Rory Clarke has been appointed chair as founding member Jim Fishburn steps down
Prominent businessman and former military officer Rory Clarke has been named as the new Chair of the esteemed charity Hull4Heroes. Rory, a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst who served with the United Nations in Cyprus and Northern Ireland, takes over from former Royal Navy Chief Jim Fishburn.
Jim is one of the founding members of Hull4Heroes, alongside Paul Matson and Debbie Hammond, which was established in 2016 to assist service personnel transition from military life to civilian life – particularly those finding it difficult to adjust after their military careers. Having been a trustee of the charity for nine years and Chair for five, he will remain on the board for another year to ensure a seamless transition.
Jim, currently Director of Project Management at Quickline Communications Ltd, joined the Navy in 1984 at the tender age of 16 and served for 23 years. During his naval career, he served on four ships (HMS Euryalus, HMS London, HMS Cardiff, HMS Dumbarton Castle) and saw active service in the first Gulf War before spending three years with NATO in Norfolk, Virginia.
Throughout his tenure at Hull4Heroes, he has overseen support for more than 5,000 ex-servicemen and their families dealing with physical health challenges, welfare issues, or other difficulties. This includes the delivery of food parcels to more than 500 local veterans and their families during the Covid pandemic, even though Jim was supporting this effort remotely from Taiwan.
Jim said: “I am immensely proud of what we have achieved at Hull4Heroes and for the veterans and their families that we have helped and continue to support.
“Now is the right time for me to step back and hand the baton to Rory, who’s experience will support the charity as it changes to meet the future needs of our veterans’ community. I will continue to be a trustee and support the charity in any way I can.”
Rory, who has been with Hull family firm J R Rix & Sons Ltd for over three decades, including a stint on the main board since 2006, joined Hull4Heroes as a trustee in 2024. He said: “It is a huge honour to be chair of such a fantastic charity and to follow Jim who has done an amazing job setting up Hull4Heroes and making it what it is today.”
In addition to his role as chair, Rory holds an MBA and sits on the advisory board of Hull University Business School. He was named one of Business Week’s Top 20 Most Inspirational Business Leaders in 2022 in Hull and the East Riding and served as the president of the United Kingdom and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association from 2021 to 2023.
It comes as Hull4Heroes has been crowned Hull’s local winner of the ‘Behind the Badge’ competition – a nationwide campaign from Official Partner of the EFL, Sage, that shines a spotlight on the small businesses that serve their local communities.
The recognition is a key moment in Sage’s recently announced partnership with the EFL, which is focused on championing the small and mid-sized businesses that keep their communities thriving. Hull4Heroes has been chosen alongside a long list of fellow small businesses from across the country who have won EFL match tickets and a suite of Sage products to help them thrive, as well as local marketing and promotion across Sage and EFL Club channels.
Paul Matson, CEO & Founder of Hull4Heroes, said, “Hull 4 Heroes is committed to looking after our veterans in the community, people who are still serving, and their families. Winning Sage’s competition will help us to continue this work and reduce the time we spend on paperwork.”