delivery model aligned to their commercial goals. I move comfortably between board-level strategy and hands-on execution, which is usually where the real value sits.

Available for project-based work, ongoing retainers, fractional roles, and on-call advisory

Send Me a Message
Intro Call

30 minutes

A quick introductory call to discuss your needs and see if we're a good fit to work together. No commitment required.

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Details

Years of Experience

27 Years

Country

United Kingdom

Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree, Computer Science Teesside University 1995 - 1999
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals Microsoft 2022 - 2022
MSP Practitioner (Managing Successful Programmes) PeopleCert 2018 - 2018
Social Links

  • 25 Years Leading Programmes at Tier-One Banks

    Senior technology roles at Barclays, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse and Standard Bank across trading, data and regulatory change.

  • Founder of a Live B2B Fintech SaaS Platform

    Built and owns Illustrations Cloud, a production SaaS platform serving financial services firms, combining strategy with hands-on product ownership.

Specialties and Expertise

Areas of Expertise

Technology Consulting

Leadership

Strategy

Specialties

Define vision Assess business models Prioritise initiatives Align leadership Assess tech landscape Define tech roadmap Align tech investments Plan legacy modernisation Review vendor options Build tech governance

Sessions

Intro Call

A quick introductory call to discuss your needs and see if we're a good fit to work together. No commitment required.

30 min
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Common Questions

I work with founders, leadership teams, investors and financial services firms who need senior technology leadership without committing to a full-time CTO. The common thread is commercial ambition combined with technology complexity, whether that is a SaaS platform that needs productising, a legacy financial services infrastructure that needs modernising, or a delivery organisation that needs clearer structure and governance.

I help clients turn complex, under-structured technology situations into something clearer, more executable and commercially valuable. That typically means defining technology strategy, modernising legacy platforms, improving engineering delivery, scaling teams, assessing technology risk, or making a product or data platform more robust and scalable.

Clients typically move from uncertainty about whether their technology, team or platform can support their ambitions to having a clear strategy, a practical roadmap and a delivery model aligned with commercial goals. The result is usually sharper decision-making, stronger stakeholder confidence and a platform or team better positioned for growth.

I bring over 25 years of financial services technology leadership across institutions including Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital and Merrill Lynch, combined with founder and operator experience. I founded, scaled and exited a specialist technology consultancy, and I currently own and run a B2B fintech SaaS platform. That means I can move credibly between board-level strategy, product thinking, engineering leadership and hands-on delivery.

Engagements are scoped around the specific problem and the outcome the client needs. Some engagements are advisory or diagnostic, others involve more hands-on delivery leadership or ongoing fractional CTO support. We start by getting clarity on the situation, what is at stake and where the real leverage is, then agree a structure that fits the business.