Meet the Team

Matthew started his career in financial services at the age of 25 when he joined Britannic Assurance as a home service agent.

After a period of time he decided to become an Independent Financial Adviser and joined Accountancy Financial Services.

Working for them as an Independent Adviser he witnessed many changes in the financial services industry and gained the knowledge and experience to be able to give clients sound investment advice on all pension, protection and investment matters

In early 2000 Accountancy Financial Services were bought by Cotswold Financial Services, Matthew continued until early 2001 when he was then given the opportunity along with his business partner, Stuart Startup to buy into Cotswolds. After 5 years together, along with a determined and committed team Cotswold Independent Financial Services is a prosperous and thriving business focusing on client’s individual needs and offering an ongoing service that can assure clients that they will be always guided through the stormy waters that is financial planning.

When Matthew is away from the office he enjoy’s spending time with his wife and two children, watching rugby, playing golf and tinkering with his Vespa T5 Scooter.

In April 2023 Matthew made the decision to Retire.  This wasn’t an easy decision and after suffering some serious health issues he felt it was the right choice and the right time.

Matthew is now enjoying travelling and spending time with his family and friends.

Stuart is a Director and Co-Owner of CIFS and specialises in Retirement Planning. He advises on Estate Planning and looks after many clients Inheritance Tax needs.

Stuart also helps many clients of CIFS with their Wills to ensure that their wishes after death will actually be met. In addition he deals with the Office of Public Guardian on behalf of clients to ensure that Power of Attorneys are completed and processed correctly.

Stuart also heads up the compliance function within the business to ensure all CIFS advisers adhere to strict codes of conduct. With over 20 years’ experience since joining the industry in 1999, Stuart is a Chartered Financial Planner.

Outside of work, Stuart spends time with his family including holidays in the sun and watching and playing as many sports as possible. Stuart is a keen golfer and enjoys playing with his 2 grown up sons. Coming from New Zealand, he is a keen follower of the All Blacks.

Steve has over twenty-five years experience working in financial planning, advising mostly corporate clients such as HSBC and Barclays, as well as smaller businesses.

Much of Steve’s work has centred around employer pension schemes and he has been heavily involved in helping employers in the challenging arena of auto enrolment pensions currently being thrust upon them. A completely comprehensive, user-friendly solution has been created and run by Steve, who has been successfully setting up schemes for national companies with up to 1 000 employees, as well as for small local businesses.

When not busy taking care of clients, Steve enjoys motor sports, fixing cars and travelling around the country to see his favourite rock bands.

Robert is a Chartered adviser with over 10 years’ experience as an Adviser. Over his career, he has advised clients in various backgrounds including employees of Santander, Legal & General and AXA .

He has advised on a broad range of areas both on a personal and corporate level. He enjoys meeting clients and understanding their personal situation and then developing a plan to help them achieve their objectives.

He is married with two little boys that keep him busy. In his spare time he is a keen runner and a member of his local running club. Robert enjoys watching football and most sports.

Saime is a Diploma Qualified Financial Adviser and has worked in the financial world since 2002. She started her career in retail banking and successfully held advisory roles in Investment, Protection, Pension, Inheritance Tax Planning, Tax Planning and Mortgages.

Since 2013 Saime has worked as an Independent Financial Adviser. Prior to working in financial services Saime had experience in recruitment, direct sales, translation and teaching.

Saime has a flexible approach to her work; going that extra mile to meet her client’s needs and always trying to do the best for them. She is appreciated by both her clients and the organisations she worked in. Her strong ethical values are at the core of her work and personal life. Believing that trust is at the centre of the relationship between her and her clients, she has a straightforward approach which enables her to build and sustain long term relationships with the clients. Saime’s client bank has been built up purely based on recommendations from her clients to their friends and family members.

Paul has been in the Financial Service Profession since August 1988 and is diploma qualified.

As a financial planner Paul understands that every individual client and business is unique so he prides himself on taking time to understand their goals and objectives. Based on this principle he can build strong, trusting and lasting relationships with his clients.

Your financial circumstances are unique so to ensure his advice is truly valuable it must be based on a comprehensive and detailed overview of your financial circumstances and how these fit with your goals and aspirations. Once he has a clear understanding he helps his clients formulate and maintain a clear financial plan and strategy to make the most of their hard earned money and give them financial peace of mind.

Outside of work Paul’s family take up the majority of his spare time but when given the chance Paul enjoys keeping fit, most sports and socialising with friends and family.

Michelle supports the compliance team to ensure the business adheres to all the regulatory requirements.

In addition to the compliance duties, Michelle also helps with the drafting of clients Wills and Power of Attorney documents. As a former Registration Executive at the Land Registry Michelle has an excellent knowledge of the housing market and deals with mortgage and protection enquiries.

Outside of work, Michelle enjoys spending time with family, holidays, reading, gardening and socialising with friends.

Samantha has worked at Cotswold since November 1999, starting as an office junior, and is now PA to the Directors.

Samantha is a key member of staff, who manages the office, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. She also processes all new business and provides our Directors and Advisers with daily organisation and administration support.

Samantha has a well-established relationship with our clients and is able to assist any client with their queries alongside our financial advisers.

She has two daughters, which are her pride and joy. Her hobbies include reading, as well as various team and individual sports. She is also interested in fashion and interior design.

​Amy started at Cotswolds in March 2014 as an Apprentice completing her NVQ in Administration.

She is now a full-time administrator, supporting the advisers, maintaining client files and the company database. In her time with Cotswolds Amy has gained a vast knowledge of the financial services industry.  She takes pride in providing a professional and organised service to our clients and is always happy to help with any queries.

Amy enjoys most sports, keeping fit and travelling!  She also enjoys spending time at home with her family and her daughter.

Paul is a CeMap qualified Mortgage and Protection adviser who has been working in the financial industry for nearly 20 years. He has been advising clients on their mortgage needs for the last 14 years for various employers, including Nat West, Santander and Lloyds bank.

He has advised clients on their various mortgage needs as well as protecting themselves and their families with life, critical illness and home insurance. He enjoys meeting clients, getting them on the property ladder and helping them along the way in the biggest financial commitment they will ever make.

He can also help with the later life lending and Equity Release should the need arise.

Away from work Paul is married, and the proud father of 2 children, they take up most of his free time. He likes to keep fit, playing football and cricket when he gets time.

Dan has been in the Financial Services industry for over ten years in various roles, most recently joining us from Vitality where he was the Business Development Manager.

Dan is now enjoying his role at Cotswolds as an Independent Financial Adviser and specialises in Retirement Planning, Investment Planning, Protection and Health Insurance.

Outside of work Dan enjoys spending time with wife and son, as well as playing golf for his local club.

Lynne joined Cotswold in 2022 as our Receptionist/Administrator and brings a wealth of administration and customer service experience with her.  Lynne is a valued member of the team and provides clients with a warm welcome both over the telephone and when visiting the office.

Lynne enjoys listening to music, cooking, socialising and spending time with her family, especially her Grandson.

Naomi has been working in the Financial Services profession since January 2012. She is Diploma qualified in the industry and is also working towards Chartered status.

Outside of work Naomi’s little girl takes up the majority of her spare time and she enjoys spending time as a family. Naomi enjoys socialising with friends and her wider family, eating out, and keeping fit at the gym or playing Netball.

Jack has worked in the Logistics industry for 7 years, which has involved working in various accounts roles under Maritime and also co-owning a small logistics business.

Jack has now taken a different direction with his career and has taken up a role within Cotswolds to complete qualifications to become an Independent Financial Adviser.  He is working closely with the advisers and para-planners and is building relationships with our clients to be a point of contact for any queries.

Outside of work, Jack likes to spend time with his girlfriend at home and enjoying evening walks.  He is a keen golfer being a member of his local golf club which is where he spends lots of his free time.

Kerry’s previous role was working at Santander for 21 years where she had various roles in the branch.  These ranged from Personal Banking to being a Mortgage and Protection Advisor.

Kerry has vast experience and knowledge assisting with day-to-day transactions, queries and servicing.  Kerry is used to dealing with a diverse range of clients providing exceptional service, building meaningful relationships, listening to and anticipating client’s financial needs, finding solutions and presenting options across a range of products and services to help look after their day to day and long-term needs.

Away from the office Kerry lives with her fiancé, teenage daughter and dog, Reggie. Her weekends are busy spending time with family and friends and lots of dog walks. She also enjoys going to the gym and travelling.

Dan is a chartered fellow of The PFS, has an MSc., and has completed his Viva for PhD however, needs to rewrite his thesis a bit to finish it off. He has been in the industry since 2008, becoming an adviser in 2012. He has worked as an in-house IFA in law and accountancy firms.

Dan is generally a friendly and approachable adviser and practises behavioural financial planning, which focusses on client well-being and as such he is used to working with all different types of fellow professional to ensure that all his client’s needs are met.

His experience and expertise extends beyond traditional financial planning and he can assist with various tax and inheritance planning strategies, he particularly enjoys dealing with those in the food and farming industries.

He takes the FT, Farmer’s Weekly, and Private Eye.

He is married and has a couple of kids, competes in Strongman, loves his rugby, and runs a YouTube channel talking about Warhammer.