After graduating in economics from Leeds University, Giles began giving financial planning advice when he joined Endsleigh Insurance working with graduates and members of the academic community.

In 1993, he moved to Verdi Bowker & Bowker, a firm which specialised in providing advice to high-earning professionals.

In 1996, he co-founded Baxter Fensham Limited, an independent financial advisory firm that became an early mover into the relatively new fee-based financial planning sector. Over the next 10 years, he grew Baxter Fensham into a top-100 IFA firm in the UK market in terms of assets under advisement.

Passionate about taking the fee-based advisory service model to the next level of sophistication to benefit clients, in 2006 Giles co-founded Fensham Howes.

Today, the Fensham Howes advisory process seamlessly joins together traditional financial planning and cash flow forecasting techniques with modern probabilistic modelling and research-proven investment concepts.

As a result, clients are much better able to understand and manage the uncertainties and challenges that might arise on the path to achieving their life goals.

Giles has over twenty-five years of financial planning experience and is a member of the Institute of Financial Planning and holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) licence.

Born and raised in the United States, Lew has a degree in economics from Stanford University and an MBA in finance from the University of Southern California.

He began his career in financial services, holding senior positions in several US banks, including serving as the senior vice president and assistant treasurer of Security Pacific Corporation, at the time the fifth-largest bank holding company in the United States.

Lew moved to London in 1991 to join Inter-Continental Hotels Group, a leading international chain of upscale hotels, where he served as the group chief financial officer.

In 1998 he became the chief operating officer of Nomura’s Principal Finance Group, a leading private equity group in London since renamed Terra Firma Capital Partners.

Co-founding Fensham Howes in 2006, Lew has worked closely with Giles Pidcock to develop and implement the firm’s client service model, which combines traditional financial planning and cash flow forecasting techniques with modern probabilistic modelling and research-proven investment concepts.

Colin graduated from Reading University in 1993 with a degree in Philosophy. Upon graduation, he joined Swiss Life (UK) as a Group Risk Underwriter, working as part of the actuarial team assessing life assurance, income protection and critical illness risks. Colin gained further actuarial experience at Lloyds of London, where he acted as Assistant Underwriter on Syndicate 332, part of the Wellington Underwriting Group. In 1996 he moved to Reuters Plc, where he held various product management and international marketing roles for a range of on-line research services delivered to the international financial services industry.

In 2003, Colin decided to make a career change to pursue his interest in personal financial planning and investment management. Colin joined Baxter Fensham Limited, where he worked closely with Giles to develop and deliver a leading financial planning and investment advisory service to the firm’s key clients. In 2006 he moved with Giles to Fensham Howes, where he became a founding member of the original Fensham Howes team.

Today Colin splits his time between financial planning and managing the day-to-day running of the business.

Colin’s broad and deep expertise enables him to develop comprehensive and often highly technical financial planning strategies within a personalised context, thus creatively addressing unique situations faced by individuals, families, and trustees. He works closely with the team to provide personalised solutions to our clients’ most complex planning challenges.

Colin is an Associate of the Personal Finance Society and a Chartered Financial Planner.

Katie graduated in 1992 with an honours degree in Accountancy and Law. Upon graduation, she joined Yorkshire Building Society as an Internal Auditor, specialising in Treasury Operations and Financial Services. In 1994 she joined Chase de Vere where she qualified as a financial adviser, and in 1997 she began to focus on advising vulnerable and disabled clients, most of whom received compensation following a life changing injury.

In 2003 Katie moved to John Scott & Partners (now part of a national advice firm) to set up a dedicated Serious Injury team. She remained there until 2020 when she was invited to join Fensham Howes, to complement and develop our established services for trustees and deputies.
Over the past 20 years Katie has been responsible for the financial advice given to more than 350 injured clients across all UK jurisdictions, including expert witness work in relation to pension losses and periodical payments.

Many of her clients start with limited experience of financial planning and investment markets so Katie takes a flexible, supportive approach, ensuring clients feel in control of the process from the beginning. Thereafter she works with them to ensure their financial plan adapts as their needs and circumstances evolve over time.

Katie is a trustee for 2nd Chance Headway Centre. She is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and a Chartered Financial Planner. She is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and holds the STEP Certificate for Financial Services as well as the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates.

Rachael began her career in the Financial Services industry in 2000, after graduating from Loughborough University with a First Class Honours degree in Social Psychology. In her early career, she focused on learning the administrative side of Financial Services, first as an administrative assistant with Chase De Vere and then with PJG Financial Services. Building upon her operational and administrative skills, she quickly broadened her knowledge of the industry by earning her Certificate in Financial Planning within 12 months of entering the industry.

In 2004, she joined PFP Wealth Planning in Harrogate, where she pursued her career passion of becoming directly involved in providing financial planning and investment services to individuals. At PFP, she served as the relationship manager for a bank of clients. Authorised to give advice in her own right, she also worked with the Managing Partner to provide an effective and efficient investment and planning service to up to 100 high net worth clients. Her areas of expertise included investment selection and portfolio design, personal and group pensions, personal taxation, inheritance tax planning, and the use of trusts in achieving personal planning objectives. In 2013, she accepted a role at The Timebank, a specialist outsourcing paraplanning firm, where she concentrated on providing advanced technical planning guidance and support to the firm’s professional advisor clients.

Rachael joined Fensham Howes in November 2017. She works closely with the directors and other team members to provide advanced technical paraplanning support to underpin the investment advisory and financial planning service that the firm provides to its clients.

Rachael is an Associate of the Personal Finance Society and a Chartered Financial Planner.

After studying in Sheffield and graduating with First Class Honours in Business Studies Josh joined Fensham Howes in May 2021 to pursue his career goal of becoming a Financial Planner.

He is currently working towards his CII Diploma in Financial Planning and has the goal of attaining chartered status in the near future.

Josh is passionate about understanding client needs and supporting our advisors to help them deliver the best possible service to our clients.

David graduated in economics from Newcastle University in 2003, when he started his career working as a financial services professional.

In 2007, he joined Jardine Lloyd Thompson where he specialised in strategic retirement planning and taxation issues for wealthy individuals.

In 2012, David was approached by Fensham Howes. He has subsequently worked closely with the directors and other team members to provide a comprehensive investment advisory and financial planning service to trustees and families.

David enjoys developing and maintaining strong personal working relationships with clients from all walks of life.

David is an Associate of the Personal Finance Society and a Chartered Financial Planner.

Margaret has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. In 1985, she joined Combined Actuarial Performance Services Limited. In her 13 years at the company, Margaret managed a team of administrators providing investment monitoring services to approximately 300 corporate pension fund clients.

From 1999 through 2010, Margaret broadened her experience in the pension administration field, holding positions with several firms. During these years, she was heavily involved in a diverse array of operational support activities, including pension administration systems design and implementation, DB and DC pension scheme member reporting systems and serving as a pension scheme trustee. She has also managed FCA compliance and reporting systems, and been responsible for processing/reporting investment data, and preparing pension plan portfolio risk analyses using BARRA risk analysis software.

In 2010, Margaret followed her career goal to become directly involved in the field of financial planning and investment for individuals. Joining a firm of independent financial advisers, she provided full paraplanning support for a team of six advisers. Her paraplanning work covered the areas of investments, personal and group pensions, SIPPS and SSASs, personal taxation, inheritance tax planning, trusts and insurance.

In December 2015, Margaret joined Fensham Howes. She works closely with the directors and other team members to provide detailed paraplanning support to underpin the investment advisory and financial planning service that the firm provides to its individual and institutional clients.

Martyn entered the financial services industry in 2008, after graduating in economics and geography from Loughborough University. From 2008 to 2012, Martyn served as a financial analyst for Portfolio Evaluation Limited, a firm that specialises in providing advanced analytical support to pension funds, boutique wealth managers and charities in the area of investment portfolio risk/return attributions and other performance metrics. In his role, Martyn was heavily involved in analysing and reporting on the relative risk and performance metrics of investment portfolios held by the firm’s institutional clients.

In 2012, Martyn followed his career goal to branch out of purely analytical support work to become a personal wealth adviser providing comprehensive financial planning and investment advice to individuals and trustees. He joined Jacobs Financial Limited, a firm of independent financial advisers, where he obtained the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning and specialised in strategic retirement planning, investment planning and taxation management for wealthy individuals.

In 2016, Martyn joined Fensham Howes. He works closely with the directors and other team members to provide a comprehensive investment advisory and financial planning service to the firm’s individual and institutional clients.

Martyn is an Associate of the Personal Finance Society and a Chartered Financial Planner. He also holds the Investment Management Certificate with the CFA.

Rachel has been managing the administration of all aspects of private clients’ financial affairs since 1993 when she first worked with Giles at Verdi Bowker & Bowker.

She continued this role at Baxter Fensham, and in 2006 was a key member of the startup team that established Fensham Howes.

Rachel is well known to many of our clients, having worked on their affairs for over twenty years.

Rachel manages the administration team which assists in the preparation of strategic financial plans. She is also responsible for the implementation of financial planning and investment recommendations.

Rachel holds the Certificate in Financial Planning.

After graduating with a First Class Honours degree in Theology, Nic went on to complete a Master’s and PhD, both in Religion and Social Theory. Concurrently, and after graduating, she worked as a lecturer, acting as module leader for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, until 2013, when she moved to India.  During the two years she lived there, Nic worked as voluntary teacher for a well-known local charity, Mumbai Mobile Creches.

On returning to England, Nic decided to start a new career in the financial services sector. Her analytical mind, appetite for knowledge, and excellent research and problem-solving skills, coupled with her ability to translate and convey complex, technical, information in a clear and accessible manner, are perfectly suited to paraplanning.

Nic joined Fensham Howes in January 2020. She works in all areas of the business, but her real passion lies in financial planning for our serious injury clients, understanding their specific needs and requirements, creating a plan that is flexible and adaptable to ensure that their quality of life and wellbeing is aligned with (but not subordinated to) their financial security.

She is working towards her CII Advanced Diploma and once completed aims to study for the STEP Certificate for Financial Services and the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates.

Gareth began his career in financial services in 1998 working as an administrator for Skandia, which later became Old Mutual Wealth. He then worked for a number of years in pensions administration (specialising in SIPPs and SSASs) before choosing to specialise in paraplanning.

Prior to joining Fensham Howes Gareth worked as a senior paraplanner at Manse Capital, working closely with the planners on some of the company’s most complex and high value cases. It was here that Gareth developed his specialist knowledge of the NHS Pension Scheme, helping high earning clients understand the impact of tax charges on their pension accrual.

As a career paraplanner Gareth describes his specialty as, “making complex subjects understandable and keeping the jargon within the company four walls wherever possible!” He enjoys breaking down complex problems and presenting solutions in an understandable, engaging and readable format.

Gareth is an Associate of the Personal Finance Society and Chartered Financial Planner. He is committed to furthering his studies and, in time, achieving Fellowship Status.

Lucy has 20 years of experience in accounts administration, having joined Baxter Fensham in 2001 to work with Giles and moving to Fensham Howes when the startup team was established in 2006.

Since then she has worked closely with the directors and other members of the team on a wide variety of projects and operations, in particular working closely with Rachel in the management of client affairs, and assisting with general administration and investment checking.

The individual operational details of many of our clients’ specific situations are familiar to Lucy which greatly helps the firm to provide a fully integrated service with reliable continuity.

Lucy holds the AAT (Association of Accounting Technician) Level 4 Diploma in Accounting and the ATT (Association of Taxation Technicians) Level 4 Diploma in Taxation.

After completing her A Levels, Anya joined the Financial Services industry working as an administrator, quickly obtaining the Level 3 qualification in Financial Services Administration and developing key skills in organisation, communication and project management.

In 2022 Anya joined Fensham Howes to support Rachel & Lucy in their day to day roles. Anya is committed to developing long lasting, empathetic relationships with clients and ensuring their expectations for a high quality financial planning service are consistently exceeded.

Scott competed in cycling since a young age and turned professional in 2010, primarily racing in the UK whilst continuing his education. After graduating from Leeds Metropolitan University in 2011 with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science, Scott focussed fully on professional cycling, competing all over the world. In 2014 he won a Bronze Medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and went on to compete in the Tour de France in 2017.

During his sporting career Scott began to appreciate the need for holistic financial planning in his own life and sought advice from Giles on several issues. The process of maximising financial potential and taking anxiety away from future financial decisions was fascinating and prompted Scott to consider a career in Financial Planning.

After retiring from professional cycling in 2022, Scott has joined the paraplanning department at Fensham Howes, whilst studying for his final exam to achieve the CII Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning.

After graduating in Mathematics from Newcastle University, Duncan spent eleven years working in financial management and accounting positions for Safeway Stores and Northumbrian Water.

During that time, Duncan also studied for and gained membership in the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

In 1997, he moved into the financial services sector by taking a Commercial Finance role for CPP Group plc. This led to a number of increasingly senior roles focusing on mathematically driven analytical projects to assess various aspects of the business, both financial and operational.

Duncan then moved to Lloyds Banking Group in Leeds, where he was approached by Fensham Howes in 2014 to occupy a role which includes managing day-to-day operational areas such as Compliance, IT, custody platform and fund manager relationships.

Duncan is also heavily involved in the production of detailed mathematical and analytical reports that are prepared for both prospective and existing clients.