Our New CEO

Following on from the retirement of our long serving CEO, Major Geoff Hammond, Cambridgeshire ACF is delighted to welcome Major Justin Spreadborough to the role. Major Spreadborough, a former cadet himself, has decades of military and management experience, and is eager to start ‘giving back’ to the ACF.

Cadet Executive Officer is the most senior employed role within our county. As such, he will manage our team of professional staff based at our Waterbeach headquarters, as well as overseeing our finances, property, and crucially, serving as our safeguarding lead.

Known as “Spreaders”, Major Spreadborough began his military experience as a cadet in Glastonbury, with whom he served for four years. He said; ‘It was a lot of fun, but it also gave me discipline and spurred me on to join the Army.’

In 1986, at the age of 16, he enlisted into the Corps of Royal Engineers at the Army Apprentice College, Chepstow. He trained as a welder, and then as a Military Combat Engineer. As he progressed through the ranks, he spent time as an Amphibious Engineer, Air Support Engineer and later as an Advanced Bomb Disposal Officer and Formation Search Coordinator. He was awarded a silver medal for the Cambrian Patrol, (a mentally and physically demanding 48 hour exercise through mountain and swamp lands in Wales). As Squadron Sergeant Major, he marched 48 Field Squadron onto the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, as part of the Queen’s Guard, and became the founder of the Carver Barracks Injured Soldiers Fund. On completion of 24 years’ service as a soldier, reaching the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1, and the prestigious position of Regimental Sergeant Major 33 Engineer Regiment EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), he was then selected for a Late Entry Commission in December 2009.

The newly commissioned Captain Spreadborough’s first assignment then was as an Echelon Commander for 34 Field Squadron (Air Support), serving in Waterbeach and Kinloss. He moved to 10 Field Squadron (Air Support) at RAF Leeming, again as the Echelon Commander, to coordinate the Squadron’s disbandment. This was followed by a period as the Quartermaster Technical (QMT) at Kinloss and then Wimbush, before assuming command of 22 Headquarters & Support Squadron EOD. Overseeing a myriad of high-profile Op TAPESTRY Air Dropped Weapon support tasks and Technical Response Force exercises, he also oversaw the Squadron’s disbandment and re-role of its personnel to the newly formed 29 EOD & Search Group Support Unit (GSU) in August 2017. After 3 years as Regimental Second in Command, he then deployed to Cyprus on Op SHADER 11 as Permanent Joint Headquarters Quartermaster, where he oversaw the closure of Main Operating Base Taji before taking up command of 29 EOD&S GSU's Operational Support Group.

During his military service career, Major Spreadborough served in numerous countries worldwide on both exercise and on operations, including Northern Ireland, Germany, Canada, Belize, Gibraltar, Kenya, Falkland Islands, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Major Spreadborough is married to Diane, has four children and ten grandchildren. His interests include golf, cricket, mountain biking (MB Leader), skiing, sub aqua, watching rugby as well as being a budding DIY enthusiast in his spare time. An accomplished mountaineer, he has led and participated in several high-altitude trekking exercises in Europe and as far as South Africa’s Drakensburg mountain range.

He is enthusiastic about the ACF, recognising the contribution it has made to his life, and to many others. ‘For me personally, it’s that focus the ACF can give you, it gives young people direction and purpose. My Army and cadet experience gave me these things, but also gave me a new family, a sense of belonging, and incredibly close friendships.’

‘I am hoping I can call upon my experience to add value and provide support to cadets and adults so they can have the best experience possible. It’s great for me to have come full circle, and now have a chance to give back, to have started my career with the cadets and to be back with them again. There is no better time to invest in people than in their formative years, and I am really looking forward to it.’

Text by SI Stuart and Major Spreadborough. Pictures courtesy Major Spreadborough and by SI Stuart.