Paul Thorogood MBE has joined Berks & Bucks FA as Chair of the Board of Directors.

Paul is an experienced senior leader with a wealth of experience, initially in the Royal Air Force, which included active service in the Falkland Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan.  He rose to the rank of group captain before making a mid-career change in 2006 to accept the role of CEO of the Football Foundation.

After 14 years, Paul retired for a second time in 2020 to develop a portfolio of non-executive roles that allows him to employ the experience he has gained over more than four decades to aid the development of a number of organisations, particularly in the sports, charitable, procurement and regulatory sectors.  Paul is no stranger to being a County FA Chair, as he was Chair of the RAF FA for the final three years of his Service career.

Until recently, Paul was the Chair of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, a global professional membership, vocational training and awarding organisation for procurement and supply professionals around the world and spent six years as a lay (independent) member of the House of Commons Standards Committee, the latter few years of which have been tumultuous and historic for parliamentary standards.

Paul is now a Non-executive Director on the House of Commons & Lords Investment Committee, responsible for oversight of the £1.3 billion Parliament-wide investment portfolio and is a Non-executive Director on the Board of Pitchbooking, the market-leading scheduling and payment solution for sports facilities.  Paul is Chair of the Welsh Boxing Association and a Director on the Board of Great Britain Boxing. He is the independent member on the Harrow School Complaints and Appeals Committee and maintains his link with RAF Sport as independent Chair of the RAF Sports Federation, responsible for funding and regulating 54 individual RAF sports.

Paul has an MA from Kings College, London, a post-graduate diploma in Engineering Business Management from the University of Warwick, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Procurement and Supply and was awarded an MBE in 2021 for services to football. 

On his appointment to the Board, Paul, said: “Those who know me know that I am hugely passionate about developing the grassroots game and also how it can support individuals and communities, especially those who need it most. I look forward to working with the Board of the Berks & Bucks FA and the CEO and her excellent executive team in helping to shape the future of the organisation and grassroots football across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & South Oxfordshire.”  

On behalf of Berks & Bucks FA we would like to welcome Paul to the team as we embark on an exciting new era for the organisation and our members.

To find out more about the Board and our Staff, please click here.