Brighton CEO Paul Barber: ‘I joined on a handshake deal … it’s about trust’

Brighton’s chief executive on his mission to help youngsters and why the club are stronger after Chelsea’s raids

Paul Barber is the new non-executive chairman of Football Beyond Borders, combining that with his job at Brighton.

PAUL Barber loves to recount the story of his first meeting with Brighton’s owner, Tony Bloom, in 2012. “You’ve got to remember, you’re dealing with a highly skilled mathematician, one of the world’s best poker players,” says Barber, who had been headhunted for the role of chief executive after Bloom was impressed with his work at Vancouver Whitecaps.

Barber had prepared himself for the tough salary negotiations that followed, but didn’t expect the terms would be agreed on a piece of paper torn from Bloom’s notebook.