Paul Stansfield

Paul Stansfield is a chartered accountant who spent more than 30 years at Cowgills (formerly Cowgill Holloway LLP), one of the North West of England's leading independent accountancy and business-advisory firms, based in Bolton and Manchester. He served as the firm's Managing Partner for 20 years, stepping into the top job in 2000 after Peter Cowgill — later executive chairman of JD Sports — left to focus on that retailer. During Stansfield's tenure the firm grew substantially (reported at around 65% growth over a five-year period) to more than 180 staff and 14 partners across offices including Bolton, Manchester, Liverpool and Wigan, plus a wealth-management arm, with practice areas spanning accounts, audit, business recovery, deal/corporate-finance advisory and tax.

In April 2020 Stansfield announced he was stepping down as Managing Partner, handing the role to fellow partner Paul Stringer, who had led the firm's corporate finance team since 2000. In his own words: "After 30 years of working at Cowgills and 20 years as managing partner I believe the time is right to hand over the reins to somebody who will take up the role with vigour and enthusiasm." He did not leave the firm — he continued as an advisory partner to a number of key clients and heads the firm's family-business sector, drawing on more than 25 years' experience advising the North West's owner-managed and family businesses.

Beyond Cowgills, Stansfield is described as an investor and non-executive chairman across "various business ventures," reflecting a portfolio of private commercial interests rather than a formal venture fund. A long-time Bolton resident (20+ years), he joined the board of Bolton Hospice as Trustee and Treasurer in early 2024, citing a family connection to the hospice's care and a wish to "offer my commercial skills and experience to one of Bolton's finest charities."

It is worth noting that Stansfield's profile is that of a senior corporate-finance/advisory professional and private investor, not a full-time institutional venture capitalist. Founders should treat "Angel Investors / Seed Round" as a description of how he deploys personal capital and board experience, not of a managed seed fund.

• Invests and acts as a non-executive chairman/director in "various business ventures" personally, alongside his advisory work — i.e. an angel/operator-investor profile rather than a fund.
• Deep specialism in owner-managed and family businesses (he heads Cowgills' family-business sector) and in entrepreneurial, growing companies — areas where his accountancy, deal-advisory and governance experience add the most value.
• Strong North West England orientation, built on 25+ years advising the region's leading private and family-owned companies.
• Likely "say yes" signals, inferred from his career: credible founders, sound financials and clear governance, businesses where hands-on commercial/financial advisory and a non-exec chairman role can accelerate growth or a future transaction (M&A / exit).
• No publicly stated check size or formal mandate was found; treat stage ("seed") and any deal size as indicative, to be confirmed directly.