Senior Leadership Team

The best part of my role is that I get to work collaboratively with our amazing staff across all areas of the business. I am passionate about ensuring all employees have both the opportunity and tools to enable them to achieve their full potential. A key focus area for my role is to ensure we can continue to attract and retain top talent across our business.

My former position as operations director of an agricultural supply chain business gave me a detailed understanding of the challenges the rural sector faces. Being part of a co-operative means Members not only get the best available prices, but are part of a wider community sharing common interests and vision. I helped grow a business from start-up, so am motivated by growth and working in a dynamic environment.

Of my 37 years of experience working in the agricultural supply chain, 22 years of this is with AF Group. I have enjoyed many roles including my current positions as Company Secretary and Head of Data Analysis & Utilities Strategy.

Understanding how your AF buying group works on all levels means I can focus my efforts both strategically but also at the level of detail needed to ensure smooth delivery of utilities procurement. Delivering satisfactory prompt resolutions to queries and problems in these complex industries is a challenge that I relish.

I have a poultry, dairy and arable farming background and joined the AF Group in 2011.   I have previously headed up the Commercial and Marketing function of a multiple award winning social enterprise and worked in New York and London for a technology consulting company.

As Head of Member Services I draw my personal and professional experience together to find new and improved ways to help Members to understand how AF works, how it could help their business and save them time so they can get on with their farming.

Whether it’s in words – spoken or written – in images or in film, at length or in short, I enjoy the diversity and potential power of our many ways to communicate. I work with a wide variety of commercial companies and research organisations and now it is my pleasure and privilege to also help shape and sharpen the many ways AF informs our Members. It’s all about sharing what matters and what can make the real difference.

With over 30 years procurement experience from a variety of industries, I came to AF two years ago armed with not only excitement to be joining such a brilliant organisation but also with a mindset of wanting to apply my procurement knowledge to the business.

I have worked in large corporate entities, including Jaguar Land Rover, along with much smaller corporations. This has given me a diverse skillset with a core focus around excellence in procurement.  Your procurement team is dedicated to ensuring your businesses are buying at the best possible prices with the best possible service.

I started my career in the gruelling world of hospitality and food service but I come to AF after several years managing rural estates, where I have been responsible for a variety of agricultural businesses including arable, vegetable and livestock operations.  Although I do not pretend to be a farmer (nor a land agent) I have worked with large and small farms in Hertfordshire, Dorset and Norfolk and it has been my privilege to learn from some exceptional farmers and farming families.

I have been working with AF and our Members for much of my career, initially through an approved supplier before joining the General Supplies team within AF. Over the last four years I have moved on to become Head of Livestock Inputs & General, one of the most diverse areas within AF and one that crosses over with many other departments.  This position is key in that it gives me a unique insight into how the needs of our Members and the departments they use are intertwined, with many natural cross overs that, once identified, can add value for Members and maximise returns from every interaction.

I am a chartered accountant with over 26 years post qualification experience. My career began in practice – preparing accounts for pig farmers and progressed through audit then into industry. I was a Finance Manager at Group Lotus for 9 years covering the wide spectrum of finance roles including taxation, manufacturing, engineering and central services. I have worked for commercial organisations as well as charities, including being Finance Director for an independent school for 5 years. My skills help focus teams to rationalise processes to achieve efficiencies and streamline systems – all the while ensuring accuracy of information.

I started my career at AF in 2010 and have had the opportunity to work in different parts of the business and on various different projects during my time here, from taking the lead on the initial member facing system AF interactive to getting us ready for GDPR. This diverse range of projects has given me an excellent understanding of AF and our members. Living on a farm, I also have an acute understanding of the challenges facing agriculture. I am very excited to now be in a role that allows us to give greater focus to the member facing systems.