He did not attend university, but started his career as a messenger for a stockbroking firm, working his way up to being one of the youngest members of the London Stock Exchange.
[3] Described as "colourful" by The Sunday Times,[4] Townsley was involved in the so-called "cash for peerages" scandal in March 2006, in which it was revealed that he had lent £1m to the Labour Party[5] at the solicitation of Lord Levy, and contributed £1.5m to a City Academy in Hillingdon.
[6] Townsley has devoted a great deal of time to helping charities in areas of personal interest – education, health and art.
The fund raised money for research projects into the treatment of factors that influence infertility, miscarriage and late pregnancy complications.
He is a patron, and formerly a trustee, of Trinity Hospice, which provides end of life care to people and support for families in central and south-west London.
Between 2010 and mid 2016, he served as a director of the William J Clinton Foundation Insamlingsstiftelse, a Swedish-based organisation that has worked to build hospitals in Africa and to provide anti-AIDS drugs to hard-hit regions.
Stockley Academy specialises in science and technology, providing comprehensive education to over a thousand students between the ages of 11 and 18, 24% of whom do not have English as a first language and almost 39% of whom are eligible for free school meals.
The works depict a suite of rainbow-hued images of the artist's gaunt face and were acquired in 1986 from the Anthony d'Offay Gallery, London at Warhol's acclaimed Self-Portrait exhibition.
[7] Since January 2005, he has been chairman and founding partner of Hobart Capital Markets LLP, and also a director of Caprice Holdings Ltd. Townsley has served as a trustee or board member for a large number of health and art charities, including the Child Bereavement Trust, National Gallery East Wing Development Project, Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign, Royal National Institute for the Blind, Serpentine Gallery, St Mary's Hospital Save the Baby Fund, Trinity Hospice, Weizmann Institute Foundation and Alzheimers Research.