Bahar Selman, PCC

You look successful on paper.

Senior title. Strong salary.
Respect inside your company.

But your career is more fragile than it looks.
AI is compressing senior roles.
Restructuring doesn’t care about loyalty.
And your 15–25 years of expertise is invisible outside your employer.

If corporate ended tomorrow, most leaders at your level have:
• No external personal brand
• No consulting or advisory options
• No income diversification
• No real Plan B

That’s not a talent problem.
It’s a career longevity problem.

Career longevity isn’t about staying in one job longer.
It’s about staying relevant, visible, and in demand across decades—
regardless of age, AI disruption, or employer dependency.

That’s where career autonomy comes in.

Career autonomy means:
• Your expertise is portable
• Your reputation exists outside one company
• You have options before you need them
• One corporate decision can’t derail your future

I work with senior corporate leaders (Directors, VPs, C-suite) who:
• Have built impressive careers inside multinationals
• Feel the growing risk of invisibility and replaceability
• Want to protect their income, identity, and legacy
• Need a strategic way to build visibility without harming their corporate role

This is not about quitting your job.
And it’s definitely not about becoming an “online influencer.”

It’s about strategic positioning.

I spent over 15 years inside global corporations, building brands, leading teams, and operating at senior levels.

I’ve seen firsthand how quickly:
• Roles disappear
• Experience gets discounted
• High performers become “too expensive”
• Loyal leaders get caught unprepared

Since then, I’ve worked with 500+ senior professionals to help them:
• Turn corporate experience into visible authority
• Build reputation-safe personal brands
• Create consulting, advisory, and portfolio options
• Design exit strategies on their own terms

Through The Career Autonomy Blueprint™, I help experienced leaders:
• Clarify their next chapter
• Position their expertise for the external market
• Build LinkedIn visibility that attracts opportunities
• Create a strategic safety net before they’re forced to use it

The outcome isn’t noise or vanity metrics.

The outcome is power:
• Options
• Confidence
• Leverage
• Control over your future

If you’re still employed but quietly thinking:
“Something needs to change but I don’t know where to start”
You’re exactly who this work is for.

DM me on LinkedIn or email info@baharselman.com when you’re ready to explore your options

Consultant

Bahar Selman

I might lose friends over this, but:

Staying in one company for 15+ years is career suicide in 2026.

Here’s why I’m willing to bet my reputation on it:

Because loyalty doesn’t protect you anymore.

AI eliminates roles. Restructuring is constant. And the longer you stay invisible in one company, the harder it is to pivot when you’re forced to.

I’m not saying quit your job.

I’m saying build Career Autonomy WHILE you’re employed.

So when the time comes—and it will—you have options.


Do you have options? Or are you hoping loyalty will save you?

Bahar Selman,PCC

Career Longevity & Personal Branding Strategist for Senior Corporate Leaders │ Executive Coach │ Corporate Trainer │ Corporate Workshops & Keynotes @ Uphuman │ Ex–Diageo, Danone, Red Bull

No alternative text description for this image

By 2027, “having a good resume” will be obsolete.

The people who win will be those who master personal branding today.

Because AI can write resumes.

But AI can’t build trust, credibility, and relationships.

Are you still relying on your resume to get your next role?

Or are you building a personal brand that makes recruiters come to you?


The choice is yours. But 2027 is closer than you think.

In corporate, it’s easy to spend 40 hours on “looking busy.”

Attending meetings. Responding to emails. Following processes.

But the real career growth happens in the 2 hours you spend on:

	•	Building your personal brand
	•	Optimizing your LinkedIn
	•	Creating strategic relationships outside your company

Because “busy” keeps you employed.

But “high-value” makes you irreplaceable.


Where are you spending your 2 hours?

#careerlongevity

I made the same mistake at the peak of my corporate career.

I thought a strong results, and internal credibility
meant I was safe.

I thought staying quiet was “professional.”
That visibility was risky.
That loyalty would be rewarded.

Then I watched restructurings wipe out people with 20+ years of experience.
AI accelerate faster than job titles.
And brilliant leaders become “redundant” overnight.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Invisibility feels safe until it becomes your biggest risk.

Most leaders hit by restructuring aren’t weak performers.
They’re strong operators with zero external positioning.

Inside the company: respected.
Outside the company: unknown.

And if your value disappears the moment your corporate email does,
that’s not stability.

That’s fragility.

The leaders who will survive what’s coming
aren’t louder, younger, or trendier.

They’re visible before they need to be.

Sit with that.
Then rethink how you’re positioning yourselfwhile you still have the choice.

Most people ignore “feeling invisible at work.”

They think: “It’s fine. I’m still getting my paycheck.”

But in 6 months, that turns into:

	•	Being passed over for promotions
	•	Being “too expensive” during restructuring
	•	Being eliminated because “no one knows what you do”

Are you ignoring it?

Because the cost of staying invisible is higher than the cost of building visibility.


When was the last time someone outside your company asked for your expertise?

5 signs your current career strategy is a ticking time bomb:

	1.	You haven’t updated your LinkedIn in 6+ months
	2.	No one outside your company knows what you do
	3.	You’re waiting for “the right time” to build your personal brand
	4.	You think loyalty will protect you from restructuring
	5.	You have no Plan B if your job ends tomorrow

If you see #3, stop what you’re doing immediately.

Because “the right time” never comes.

The right time is NOW. While you still have leverage.


How many of these apply to you?

Let me guess.
You're reading this because part of you is thinking, "This sounds great, Bahar. But is it too late for me?"

You're in your mid-40s/50s. Everyone else started years ago. Haven't you missed your window?

Here's what I want you to know.

You haven't missed your window. 
You've been building credibility while others have been building followers. Now it's time to combine both.

Your 15-25 years of experience is not a liability. 
It's your unfair advantage.
But only if people know you exist.

That's the difference between professionals who thrive and professionals who survive. 

Between those who have options and those who feel trapped.

The best time to build your brand was 5 years ago. 
The second best time is NOW.

Because every week you wait, your expertise becomes less relevant. 
Not because you're getting older. 
But because the market is moving forward without you.

It’s About Not Putting Your Head in the Sand.
One line in this conversation stopped me cold.

Jamie Dimon doesn’t dramatize AI.
He doesn’t soften it either.
He says it plainly:
“Don’t put your head in the sand.”
That sentence alone is a career warning.

Because when asked whether AI will wipe out jobs, he doesn’t hedge:
“Will it eliminate jobs? Yes.
 Will it change jobs? Yes.
 Will it add some jobs? Probably.”

This isn’t panic.
This is realism.

And then comes the line every professional should sit with:
“You can hope for the world you want, but you’re going to get the world you got.”

Hope is not an employability strategy.
What matters now is how fast change happens, and whether people are ready for it.

Dimon makes a critical distinction most career conversations miss:
The danger isn’t AI itself — it’s speed without preparation.
“If it goes too fast for society… that’s where government and business need to step in together.”

Retraining.
Relocation.
Income support.
Phasing change instead of detonating it.

His example is blunt:
“You can’t lay off two million truckers tomorrow.
 You phase it in. You retrain.”

Now zoom out and make this personal.
This is no longer just a policy issue.
It’s a career design issue.

Because a few minutes later, he’s asked the question everyone avoids:
“In five years’ time, will JP Morgan have fewer employees than it has now?”

His answer:
“My guess is there’ll be fewer employees.”
Not no employees.
Fewer.

Which means employability is shifting from:
role ownership → value ownership
job security → skill mobility
experience alone → adaptable relevance

AI won’t replace professionals.
It will replace professionals who can’t clearly explain why they still matter.

Career longevity now belongs to those who:
Reposition early
Learn continuously
And stop waiting for certainty before acting

Because as Dimon puts it:
“You’re not going to slow it down.”

The question is not if your work changes.
It’s whether you change before the market decides for you.

Paul Gyles FCMA CGMA

The First Group

Group CFO with The First Group, a real estate, hospitality and F&B group with a fast growing asset portfolio, and several properties under construction including Ciel, the World's tallest hotel.

Chief Financial Officer

Shamal Holding

Group CFO with Shamal Holding, an investment holding group managing a large asset portfolio across multiple verticals including Real Estate, Hospitality, Leisure, F&B, and Investments. Responsible for Finance, Information Technology and Procurement.

Meraas

Group CFO for Meraas Holding, a major real estate development company with a substantial portfolio of investments in multiple verticals including Real Estate, Hospitality, F&B, Leisure & Entertainment, Retail Malls, Healthcare, Supermarkets and Investments. Responsible for Finance, Treasury & Funding, Procurement and Information Technology

ISG plc

Regional CFO and Board member for ISG Group companies based in the Middle East. 
Refocused back on the fast growth Middle East region to capitalize on the market opportunities and growing the business. Full responsibility for Finance, HR, IT, Admin and Legal.

Chief Financial Officer - Middle East

Regional CFO and Board member for legal entities across 14 Asia/Middle East countries. 
Finance partner for Asia Group MD and Middle East MD, functional reporting into the Group CFO. Responsible for all financial, IT and legal/board matters.

Chief Financial Officer - Asia

Responsible for the Financial Management, IT and Legal matters for the Middle East Entity.
Major role in separating from a JV partner and establishing an independent entity.
Established new offices to expand the business.
ERP implementation

Tatweer

Responsible for the financial operations of the Tatweer Group, a large diversified real estate development company, and a vertical of Dubai Holding. Responsible for Group Financial Management, Business Planning, Business Performance monitoring and Treasury operations.  Key leadership role in group wide restructure during the 2008 financial crisis.

Group Finance Director

Johnson & Johnson

Financial and Supply Chain control for complex division covering 13 Business Units and 11 countries. Commercial support to Franchise Directors and Business Unit Managers. Hyperion and JD Edwards system implementations. Business Excellence category team leader

Finance Director - Middle East

Financial management for a manufacturing Site with a rapidly growing turnover (+40%pa) utilising lean manufacturing & Six Sigma techniques.
Led the Inventory, Scrap & Cost Reduction team's
Prepared New Site selection decision model to evaluate Factory relocation options, and successful application for Government grant assistance.

Finance Director - UK Operations

Murray & Roberts

Financial Controller

Georgia-Pacific LLC

Management Accountant

British Dredging plc

Trainee Accountant

Experienced senior finance executive with an international finance career spanning 36 years working for market leading companies in UK, Middle East and Asia. 

Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA) and an award winning CFO including past winner of the Middle East CFO of the Year for the Real Estate & Construction sector and NAFA Middle East CFO Power List for the Top 20 CFOs in the Middle East. 

Performance track record in driving excellent business results and developing high performance business support teams.  

Areas of expertise includes strategic financial management, corporate finance, business planning, performance improvement, ERP implementation, digital transformation, cashflow management, debt financing, start ups, fast growth, restructuring, process improvement, and audit management. 

Extensive C-suite experience serving on Boards, Steering Committees, and Audit Committees.

Passionate about working with the wider community and has regularly volunteered to supporting entities such as Welsh Government, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), AICPA, British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD) and the British Social Club. 

Group CFO with Shamal, an investment holding company managing a large asset portfolio across multiple verticals including Real Estate, Hospitality, Leisure, F&B, and Investments. Responsible for Finance, Information Technology and Procurement.

taplio

The Battle

Bahar Selman

Paul Gyles FCMA CGMA

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreBahar Selman's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Bahar Selman

Paul Gyles FCMA CGMA

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Bahar Selman's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreBahar Selman's LinkedIn Performance