Giles brings valuable expertise to Historic Buildings & Places from his career in the financial sector. Working for the Bank of England from 1986 to 1998, he joined KPMG in 1998, working on financial services regulation; he became a Partner in 2009 and retired in 2023. Alongside his financial experience, Giles studied History of Art at both undergraduate and post-graduate level, and has actively continued his interests in the fine and decorative arts and architectural history. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He joined the Board of the British Library in 2023 and is a member of its Audit Committee.