Inspiring and Supporting young people seriously injured through sport
Roy spent all his working life in the printing industry where he owned and ran a hugely successful reprographics company.
He was deputy chairman of the Leicestershire & Rutland Prince's Trust Board and associated with Leicester Tigers from 1982, serving as commercial manager, non-executive director and President, and is now a Life Member of the club.
Roy is great friends with Matt and his family, and is without doubt the driving force behind the Foundation and its work.
Adam is a life-long rugby fan and supporter of Leicester Tigers, as well as an enthusiastic player and follower of cricket and tennis. He first met Matt in 2005 and has been a keen supporter of the Foundation ever since. He was appointed to the board of trustees in 2019 and became deputy chairman in 2022.
Adam’s business career included 20 consecutive years as the Group CFO of four separate listed companies, three listed in the UK and one in the US - National Express Group plc, Informa plc, GKN plc. and IHS Holdings Limited. Following his retirement from executive life in 2022, he now holds a number of non-executive director positions.
Peter spent 20 years with retailer Allders before setting up the Furniture Village brand in 1989, since then he has overseen excellent growth and the company now boasts 36 stores nationwide. Peter’s ethos of quality products, putting the customer first and his own leadership have won the company accolades and awards and it is rightly known for its market leading position in the sector.
Peter is a self- confessed rugby nut and he is also known for supporting several charities including Sports Aid which provides funding for up-and-coming young athletes.
Tim was the first-ever Foundation business advocate and is chairman of our annual rugby dinner, which has led to increased awareness and funding for the Foundation. Having spent his career on the board of a number of city firms, Tim now works as a non-executive director helping SMEs develop, which allows him the spare time to support opportunities and growth for the Foundation.
A keen Saracens fan, Tim's love of rugby was the catalyst for his involvement with the Foundation. He says: "Having spent more time with Matt, I’m in awe of the hard work and successes of the Foundation, and I’m proud to be able to help move the charity forward".
Lianne Firth is a founding director of the Totemic Group, a financial services company where she is responsible for strategic development and employee engagement.
She is Chairman of Grantham Tennis Club, the Lawn Tennis Association Club of the Year for Disability in 2018 and National Club of the Year in 2022 as well as recipients of the Queen’s Award for Volunteering. Lianne is also a member of the management committee at Lincolnshire LTA and has represented England and Great Britain in seniors’ tennis.
She was awarded an MBE in 2016 for services to the community and charities.
Julian lives in Leicestershire and is a proprietary partner at London-based property consultants Knight Frank LLP where he heads up their healthcare team.
The company advises on around £8 billion per annum of healthcare businesses including retirement villages, care homes, hospitals and surgeries. He’s a keen sportsman and also regularly takes part in expeditions raising money for charities including the Matt Hampson Foundation.
His expeditions have included walking to the North and South Poles, running the Marathon Des Sables, cycling Land’s End to John O’Groats, scaling Everest and various other mountains such as Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro and an attempt on Aconcagua.
A Leicester Tigers fan, Julian wanted to do something to support Matt and the Foundation and has become a close friend of Matt’s and significant ally to the Foundation over the years.
Judith has been involved with the Foundation for over two decades and is a biochemist and nutritionist by trade. Judith started her career in pharmaceuticals and teaching before finding her true vocation in food and farming. She was awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to farming and the food industry.
Today Judith is deputy chair of The Environment Agency and honorary president of the British Nutrition Foundation.
Judith is a keen Harlequins and England supporter and first met Matt in 2013 after reading his biography “Engage” by Paul Kimmage and has been a keen supporter of his work ever since.
Graham Rowntree made his debut for Leicester Tigers in 1988 and shared in five Premiership titles and back-to-back European Cup wins with the club as a founder member of the famous ABC Club front row. He also appeared in four domestic Cup Finals and amassed nearly 400 first-team appearances before joining the coaching staff.
He made his England debut against Scotland in 1995 and went on to earn 54 caps and represented the Lions in three Test matches.
Graham joined the England National Academy set-up as a coach in 2007 and became an England team assistant coach a year later. He was also a coach on three Lions tours, in 2009, ’13 and ’17. After leaving his post with England in 2015, he became forwards coach at Harlequins before joining Munster in Ireland, where he was appointed head coach ahead of the 2022/23 season, ending his first campaign in charge as United Rugby Championship winners.
Graham was playing for Leicester Tigers at the time of Matt’s accident and has always been a huge advocate and supporter of Matt and the Foundation.
Martin has been in the aggregate industry for 40 years and has overseen the growth of GRS Roadstone into a national company.
Martin has been an been ardent supporter/shirt sponsor of Northampton Saints over the last 20 years and enjoys rivalry with the Tigers.
Martin first came across Matt in 2012 and involved the GRS management team in fundraising for the Foundation as the whole company was so impressed with what Matt, Tommy and Roy were trying to achieve.
Martin feels honoured to be involved with the Foundation and very proud of its achievements.
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