Howard is now partly retired after a varied career. Born in London he started professional life as a valuation surveyor and, after attending university as a mature student, retrained as a history teacher and eventually became a university fundraiser. He was development director at Lincoln College Oxford, director of the LSE Foundation and, from 1994 -2006 Fellow and development at Pembroke College Cambridge. He now advises universities on fundraising and has been a trustee of the King's James Bible Trust and a school governor.  He retains a fellowship at Pembroke College and enjoys watching cricket, books and lunches with friends. He is a member of the Reform Club and the MCC.