About Us
AT DE LUCA WEST WE RECOGNISE THAT EVERY CLIENT HAS INDIVIDUAL NEEDS AND THAT THESE NEEDS CHANGE OVER TIME. IT IS OUR JOB TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS AND FIND YOU THE BEST RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENTS.
Making sense of the financial world can be a daunting task and we understand how important it is to work with a company you can trust. We will never try to sell you anything you don’t need and all of our advice is explained in plain English.
Our business is based on honesty, reliability and an excellent service. We have many loyal and satisfied clients and pride ourselves on providing them with an ongoing service year after year.
Francesca De Luca
Managing Director and Financial Planner
Francesca has worked in the Financial Services industry for over
22 years, having become the Managing Director of the business in
2007 and qualifying as a Chartered Financial Planner in 2009.
A Fellow of the PFS and specialises in tax and trust planning
as well as retirement and investment advice for new and
existing clients. She prides herself on the long-standing client
relationships she has built and the holistic and long term
generational financial planning she has provided over the years.
She lives in Huddersfield with her husband and has a busy family
life with four daughters, one working, one at University and two
seven year old twins! With so much going on there isn’t a huge
amount of free time but she loves spending time socialising with
family and friends, going on holiday and enjoying good food and
wine.
Susan West
Director & Financial Planner
Sue joined in April 2010 from the financial planning arm of a local
accountancy firm. Having been in the industry since 1987 she has
seen many changes to financial planning but the most rewarding
part of her job remains in dealing with people and finding a
solution to their financial concerns. She has many longstanding
clients, some of whom she has looked after personally for over 20
years.
She specialises in giving advice on pensions which remains topical
through continuous legislation changes and she holds the STEP
(Society for Trust and Estate Practitioners) certificate for financial
services, working with local professional connections to provide
advice to the elderly and their families around the issues of long
term care, trusts and inheritance tax planning.
She is a Fellow of the PFS and a Chartered Financial Planner with
a range of qualifications which allows her to be a true holistic
financial planner to new and existing clients and their families.
She lives in Pudsey with her husband. Her children have almost
flown the nest but she is still kept busy with family and friends.
In her spare time she enjoys walking with the dog, swimming and
dancing, and has recently developed a passion for learning the
Spanish language, which has led to holidays abroad focused on
Spain and South America.
Gail Longhorn
Office Manager
Gail joined us in 2021. She has over 35 years experience in the
financial services sector working for both providers and financial
advisers and holds the CII certificate in life and pensions
administration.
Gail has the critical role of making sure the office runs smoothly,
so works with all members of the team. She is the primary contact
for providers and is responsible for the submission and ongoing
processing of new cases, and making sure that all processes run
correctly.
On a personal level, she lives with her husband in Birstall and
really enjoys her holidays abroad, often travelling to far flung
destinations.
Carolyn Beaumont
Administrator
Carolyn joined us in 2016 in a career change from her previous role as an administrator in a GP surgery.
She is a valued member of the team and is often the first point of contact for clients. She deals with various jobs that crop up on a daily basis, dealing with general enquiries, and producing valuation reports for existing clients.
Carolyn lives locally with her husband and enjoys going to her caravan most weekends and spending time with her family.
Nick Saville
Paraplanner
Nick joined De Luca West as a Paraplanner in 2022.
A University of Huddersfield alumnus, he has worked in the
Finance industry for the last 9 years in a variety of Financial
Services roles, finding his niche as a Paraplanner.
This role involves working closely with Francesca & Sue in
identifying the options available to clients and helping to create
the formal written reports. In addition to his BA (Hons) in Business
and Financial Services, he is working towards his qualifications in
Financial Planning.
He lives locally and enjoys spending his spare time with his
friends & family, going to the gym and has recently developed an
obsession with golf.
Alex Broomfield
Paraplanner
Alex started working for De Luca West 5 years ago as an apprentice, supporting the administration team with the day to day running of the business. After accomplishing his level 3 apprenticeship in Financial Services, Alex also began helping the Paraplanning team that works alongside both Francesca and Sue. In December 2021, Alex Passed the Level 4 CII Paraplanning qualification. Alex’s work generally involves writing suitability reports, cashflow reports and providing technical support for pre and post-client meetings.
Alex is looking to continue his progression in the Financial Service
industry and will continue to work towards the level 4 diploma in
Financial Planning.
Outside work, Alex enjoys spending time with family and friends
and will be looking to travel more abroad to hot weather
destinations with his partner.