Jonathan Halsey was born in London in 1960, he was educated at Saint Paul's Cathedral School, Winchester College and the University of York from which he graduated with a B.A. (Hons) in English Literature in 1981.

He emigrated to the USA in 1982 and enrolled in the College of Commerce and Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, achieving a Master's Degree in Accounting Science in 1984. He worked as an auditor with Arthur Young & Co. (now Ernst & Young) in Chicago and the Cayman Islands before returning to the UK in 1988. He has worked in compliance since 1989, with a number of leading investment and financial companies including Henderson Investors, EFG Private Bank, Old Mutual Asset Managers and ODL Securities.

As well as being an Affiliate of The Securities and Investment Institute Jonathan is a CPA and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.