Pritchard was born in Fulham, South West London. His father, John William Pritchard, served as a Detective Chief Superintendent and had a notable career as an investigating officer in the Great Train Robbery case in 1963.[citation needed]
He attended Halford Road Primary school in Fulham and later St Clement Danes Grammar School on Ducane Road in Hammersmith from 1969 to 1975. From 1983 to 1986, he studied lawatRobinson College, Cambridge. During his time at Cambridge, he served as the President of the Hawks' Club, following in the footsteps of Rob Andrew, the former England Rugby player.[citation needed]
He coached the Oxford University Boat Club in 1980 and 1981, and the Cambridge University Boat Club in 1982 and 1983. He rowed in The Boat Race three times for Cambridge against Oxford. In the 1984 race, the crew in which he rowed famously hit a barge moored above Putney Bridge resulting in the much-broadcast image of a sinking boat. The win in the 1986 race was the only Cambridge win in a run of 17 wins for Oxford. By winning in 1986, Cambridge denied Oxford winning the Ladbrokes trophy outright, having won for the previous nine years.[citation needed]
Pritchard founded and runs an executive search business, Piper Pritchard Associates, in London. He was a director of the British Olympic Association and is Chairman of Right To Play, an international charity which supports children in war-torn and deprived parts of the world through sport. He is Chairman of the Hawks' Club. He is also chairman of the steering committee and deputy chairman of the alumni advisory board of Cambridge University.[citation needed]
In 2014, he rowed the length of the Mississippi river in a traditional Thames racing skiff. The 2,320 mile journey took three months and raised over $1,000,000 for Right to Play.[citation needed]
