Nick Payne and Paul Abrahams are elected onto the Board of BF.
As indicated in the recent Board Director election announcement, voting closed at 12 noon on the 9th September.
The duly elected Directors (along with the number of votes) are:
In accordance with bye-laws VI.6.a) they shall take office following the conclusion of the next AGM which is provisionally scheduled for the 25th October 2025.
BF Board Chair Sara Pantuliano said, “I’d like to thank all the candidates that stood for election, and welcome Nick and Paul to the Board. The Board has much to do in supporting the executive team in delivering the new 2030 British Fencing Strategy and I look forward to working closely with Nick and Paul. On behalf of the BF Board I would also like to congratulate the newly Elected Directors and also thank the BF Electoral Officer, Teddy Bourne for guiding the election process in accordance with the Bye-Laws.”
Director Biographies:
Nick Payne
The founder of Sword Fighting International, Nick is former British No1 and England Captain, he was reserve for the Barcelona Olympics and is a Commonwealth bronze medallist. He is an International Referee and was one of the assistant referees for the Men’s Foil Final at the London 2012 Olympics, and refereed one of the Finals of the Junior World Championships in 2017. Nick restarted his competitive career in the Veteran category and won Gold in the Team foil event in the 2022 Commonwealth Championships and Silver medal in the World Championships in Daytona Florida in 2023. As current British No1 in his age category, he will be competing in the World Championships in Bahrain this year.
Nick also has plenty of corporate experience, working in Business Information, Anti-Money Laundering and Risk Management in some of the world’s largest financial centres.
Nick has been on the Surrey County Committee for over 10 years. He is the Founder of Epsom Fencing Club.
On his election, Nick said, “I am very pleased and excited to be invited to join the Board of British Fencing. Having started the sport when I was 10 years old and been in many different roles as competitor, referee, coach, multiple club owner and business owner offering Corporate Team Building and then back to competition as Veteran Fencer, I have a lot of experience in marketing the sport of fencing and look forward to making an impact at the Board Level. I hope to promote the values and objectives of British Fencing and help increase the number of fencers in this country at all levels.”
Paul Abrahams
Paul Abrahams has been an active member of the international fencing community for over four decades, living and fencing in France, Switzerland, the US, and the UK. He has achieved medals in all three weapons at the Commonwealth Fencing Veteran Championships, including three golds, and has represented Great Britain in both sabre and foil at the Veteran World Championships.
Paul’s contributions to British Fencing include serving as chair of the Foil Committee and as foil coordinator on the International Youth Committee, organizing cadet and junior squads. He previously spent eight years on the British Fencing Board, chairing the Audit Governance and Risk Committee and overseeing the organization’s finances.
Most recently, he has worked with Brian Brittain to develop and promote the British Fencing rating system, which has increased competition opportunities and participation across the UK.
Paul continues to referee domestically and has officiated at numerous European Fencing Confederation cadet competitions, including finals. He was also part of the British Fencing refereeing body responsible for international allocations.
Paul is a member of the senior leadership team at RELX, a FTSE 100 data and analytics company, where he has served as Chief Communications Officer since 2012. He leads an award-winning team in marketing, communications, social media, and corporate reporting.
On his election, Paul said, “I would like to thank everyone who participated in the British Fencing board elections. I will endeavor to support the British Fencing management team to help achieve its strategic goals and grow the sport across the country.”
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