About the presenters

Jody Downes is a business development director based in the London Mayfair office. He joined Mattioli Woods at the start of 2015 after a successful career in investment banking. Jody has been involved with Mattioli Woods from the outside since 2005, having been a key part of the Williams de Broe IPO advisory team. Several of the shareholders he introduced remain shareholders today.

Jody’s background is in equity capital markets, having helped fund numerous public listed and private companies, and he brings an extensive industry knowledge as well as a network of directors, corporates, private equity, and venture capital.

Outside of work, Jody is a keen sportsman playing hockey regularly for Spencer HC, and has coached rugby at Rosslyn Park FC and cricket at Spencer CC. When not on a sports field, Jody spends as much time as possible with his wife and three teenage sons- often near water in Norfolk and Cornwall, and sometimes attempting to surf!

Adrian Firth joined Mattioli Woods in 2015 as an Employee Benefits Consultant. Prior to joining Mattioli Woods, Adrian held various positions in the financial services industry managing corporate clients on behalf of HBOS (Lloyds Banking Group), Santander, and Yorkshire Building Society.

Adrian has also spent a significant part of his career with the industry regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority. While at the FCA, he helped to develop and deliver the regulator’s objectives for financial education (which later became the Money Advice Service) and was actively involved in the Retail Distribution Review.

Adrian lives in Huddersfield with his wife and three children, and when not working, is an active Yorkshire Masters swimmer.