Our Journey

fds was established in 1989 by founder and chairman Jo Haigh to provide corporate finance services for owner-managed and privately owned businesses nationwide.

As with all the best businesses, Jo started working from her back bedroom using an associate’s model to fulfil the quickly growing order book. As the business developed, Jo teamed up with local accountants in Yorkshire and London to better enable her to provide a national service and extend her portfolio of skills. In 1990, Jo opened her first small office in a tiny Yorkshire village just outside of Huddersfield.

The volume of work continued to grow, even in the midst of a recession, and Jo and the team worked with some of the best owner-managed and privately owned businesses in the country. The work involved supporting clients through critical strategic changes, sales, acquisitions, and fundraising.

Alongside supporting businesses through growth and development, a specialist director training division was created in 1999, and Jo began to take on numerous non-executive director and mentoring roles.

In July 2011, Poonam Kaur joined the business as a senior corporate finance executive. This was a game-changer, as it gave Jo the comfort to take the business to the next level but also challenged her to think differently and strategically, giving Jo space and confidence to concentrate on business development.

The company prides itself on its avant-garde premises, branding and ethos. fds provides a bespoke service in line with each client’s needs or requirements to achieve their objectives on their journey.

In business, not every project is the same, and fds understands the seriousness of this, but the purpose is to make your journey simple, enjoyable and fun.

By 2012, it was clear that larger premises were required to suit the high-growth business development strategy that was implemented by Poonam. The premises needed to suit the business philosophy of being ‘different from the rest’. As a result, a rundown Georgian property in the centre of Wakefield in West Yorkshire was bought and completely refurbished. This was to be the new Northern head office. At the same time, the company teamed up with a Birmingham-based accountant and wealth management business, thereby giving national coverage to support the London presence.

fds continued to grow, and by 2014, it was evident that the business was no longer just a corporate finance organisation. To support this step-change, several high-calibre graduates were employed to satisfy the required developing skill set; these included management, research, and design talent. This team of young and ambitious people have allowed the company to enhance its portfolio of services even further.

In 2020, Jo passed ownership of the business to Poonam and the existing team, as part of the company’s succession planning. Jo passed on the opportunity to exit the business via a traditional trade sale and favoured an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) as she wanted the values and DNA to remain with the business post-exit. Jo also wanted to reward the team who have helped build the business and will be the next generation of the company.

Employees now own the business through the EOT, which has a trustee board that has final control over its operation.

The company engages with businesses at every stage of their journey, often embarking on relationships that last for many years.

We know small/medium businesses are the backbone of the British economy. Whatever the political landscape, we want to provide owner-managed businesses, private companies, and not-for-profit organisations with a trusted and valuable resource that can help them succeed and support them on their business journey.