Robert Ward

With over 30 years experience of the Financial Services Industry Robert Ward was born in 1954 in Cheltenham.

He was Educated at Cheltenham Grammar School and spent his early working life in a Solicitors office as a Junior Clerk whilst attempting to obtain a contract to play professional Cricket.

Shortly afterwards he joined a semi National Firm of Auctioneers where he first came into contact with the Financial Services Industry doing mortgages and the attendant insurance work for Purchasers of property. He created and ran for this firm one of the first specialist Mortgage and Insurance departments of a firm of Estate Agent Auctioneers in the UK. Following the death of the Principal of this firm in 1981 he left to join the Financial Services Industry full time.

In 1984 he founded his own firm of Robert Ward & Co that he ran until its purchase by a public Company in 2003. Most notably Robert was one of the earliest members of NASDIM specialising in Unit Trusts. He created and ran successfully one of the first Unit Trust Management Services for Private Clients.

Following the acquisition of his firm by the Public Company he joined the Board as Director responsible for acquisitions within the Financial Services Division, Robert resigned from the board in January 2005.

Robert holds a number of non-executive posts most notably that of Non-Executive Chairman of Zeiss Optical Centres & Non Exec Director Treasurer of Third Sector Services which is a charity delivering the Community Transport and Volunteer Car Services to Cheltenham Gloucester & Tewkesbury together with Volunteering Services for large sections of the county.

Robert is still an active Cricketer playing regularly and managing Gloucestershires 50 plus County Championship team. He is also a past Chairman of the Lords Taverners Western Region.