After five years as the President of the Victory Services Club, Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey KCB CBE will handover on 23 October 2019 to his successor, General Sir Richard Barrons KCB CBE. Sir Richard’s last military appointment, until he retired in April 2016, was as the Commander Joint Forces Command, one of the six ‘Chiefs of Staff” leading the UK Armed Forces. He was responsible for 23,000 people worldwide and a budget of £4.3Bn, delivering intelligence, Special Forces, operational command and control, surveillance, reconnaissance and information systems and communications, operational logistics, medical support, and advanced education and training across the Armed Forces.
The handover of the Presidency will take place as part of the Trustee’s meeting on 23 October 2019. This appointment of President is for five years, during which time the Victory Services Club will continue the planned modernisation programme, (including work to the Club’s infrastructure), and the work to increase awareness of the Club’s offer to serving, former serving personnel and their families.
General Sir Richard Barrons served as Commander Joint Forces Command, one of the six ‘Chiefs of Staff” leading the UK Armed Forces, until April 2016. He was responsible for 23000 people worldwide and a budget of £4.3Bn, delivering intelligence, Special Forces, operational command and control, surveillance, reconnaissance and information systems and communications, operational logistics, medical support, and advanced education and training across the Armed Forces. He read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at The Queen’s College, Oxford en route to becoming an artillery officer. His military career included the last decade of the Cold War and leadership from Captain to General on military operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan – often as part of US-led coalitions and in NATO. He was responsible for Military Strategy and Operations in the MoD as a Lieutenant General 2011-13 and President and Colonel Commandant of the Honourable Artillery Company 2013-2019. He is a Distinguished Fellow at RUSI, and a Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE IDEAS. His work today includes Managing Partner of Wychwood Partners, which provides board-level geo-strategic insight and advice in cyber risk and digital innovation, and co-Chairman of Universal Defence and Security Solutions Ltd which links ex-Services and MoD Civil Service people to policy, strategy, capability, operations and specialist work for governments and organisations. He advises and lectures regularly on defence transformation, security policy, digital risk, and senior leadership to City, academic, parliamentary, military and commercial audiences.
