Sir Francis Habgood

Francis joined West Yorkshire Police in 1987 having completed a degree at Newcastle University in Mechanical Engineering. He spent 5 years on the beat in north Leeds before being promoted and gradually moved through the ranks. He was appointed Assistant Chief Constable (Specialist Operations) of Thames Valley Police in 2004. He oversaw several high-profile operations and investigations during a four-year spell leading the specialist crime, terrorism, criminal justice, roads policing and firearms teams. In 2009, as Deputy Chief Constable, he led the professional standards, organisational development and estates teams and oversaw the force’s response to the significant budget cuts to policing.

In 2015 he was appointed Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police and led the force during a time of continuing budget cuts, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and several high-profile investigations. He retired in 2019 after over 32 years in policing.
Since leaving policing Francis has been the chair of the Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership and Safeguarding Adult’s Board, supported Buckinghamshire Council in its response to Covid 19 and supported two forces as they dismantled their collaboration and designed new IT structures and systems. In January 2023 Francis was appointed as a lay member on the House of Commons Standards Committee. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant in Buckinghamshire in 2021. He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in 2012 and knighted for his services to policing in 2021.

As a Trustee he is keen to use his skills to help the University navigate through the challenges of the future.