Richard Vaughan is a sports management powerhouse with an impressive track record of over fifteen years as a multi-CEO across sport and digital industries. However, his accomplishments as a professional athlete are just as remarkable. As a Double Olympic Badminton Player, former Badminton World No6 from Caerphilly, Wales, Richard was the British No1 for a decade, winning medals at the European and Commonwealth Badminton Championships, and secured 21 International Titles. 

Richard's passion for nurturing young talent led him to found the Richard Vaughan Badminton Academy, a non-profit badminton academy that has produced many European and Commonwealth players over the years. The Academy secured sponsorships with Memory Lane Cakes, Direct Sports, and Dunlop before transitioning into a Mid Glamorgan Junior badminton, and in 2022, all its assets were transferred to Welsh Badminton where they contribute to an annual grant for youngsters from the area. 

As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Badminton Ireland, Richard doubled the turnover and established a highly successful high-performance system in partnership with Trinity College, producing multiple Olympians, World Junior number-one players, and European medallists. Ireland also partnered with the BWF and piloted the new BWF Coach Education system and school Shuttle time programme to great success. 

At Squash Australia, an impressive six years saw Richard implement a rebrand and an integrated digital platform that resulted in a remarkable increase in membership from 11,000 to 20,000 fully paid members and overall participation from 110,000 to 270,000. He also established a successful high-performance system that led to Australia topping the Squash medal table at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and winning nine medals at the 2019 World Squash Championships. During his time, turnover increased by a staggering 300%, and a new National Squash Centre was opened in 2018. 

In 2021 Richard established ‘The Sports Consultancy’ working with multiple sports across strategy, brand and high-performance. Notably: 

• Vice President of the Badminton World Federation  
• Interim Chief Operating Role at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, the largest harbour in the Southern Hemisphere, with a turnover of 19 million (AUD), covering a 25-hectare site. 
• Securing three-million-dollar sponsorship from Hancock Prospecting for Artistic Swimming  
• Establishing a new high-performance programme for Artistic Swimming at the Western Australia Institute of Sport and finish an all-time 8th at the 2023 World Championships. 
• Non-Executive Director at Equestrian Australia, and Chair of the Finance and Risk Committee. 

Richard's exceptional leadership and achievements in the sports industry have recently been recognised through his appointment as Vice President of the Badminton World Federation. With an estimated 220 million players, badminton is the most widely played sports in the world