# Philip May
**Philip May** (born 1957, Norwich) is a [City of London](https://www.edgepedia.org/city-of-london) finance professional whose career has run from stockbroking in 1979 to client relationship management at Capital Group, and who is married to [Theresa May](https://www.edgepedia.org/theresa-may), a former [Prime Minister of the United Kingdom](https://www.edgepedia.org/prime-minister-of-the-united-kingdom). He is a relationship manager and client-facing executive rather than a portfolio manager in his later career, a distinction his employer stated explicitly in 2016.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/36774270)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Norwich, 1957; raised near Liverpool; educated at Calday Grange Grammar School and Lincoln College, Oxford (history)[2](https://web.archive.org/web/20180816015133/https:/www.businessinsider.com/who-is-philip-may-theresa-may-husband-closest-advisor-capital-group-paradise-papers-2017-11) |
| Career path | de Zoete & Bevan 1979–83; Prudential Portfolio Managers to 2000; Deutsche Asset Management to 2005; Capital Group since 2005[3](https://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/12/who-is-britains-new-first-husband.html) • [1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/36774270) |
| Latest independently confirmed role (2016) | Relationship manager at Capital Group; the firm stated in 2016 that he "is not involved with, and doesn't manage, money and is not a portfolio manager"[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/36774270) |
| Marriage | Married Theresa Brasier in September 1980, when he was 22 and she was 23; they met as Oxford students[4](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/09/philip-may-the-prime-ministers-husband-steps-out-of-the-shadows) |
| Public role | Spouse of the Prime Minister from 2016; reportedly worked four days a week at Capital Group during that period[2](https://web.archive.org/web/20180816015133/https:/www.businessinsider.com/who-is-philip-may-theresa-may-husband-closest-advisor-capital-group-paradise-papers-2017-11) |
| Scrutiny | Named in 2017 Paradise Papers coverage of Capital Group's offshore funds; Downing Street said the Mays held a blind trust and had no direct offshore investments[5](https://www.businessinsider.com/paradise-papers-theresa-may-husband-philip-may-capital-group-tax-avoidance-2017-11) • [6](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/theresa-mays-husbands-firm-avoided-11593549) |
| Since 2023 | Reported chairman of the Athenaeum Club from June 2024[7](https://www.gbnews.com/news/theresa-may-husband-natwest-chief-nigel-farage-debanking-scandal) |
## Early life and education
Philip May was born in Norwich in 1957 and grew up near Liverpool, attending Calday Grange Grammar School before reading history at [Lincoln College, Oxford](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-college-oxford).[2](https://web.archive.org/web/20180816015133/https:/www.businessinsider.com/who-is-philip-may-theresa-may-husband-closest-advisor-capital-group-paradise-papers-2017-11) The BBC profile notes he was grammar-school rather than privately educated.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/36774270) At the [Oxford Union](https://www.edgepedia.org/oxford-union) he won a debating competition for new students and was elected union president in 1979.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/09/philip-may-the-prime-ministers-husband-steps-out-of-the-shadows)
He studied history two years behind Theresa Brasier, and the couple married in September 1980, when Philip was 22 and Theresa 23.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/09/philip-may-the-prime-ministers-husband-steps-out-of-the-shadows)
## Career in finance
May's City career began at the stockbroker de Zoete & Bevan, where he worked from 1979 to 1983.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/12/philip-may-theresa-may-quiet-husband-city-experience) He then moved to Prudential Portfolio Managers, staying until 2000, where he invested money for the segregated pension funds of major companies and managed client relations.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/12/philip-may-theresa-may-quiet-husband-city-experience) His reputation as a stock picker dates to a 1998 episode when he was head of pension funds at Prudential Portfolio Managers.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/12/philip-may-theresa-may-quiet-husband-city-experience) In 2000 he was one of only three survivors from an 11-strong institutional equity team when Prudential restructured.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/12/philip-may-theresa-may-quiet-husband-city-experience)
From Prudential he moved to Deutsche Asset Management, staying until 2005, and since 2005 he has worked at Capital Group, then a $1.4 trillion fund manager, from its Mayfair office.[3](https://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/12/who-is-britains-new-first-husband.html) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-philip-may-amazon-starbucks-google-capital-group-philip-morris-a7133231.html)
**Relationship manager, not investor.** By 2016 May no longer invested money directly; the Guardian described him as a go-between who explains fund managers' decisions to clients.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/12/philip-may-theresa-may-quiet-husband-city-experience) Capital Group stated that he "is not involved with, and doesn't manage, money and is not a portfolio manager" and that his job is client satisfaction.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/36774270) A Prime Ministerial spokesperson said in 2017 that May "is not an investor but consults with other Capital associates on retirement products and solutions for clients."[2](https://web.archive.org/web/20180816015133/https:/www.businessinsider.com/who-is-philip-may-theresa-may-husband-closest-advisor-capital-group-paradise-papers-2017-11) His name appeared in Norfolk County Council pension committee reports as appearing on behalf of Capital Group as a pension manager.[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-philip-may-amazon-starbucks-google-capital-group-philip-morris-a7133231.html)
## Spouse of the Prime Minister, 2016–2019
When Theresa May became Prime Minister in 2016, Philip May reportedly reduced to four days a week at Capital Group.[2](https://web.archive.org/web/20180816015133/https:/www.businessinsider.com/who-is-philip-may-theresa-may-husband-closest-advisor-capital-group-paradise-papers-2017-11) In the run-up to the Copeland by-election in February 2017 he canvassed voters by phone from Conservative central office.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/09/philip-may-the-prime-ministers-husband-steps-out-of-the-shadows) He became constituency chairman in Wimbledon and remained a constant presence at his wife's [Maidenhead](https://www.edgepedia.org/maidenhead) constituency events, such as village fetes and fun runs.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/09/philip-may-the-prime-ministers-husband-steps-out-of-the-shadows) Apart from a stint as chairman of the Wimbledon Conservative Association, he appears to have abandoned political ambitions of his own.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/36774270)
A senior City executive told the [Financial Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/financial-times) that May was "very much a back-channel to City sentiment" and "a translator for the PM".[2](https://web.archive.org/web/20180816015133/https:/www.businessinsider.com/who-is-philip-may-theresa-may-husband-closest-advisor-capital-group-paradise-papers-2017-11) Colleagues described him as quiet and head-down, chairing meetings well and never trading off his wife's name; the Guardian placed him in a reserved "old school" of City figures rather than the brash yuppie generation of the 1980s.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/12/philip-may-theresa-may-quiet-husband-city-experience)
## Public scrutiny: Paradise Papers and finances
In November 2017 the [Paradise Papers](https://www.edgepedia.org/paradise-papers) leak prompted Labour to call on Philip May to answer questions about his role at Capital Group, which reportedly used offshore-registered funds to invest in a Bermuda-registered company via the law firm Appleby; leaked emails seen by [Private Eye](https://www.edgepedia.org/private-eye) supported that account.[5](https://www.businessinsider.com/paradise-papers-theresa-may-husband-philip-may-capital-group-tax-avoidance-2017-11) • [2](https://web.archive.org/web/20180816015133/https:/www.businessinsider.com/who-is-philip-may-theresa-may-husband-closest-advisor-capital-group-paradise-papers-2017-11) Capital Group's Cayman Islands funds CGPE V LLP and Capital International Private Equity Funds (CIPEF) V were named in the leaked material.[5](https://www.businessinsider.com/paradise-papers-theresa-may-husband-philip-may-capital-group-tax-avoidance-2017-11)
[Downing Street](https://www.edgepedia.org/downing-street) responded that neither Theresa nor Philip May had direct offshore investments, that their investments were held in a blind trust and properly declared, and a spokesperson declined to specify the trust's offshore status.[6](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/theresa-mays-husbands-firm-avoided-11593549) • [2](https://web.archive.org/web/20180816015133/https:/www.businessinsider.com/who-is-philip-may-theresa-may-husband-closest-advisor-capital-group-paradise-papers-2017-11) Separately, the Daily Record reported that Capital International Ltd, where May worked as a client relationship manager, paid no UK corporation tax for eight years despite turnover of £467 million since 2009.[6](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/theresa-mays-husbands-firm-avoided-11593549)
## Recent developments
Sir Philip May became chairman of the Athenaeum Club, a Pall Mall institution founded in 1824, in June 2024.[7](https://www.gbnews.com/news/theresa-may-husband-natwest-chief-nigel-farage-debanking-scandal) Thirty club members sent a letter opposing the admission of Dame Alison Rose, the former NatWest chief executive who left in July 2023 after the [Nigel Farage](https://www.edgepedia.org/nigel-farage) debanking controversy, and accused Sir Philip of "totally ignoring" their opposition and behaving in a "dictatorial fashion".[7](https://www.gbnews.com/news/theresa-may-husband-natwest-chief-nigel-farage-debanking-scandal)
## References
1. [Profile: Theresa May's husband Philip, BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/36774270)
2. [Who is Philip May? Theresa May's husband and closest advisor, Business Insider (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20180816015133/https:/www.businessinsider.com/who-is-philip-may-theresa-may-husband-closest-advisor-capital-group-paradise-papers-2017-11)
3. [Who is Britain's new 'first husband'?, CNBC (12 July 2016)](https://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/12/who-is-britains-new-first-husband.html)
4. [Philip May: the prime minister's husband steps out of the shadows, The Guardian (9 May 2017)](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/09/philip-may-the-prime-ministers-husband-steps-out-of-the-shadows)
5. [Paradise Papers: Theresa May's Husband Has 'Serious Questions to Answer', Business Insider (November 2017)](https://www.businessinsider.com/paradise-papers-theresa-may-husband-philip-may-capital-group-tax-avoidance-2017-11)
6. [Firm where Theresa May's husband works didn't pay corporation tax for EIGHT years despite £500million turnover, Daily Record](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/theresa-mays-husbands-firm-avoided-11593549)
7. [Theresa May's husband sparks outrage over club admission of NatWest chief behind Nigel Farage debanking scandal, GB News](https://www.gbnews.com/news/theresa-may-husband-natwest-chief-nigel-farage-debanking-scandal)
8. [Philip May: the reserved City fixture and husband happy to take a back seat, The Guardian (12 July 2016)](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/12/philip-may-theresa-may-quiet-husband-city-experience)
9. [Theresa May's husband is a senior executive at a $1.4tn investment fund that profits from tax avoiding companies, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-philip-may-amazon-starbucks-google-capital-group-philip-morris-a7133231.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Economics and business › Finance › People in finance › Investors and fund managers › Hedge fund and public-market investors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 10, 2026 · Edited: Oct 10, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 10, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license