New Trust Director: Meet Paul Marks

Describe your personal history with, and passion for, Newport County AFC.
My County journey began when my dad took me to watch a few games at Somerton Park during the 77 /78 season, and I've been hooked ever since. Over the years I have always continued to support the club attending as many home and away games as was possible whereever I have lived in the country. I have since introduced my children to the County and we have all been Season Ticket holders since the year of our move to Rodney Parade. We have been fortunate to have shared some great family memories following the team, particularly in the past few seasons! In the last 12 months I have become involved as a Trust volunteer helping with membership administration.

What is your vision for Newport County AFC?
We need to continue to establish and progress as a Football League club, living within our means, and supporting the management team to put a successful team on the pitch. Whilst clearly progress has been made there is still some work to do to further improve communication with all fans, Trust members and commercial partners. I would expect that we would all see the benefits of whatever improvements can be made in this area through increased Trust memberships and commercial revenue. Transparency must be key, as far as business sensitivities will allow.

What skills and experience would you bring to the Club if elected?
I have over 30 years' experience working as an Area Manager in retail and business banking in various UK locations. During my time in the industry I picked up hands on experience in managing teams and business KPls, I have dealt with customers at all levels and I am used to interpreting key financial data to better understand business performance. For the last 3 years I have been a company director in my family's manufacturing business where I have responsibility for day to day production, regulatory issues, and stakeholder management, clearly identifying issues and offering solutions. I certainly don't pretend to have all the answers, but I am confident that I have a broad skill set to be an asset to the Trust Board.

What roles might you play in the Club and what difference could you make?
I would like to think that I could add value through my financial background together with my experiences of running a business on a day to day basis. That said, I would be happy to let the Trust Board decide where they felt my skills would be best utilised. Ultimately my motivation to stand for election is simply to support and help the club I love, and I'm prepared to roll my sleeves up and work hard to contribute in any way I can.