Nick Day: the MI5 agent who went private

As an MI5 agent, Nick Day wanted a more entrepreneurial careers. So he and a colleague from the CIA set up their own company, Diligence, advising companies on doing business in emerging markets.

As an ex-MI5 agent, it's no surprise to hear that Nick Day, 41, always had a taste for adventure. "But my father always said I needed discipline," says the founder of business intelligence consultancy Diligence. "So I joined the military at 18. My dad probably thought that was a good decision."

The son of a mathematician at Hertford College, Oxford, Day became a 2nd lieutenant in the Royal Marines before joining the Special Services and later MI5. But after several years working in Iraq, Northern Ireland and Bosnia, "I realised I wanted to do something more entrepreneurial", he says. He met Mike Baker, an ex-CIA agent, who was thinking along the same lines, and together they set up Diligence in 2000.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up
Jody Clarke

Jody studied at the University of Limerick and was a senior writer for MoneyWeek. Jody is experienced in interviewing, for example digging into the lives of an ex-M15 agent and quirky business owners who have made millions. Jody’s other areas of expertise include advice on funds, stocks and house prices.