Meet your Ayres Punchard team
Get to know the people advising you & delivering positive impact with your finances
Small team,
Big peace of mind
Chris Welsford
(He/Him)
Founder & Managing Director
Investment Manager & Financial Planner
BSc Hons, Chartered MSCI
Adviser
Max Leslie
(He/Him)
Financial Planner & Specialist Property Finance
MA Hons, MSc, ACSI, MLIBF, CeMAP Diploma, CeRER, CPSP
Adviser
Wendy Welsford
(She/Her)
Founder & Office Manager
BSc Hons, Chartered MSCI
Admin
Ell Welsford
(She/They)
Responsible Investment Research Analyst
BA Hons
Admin
Thea Welsford
(-/-)
Design & Marketing Consultant
BA Hons
Admin

Chartered MCSI
Independent Financial Advisor (IFA)
Chris is a Chartered Member of The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI)

XXX
XXX

XXX
XXX

Meet
Max Leslie
(He/Him)
Max joined Ayres Punchard after a MSc in Economics.
As an advisor, he is committed to helping clients from all backgrounds with their financial planning & mortgage needs.
Max particularly enjoys helping first-time buyers purchase their first home.

ACSI, MLIBF, CeMAP Diploma, CeRER, CPSP
Independent Financial Advisor (IFA)
Max is an Associate Member of The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI)

Certified Mortgage Adviser
Max holds the Certificate in Mortgage Advice & Practice Diploma (CeMAP Diploma) with The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF)

Specialist Property Finance Expert
Max achieved both Certified Practitioner in Specialist Property Finance (CPSP) status & the Certificate in Regulated Equity Release (CeRER) with The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF)

Wendy Welsford (She/Her)
(She/Her)
Founder & Office Manager
Wendy is a graduate of London’s Southbank Polytechnic (1986) with a BSc Hons in the Social Sciences.
She spent most of her working life in the Library Service and was a school librarian until 2009, when she decided to join Chris in the business as his personal assistant and office manager.
Wendy is responsible for the smooth running of the Ayres Punchard back-office administration systems. She works closely with the company accountant, monitoring costs and budgets.
She is also the driving force behind the company’s recycling and environmental policies, which have resulted in 100% of our office waste being either recycled or composted.
She also managed the sourcing and installation of our photovoltaic solar electric generating system, which means that almost 100% of our office electricity is generated by renewable energy.

Ell Welsford
(She/They)
Responsible Investment Research Analyst
Ell is a graduate of University College London (2021) with a first-class BA Hons in History.
Ell designed and runs the Key to the Future research project that we use to help us engage with our selected fund managers. Their work helps us to evaluate the impact of our portfolios through an analysis of the underlying holdings.
In 2023, Ell managed the company’s successful bid to become a B Corp.
They have written a number of thought papers on issues associated with sustainable investment.

Thea Welsford
(-/-)
Design & Marketing Consultant
Thea is a graduate of the University of the Arts London, Camberwell (2013), with a 2:1 BA Hons in Graphic Design.
She was responsible for the modern development of the company logo and branding, including the graphics for this website. Thea built on the original designs of iconic graphic designer John Williams, who designed the company’s brand image in 1995, having previously designed campaigns for major brands such as M&S and Boots.
Thea provides her services to Ayres Punchard on an ad hoc basis. She runs a freelance graphic design business, AdaMay.
Thea is also a founding member of The Ventnor Fringe Festival and remains involved with this amazing organisation. In July 2023, one of her other clients, Beau’s Gelato, paid her a great tribute when they interviewed her for their website.



