He's sent navy jets soaring into the sky from the deck of aircraft carriers and helped haul a field gun across the arena at Earl’s Court during the world-famous Royal Tournament.
Now former Royal Navy marine engineer James Glasheen is helping clients navigate choppy financial waters as an adviser at Huddersfield-based chartered accountancy firm Sheards.
James, 54, joined the firm’s wealth management arm last year after a 26-year career in financial services which saw him work for a number of national accountancy firms, high street banks and independent financial advice practices..
But he’s happy to be in Huddersfield, where he has lived for the past 10 years, and relishes working at one of the town’s best-known firms.
“The problem with working for a national company is that it all becomes a bit impersonal,” says James, who lives at Fenay Bridge with partner Jennifer. “Decisions are made solely on a ‘business’ basis rather than a ‘client’ basis.
“I wanted to get back into the local community – and this is the community in which I want to live and work. I prefer working for a smaller organisation because you can offer a more bespoke service.”
Sheards has been established since 1903, but developed its wealth management arm in 2007 in response to clients’ requests. “It provides an extra level of service,” says James. “It means there’s joined-up thinking between the accountancy business and financial advice.”
James hails from Rugby, Warwickshire. His father moved to England from Tipperary in the 1940s. James moved to Yorkshire in 1989 after a career many would envy.
Says James: “At school, it was always my intention to join the navy – which is what I did after getting my O-levels. I’m a product of the grammar school system and I remain a strong advocate of it!
“It’s a big world out there and joining the navy gave me the opportunity to travel. It was too good an opportunity to miss. One year I was sitting my O-levels, the next I was with the navy attending the bicentennial of American independence in Florida.
“My first job was on the aircraft carrier Ark Royal as a marine engineer and I appeared on the BBC documentary, Sailing. While others my age were slogging away at university I was sending Phantoms and Buccaneers off the flight deck. It was thrilling.”
James, who later served on the aircraft carrier Hermes, also took part in the gruelling Royal Navy field gun competition at the Royal Tournament – where two teams had to man-haul a field gun and its equipment over and through a series of obstacles in the shortest time.
“It was physically challenging, but also involved being very precise,” says James.
After leaving the navy in 1981, James went back-packing “to see a bit more of the world from a different perspective” before a move into financial services. “I was recruited because I was good with people – and financial services is a people industry,” says James. It’s also a subject which should concern everyone, he adds.
“Wealth management is how we’re named, but financial services is what we do. Financial planning is not about wealth, it is about helping people whatever their financial situation.”
One of his biggest concerns is ‘protection’. Says James: “As a national, we are under-insured. People have no qualms about insuring their iPhone or iPad, but they are strangely reluctant to protect their income and ensure they can maintain their families’ standards of living. In this industry, I see the consequences all too often.”
In a world where the only certainties are death and taxes, people should take financial planning seriously, says James.
“Financial planning is not about products, it’s about sitting down with clients and finding out their objectives and finding a way to meet them. Retirement for one person means being able to afford a loaf of bread to feed the ducks in the park. To another, it’s being able to afford a 60ft yacht. No two days are the same and no two clients are the same.”
Another major issue facing all firms is auto enrolment – which at its simplest means that every employer in the country must enrol their employees into a pension scheme.
“We are working with a lot of clients to explain auto enrolment,” says James. “A lot of companies are find it challenging and we are helping them to fill in the gaps and manage the process.
“Auto enrolment presents an additional cost to businesses at a time when the economy remains fragile. It is another administrative burden and for the smaller companies, it is not something that’s particularly welcome at this stage in the economic cycle.”
It is still too early to say for definite that the economy is improving, according to James. “The FTSE 100 finished the year at an all-time high and the pound is strong against other currencies, but the economy is still in a fragile state,” he says.
James shares his views on current issues with other business people at a number of networking events, including 4Huddersfield, the HD8 Network, the Huddersfield Town Enterprise Academy and the Yorkshire Mafia. “Networking can be good simply for the social aspect,” he says. “But you have to know what your objective is.”
James has one clear objective in mind this year – and while it involves numbers and targets, it’s nothing to do with finance.
“I ran the New York Marathon to mark by 50th birthday,” he says. “I decided I wanted to do another one, so I’m taking part in the Yorkshire Marathon this year. New York is the biggest marathon in the world. It goes through all the boroughs and Central Park and the support from the people in the streets is intense. It’s a huge occasion.
“I completed it in three hours, 30 minutes and 16 seconds. I will put a training programme together in the summer for the Yorkshire Marathon and if I manage sub-three hours and 30 minutes I’ll be very happy!”
Role: Independent financial adviser
Age: 54
Family: Partner Jennifer
Holidays: We like New York and Tenerife
Car: Renault Megane Coupé
First job: I had a paper round. While I was waiting to join the navy I was a trainee manager at a Price Right store
Best thing about job: The people
Worst thing about job: The constant unnecessary tinkering by governments who don’t consult the industry
Business tip: Be true to your client – your most valuable asset
Work: Independent financial advice
Site: New North Road, Huddersfield
Phone: 01484 448019
Email: james@sheards.co.uk
