Although Richard grew up in the Midlands he was born and spent his first 3 months in Leeds, hence his lifelong love of Leeds United! He had an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age, demonstrated by starting work at a village shop aged 9 and selling apples from his parents garden on the street! 

After Uni, where he met his wonderful wife Clare, Richard headed into the corporate world where he spent 35 years, working mainly with retailers such as WHSmith, Halfords and Boots, leading Logistics turnaround & transformation programmes. Having come to faith at an early age Richard has also been active in serving in the Church and the charity sector for most of his adult life. 

After leaving his last corporate role at Dunelm in 2023 Richard has had some time out during which he has trained as a Personal & Business coach and founded a consultancy business. UPPOINT focuses on partnering with individuals and organisations through transitions to new seasons of growth and flourishing. Richard started the business because he has personal experience of the challenges of transitioning and is passionate about seeing individuals and organisations unlock their full potential and realise their dreams. 

Richard and Clare have 2 married children, James and Hannah, and are hoping for grandchildren in the next few years!