Passionate Entrepreneurs

John Ferguson & Charles Goldsmith

John has 30 years plus of being embedded in the finance community of London, Dublin, The UAE, and further afield. Originally from London, John was an accomplished amateur sportsman in his younger days, particularly football and cricket. He began his professional career with Pearl Assurance based in London. Leaving Pearl in 1995, John spent the next decade with several high profile London based private brokerages - responsible for compliance, risk management, business development, and product design & implementation. In 2006 John emigrated to live in Prague, Czech Republic, at the same time establishing his first business in the structured debt and asset finance space. In 2008 John met Charles Goldsmith and together they established what is now Lillywhite International and grew the business group to encompass many aspects of Corporate Finance and Capital Markets. John is a former member of the Compliance Institute, Securities & Investment Institute, and is a member of the London Institute of Directors. John has extensive knowledge and experience of Capital Markets, Structured Finance, and Corporate Finance Solutions, and is a respected member of the London finance community.  John's & Charlie's shared love of sport led them to establish, The Lillywhite Foundation, a UK registered charity aimed at supporting projects that help children and young people living in difficult financial or social circumstances participate in sport. In June 2026, after an heroic 6 year battle with cancer, Charlie sadly passed away.  Charlie was a well known figure in the London business community, known for his strong work ethic and widely liked by all. His business DNA and ethics remain embedded in every part of the Lillywhite group.

Business Development director

David Howells

David enjoyed a distinguished career as an English Premier League footballer, playing 335 games during his 12 years with Tottenham Hotspur where he won the 1991 FA Cup. After Leaving Spurs in 1998, David spent time at Southampton FC before injury forced his retirement in 2000. David's post football career has seen him establish and run a number of successful businesses, as well as using his, considerable, organisational, leadership, and sports skills in the private education sector with spells as Director of Football at Charterhouse School, and more recently as a senior member of staff at Farnham Heath End school. David remains an Ambassador at Tottenham Hotspur and as well as match day duties he has worked with the Global Coaching and Partnerships teams working with club partners such as AIA, Jaguar Land Rover, Kumho Tyres, and Nike. David joined Lillywhite International in 2026. His extensive network of contacts and relationships across many business sectors, along with his expertise, organisational and structural skills, and professionalism makes him well placed to work alongside John Ferguson in developing new business opportunities and cementing relationships with new and existing clients. David will also bring his immense experience and knowledge of sports and working with young people to The Lillywhite Foundation.