Key Dates:

• 2005 Chairman, Legs Clothing Co Ltd.

• 2004 Appointed Director for KC3 (IT Provider).

• 2000 Appointed Director HALO (Sports Consortium).

• 1997 Appointed Director Leominster Regeneration Company.

• 1996 Appointed Director Malvern Hills Science Park.

• 1995 - 2005 Appointed as Director of Logistics and Systems, E Walters (Ludlow) Ltd.

• 1994 Appointed as Chief Executive of the Tri Service Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency.

• 1993 Appointed as Director Clothing and Textiles (DCT).

• 1992 Attended the Royal College of Defence Studies.

• 1990 Promoted to Brigadier appointed as Director Supply Management Army (DSMA). Awarded the CBE for services in the first Gulf War.

• 1989 Attended the Higher Command and Staff Course.

• 1988 Promoted to Operations Colonel at Directorate of Land Service Ammunition (DLSA).

• 1985 Commander Supply British Forces Hong Kong.

• 1983 Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel at Directorate of Land Service Ammunition (DLSA).

• 1981 Loan Service for the Sultan of Brunei. Awarded the PNB for gallantry.

• 1978 Logistic Staff Officer at South East District (SEDIST).

• 1977 Attended Army Staff Course.

• 1969 - 1977 Toured as a Junior Captain including an Ammunition Technical Officer (ATO) (Counter Terrorist Bomb Disposal).

• 1969 Transferred into the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.

• 1967 Joined the Regular Army as a Commissioned Officer in the Royal Artillery.

• 1967 Joined the Regular Army as a Commissioned Officer.

• 1965 Joined the Territorial Army as a Subaltern.

Biographical Details:

Richard Kirby was born in Staffordshire in 1945 and spent his early life living in North Wales where he attended Rhyl Grammar School. In 1965 he joined the Territorial Army serving as a Subaltern with the Flintshire and Denbighshire Yeomanry. He joined the regular Army via Mons in 1967. Commissioned into the Royal Artillery he served with 22 Light Air Defence Regiment on a SSC until late 1969 when he transferred into the Royal Army Ordnance Corp as a regular officer.

On transfer he served as admin officer and Combat Supplies Platoon Commander with 3 Divisional Air Head Ordnance Company until joining the Ammunition Technical Officer (ATO) course; following the ATO course he served in Germany as an ATO. In early 1975 he was posted to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) volunteer HQ as a training Captain.

Immediately post staff college, Richard Kirby served as DAA and Quartermaster General (QMG) at Head Quarters SEDIST and then moved to Brunei where he worked for the Sultan of Brunei as the senior Logistician and SATO for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Whilst working for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces he was awarded the Pahlawan Negara Brunei (1983) for gallantry. He left Brunei on promotion to Lieutenant Colonel for his first DLSA tour, departing for Hong Kong to take the job of Commander Supply in 1985. Richard Kirby returned to DLSA in February 1988 as the Chief of Staff. He attended the Higher Command and Staff Course in 1989.

In March 1990, on promotion to Brigadier he assumed the appointment of Director of Supply Management (Army) responsible for the procurement of the Army's repetitive spares requirements and for the equipment and supply management for a wide range of equipments and spare parts. He was awarded the CBE for the part he and his directorate played in support of the first Gulf War (1990). He attended the Royal College of Defence Course in 1992.

In December 1992, Richard Kirby assumed the appointment of Director of Clothing and Textiles reporting to QMG through the Director General Logistic Support (Army) for the OR, R&D, Procurement, Equipment, Management and QA of clothing, textiles and general stores for the three services. On April 1st 1994 he completed a plan to join the residual Single Service C&T Organisations. This was completed on the 22nd of November 1994 when the new Tri Service Defence Clothing & Textiles Agency was formed. Having created the Agency, Richard Kirby became the first Chief Executive.

In July 1995 Richard Kirby left the British Army to take the position of Logistics and System Director with E Walters (Ludlow) Ltd. Richard implemented a series of ambitious changes to outsource the manufacture and delivery of E Walters clothing business. The stucture, logistical delivery and source systems were modernised to cope with the rigours of modern retailing.

September 2005 to the present day, Richard Kirby is now the Chairman of Legs Clothing Co Ltd. Legs Clothing Co Ltd is a small retail clothing chain based in Wales and the West Midlands. Richard is also providing consultancy for a number of major Ministry of Defense (MOD) suppliers. Richard is also a non Executive Director of KC3 and HALO (Herefordshire based small businesses).