Henry Shires

Spear’s Review

Providing his clients with ‘peace of mind’ when it comes to their financial lives drives the practice of Rathbones senior investment director Henry Shires. The affable Leeds-based manager takes a holistic approach to wealth management, and he has developed a specialism in working with entrepreneurs on their journey towards a full or partial exit.

He’s a big believer in teamwork: ‘All too often, the planning of the deployment of their soon-to-be-realised wealth is a last-minute thought, which can be very costly,’ he said. ‘I like to involve other professionals – such as corporate and tax planning specialists – as early as possible in the process to maximise my client’s position on the day the cash arrives.’

Adviser Profile

With his entire career in wealth management, Henry Shires has built a significant practice based on the entrepreneurial DNA in his multi-generational family background. 

Many of his clients are entrepreneurs-founded or next-generation business owners, with whom he has a natural empathy in terms of priorities, responsibilities and pride in what they have created. He is hugely sensitive to the emotional issues of retirement, succession planning and/or partial exit and is a great advocate in planning such processes long in advance – for tax as well as many human reasons. 

‘Owner-managed businesses have different values at their core to corporates,’ he says. ‘Not just the emotional shareholder attachment to what has been created, but also loyalty to longstanding employees, customers and suppliers.’ 

Henry’s great-great-great-grandfather, James Shires, started in the Yorkshire textile trade in 1864 – passing on the drive to build and sustain a substantial business over five generations. Seeing first-hand the issues surrounding family exit, Henry decided to devote his career to advising shareholders ‘what next ?’... in terms of how to invest the spoils of their labours with a blend of both appropriate risk and wise caution. ‘After 20, or even 150 years, from founding, you need to think of the next generations.’ 

After training with two blue-chip IFAs, Henry joined BWD Rensburg in 1997, which became Investec and is now Rathbones incorporating Investec Wealth & Investment (UK). He is qualified as both a Chartered Wealth Manager and Chartered Financial Planner and works in partnership with hand-picked external advisors to ensure clients receive holistic solutions. 

Exiting a business, often in tandem with running it, is a time when you need an independent pair of eyes to help you carefully navigate choppy waters and land safely in port. ‘I’ve done it so many times that there is nothing I haven't seen before.’