Chris King, a member of Teddington Baptist Church in Middlessex, was promoted to Bandmaster of the Band of the Grenadier Guards in 2008 before he left the Army four years later to pursue a career in business and financial management.
 

Aged 18 and in the Royal Artillery, Chris was posted to Saudi Arabia in 1991 during the first Gulf War. He recalls setting up a makeshift hospital in a bare room and peeling potatoes and washing up whilst coming under fire from Scud missiles.

His musical career saw him posted to the Royal Artillery Band at Woolwich where he served for nine years before beginning the three-year Bandmaster's Course, which he completed in 2002. He subsequently joined the Minden Band of the Queen's Division as Bandmaster, which he led on short tours of Pakistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Canada, Iraq and various European countries.

The business manager takes the lead and overall responsibility for all of the non-academic aspects of the day-to-day running of the College, and principal Dr Nigel Wright is delighted to have secured the services of someone of Chris's calibre. 

'His undoubted leadership skills and wealth of managerial experience will prove especially helpful as Spurgeon's gets to grips with a number of significant challenges over the next few years.'

Chris said, 'I feel very privileged to hold the appointment of business and finance manager at Spurgeon's College and I am delighted to support both staff and students as they seek to develop and enrich God's Kingdom.

'My family and I have been Baptists for some time and worship at Teddington Baptist Church under the leadership of Richard Littledale. It was Richard, a former student, who introduced me to the vacancy at the College.'