Paul described his appointment as a ‘huge honour’ for himself, his family and his club.
He is looking forward with great optimism to what promises to be a busy season in 2025/26.
The newly elected President has spent most of his life with a deep passion for the sport, having been inspired by watching the Royal Belfast Academical Institution 1st XV training on the school’s front lawn some 54 years ago.
He would go onto play for the school before moving onto Instonians RFC, playing as a loosehead prop for the 1st XV and becoming a key player for his club, playing in the AIL Division One.
He describes his school rugby days as some of the most enjoyable days, remembering the joy of beating school rivals or the painful memories of losing out by a point in a School's Cup semi-final.
With a professional career in banking, and particularly in project management it was little surprise that he was recruited into Club Administration after his playing days.
Paul has been involved in a number of Ulster Branch committees since first joining in 2011.
During his time at the branch, his main role has been as Chairman of the Youth Committee and serving on the Women's and Girls Committee, led by Paula Stewart, for the past two years.
He has always been a passionate advocate of the game, especially at club level.
Ahead of the new 2025/26 season, Paul says he is "really excited" by the senior team and coaching set up, who are hoping to kick on in 2025/26.
"With younger development players coming through and getting an opportunity to shine, plus some new players added, there is much to look forward to" he adds.
"I want to wish Richie Murphy, the coaching team, the backroom staff and all the players a fantastic season ahead."
A key passion for Paul in his new role is promoting rugby to be a game for all, adding: "I love the fact that Rugby is an open and welcoming sport for everyone.
It's for people from all communities and all abilities. There is some great work being done by clubs to reach out to 'non-rugby' schools to offer those who may not have had the chance to get involved.
The development of the women's and girls' game is a huge positive for us, as it benefits those who play and the clubs benefit from their membership."
Aims and ambition
Paul says that his goal for the season ahead will be to encourage all clubs across Ulster to embrace the shared values around the game that he feels very strongly about.
"Teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship are all key values that we want to see in the months ahead. In particular, we want to always show respect to our opponents, match officials and our rival supporters.
We want to re-double our efforts to become the most welcoming and inclusive sport across Ireland."
Paul is optimistic about the future for Ulster Rugby, having worked alongside those helping to make some key decisions.
"On the overall management of Ulster Rugby, there are so many highly qualified professionals.
With Hugh McCaughey in post as CEO and Paul Terrington leading the Management Committee, I have witnessed a cohesive group of people with drive, dedication and great ideas to move Ulster Rugby forward to a brighter future."
