The 34-year-old has been appointed as Portsmouth’s new sporting director, taking over from Roberto Gagliardi.
Before taking the Pompey job, Hughes spent four and a half years with Forest Green Rovers, initially working as head of recruitment before taking over the job of sporting director in October 2019.
During his tenure at the New Lawn Stadium, Forest Green Rovers reached the League Two playoffs twice before securing the title at the end of last season.
Cowley expressed his delight at the appointment of Hughes as the new director of football and is of the view that Pompey will benefit from the 34-year-old’s experience and expertise.
The Portsmouth manager stressed that for sustained success, the club will need to back the first-team in several areas and is confident that Hughes will be able to drive the standard of the club high.
“We’re really pleased to be able to bring someone of Richard’s experience and expertise to the club”, Cowley told The News.
“He has a proven track record and I just think it’s a really important role for the club moving forward.
“If we want to have sustained success then the key is the way we support the first-team.
“Whether that be in the Academy, recruitment, medical and sports science or analysis, I know he’ll be able to drive the standards and drive the performance in those areas.”
Hughes had also held recruitment roles with Wigan Athletic and Everton before joining Forest Green Rovers in 2018.
