30.01.2026

Richard Keith Rawlings 1941–2026

We received the sad news this week that Richard Rawlings, owner and managing director of R&M Marketing, which has looked after IPAF marketing for many years, has died following a short illness.

He passed away peacefully on Friday, January 23rd, at a hospice with his wife Margaret and their sons John and James by his side. He was 84 and would have been 85 in April, although you would never have guessed.

Richard Rawlings was born in an air raid shelter on the Sussex coast during a Luftwaffe bombing raid in April 1941. After attending Lancing College he started work in a mail room of a PR agency, and before long was noticed as someone with potential, and his ascent began, eventually becoming an account manager at a London advertising agency, a role he held at various agencies from the sixties through to the start of the 1990s, culminating with a main board appointment at a major London communications agency.

In 1992, he decided to set up his own company with his wife, Margaret - R&M Marketing. Not long after they opened, Richard was approached by Paul Adorian, the first managing director of IPAF, for help devising a credit-card style proof of training card to be issued by IPAF to those who successfully completed IPAF’s operator training course, and the PAL Card was born.

He has been closely involved with IPAF for more than 30 years, producing supporting material for its growing range of training courses and membership recruitment drives, while also handling its advertising. He maintained a keen interest in IPAF's achievements and was proud to be associated with an organisation, attending most of its Summits and major meetings over the years to meet members and look for inspiration.

He was working until just before his health took a steep downturn after Christmas, having recently decided to retire and had started to notify his clients.

Richard Rawlings was a big character, gentle yet tough, fair and totally consistent, at least at work. And always a gentleman. He will be missed by everyone who knew or worked with him.