John Handford OBE

John has served with all 4 Parachute Regiment Battalions, at Depot The Parachute Regiment, as ADC to General Sir Geoffrey Howlett, as The Regimental Representative at RMAS and at Regimental Headquarters. He commanded The 4th Battalion 2000 – 2002 for which he was awarded the OBE. He served over 6 years in Northern Ireland where he was Mentioned In Despatches on 3 occasions. He served as a Staff Officer with US Forces in Iraq and as a NATO Forward Air Controller in Afghanistan. His last job in the Army was Regimental Lieutenant Colonel where he was intimately involved in commissioning The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum.

On leaving the Army in 2011 he joined investment managers Sarasin & Partners as Head of Charity Marketing. John is immersed in the charity sector engaging through seminars, training, thought leadership, websites, social media and CSR initiatives. He was a trustee of the Airborne Forces Security Fund before assuming head of the Benevolence and Welfare Committee of The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Charity. He was Honorary Colonel of The 4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment 2016 – 2021.