ASSURED FOOD STANDARDS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Feed Representative / Turkey
Alistair has a flock of 1,500 breeding ewes and a herd of 100 beef sucklers across 650 rented acres in Ravenglass, Cumbria. He is a strong supporter of Red Tractor and believes that a robust assurance scheme will give consumers confidence to buy British.
This is something he believes will become increasingly important for UK farming. He says farmers, stakeholders and trade associations must now work together to re-establish the core values of what the tractor stands for. Alistair believes this will ensure farmers don't view farm assurance as a regulatory burden and instead see what it does for their businesses.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Head of Finance & IT
Chris provides financial guidance and leadership to support the development and delivery of our strategic plans. He is responsible for managing risk, ensuring sound financial management, delivery of our IT strategy and systems as well as liaising with external stakeholders including auditors, bankers, statutory authorities and partner organisations.
Chris is a Chartered Certified Accountant and joined our board in December 2016. He has held senior roles as a CFO and CEO in several industry sectors. Most recently, he was CFO of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, and previously CEO of the NFU's commercial subsidiary. He now works as a non-executive director and business adviser for various organisations across the public and private sectors.
Christine joined us in December 2020 from leading the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), where she spent more than 7 years. She has worked across the food and retail sectors for over three decades.
Starting out as an engineer, she then moved into marketing positions at Mars Confectionery, Vodafone and Anchor (now Fonterra).
For 11 years until 2012, Christine led the Co-operative Group's farming business. She turned around the £60m turnover business from a £6m loss in 2000 to a £6m profit by 2010.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Technical Consultant
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Head of Communication
Ed manages all the communications to members, licensees, consumers and industry stakeholders. Ed oversees the delivery of strategic, engaging, reactive and positive communications across multiple channels designed to drive up understanding and to defend, protect and enhance the reputation of Red Tractor.
Professor Guy Poppy became the FSA's Chief Scientific Adviser in 2014, he is also Professor of Food Security at Southampton University and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He has research experience in food systems and food security and has advised governments globally on these issues.
He has also published over 100 peer-reviewed papers including around risk assessment, risk analysis and risk communication. Guy is on the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) panel assessing the quality of agriculture, food and veterinary science in the UK. In June 2020, he became Programme Director for the SPF Food systems programme. In July 2022 he became Deputy Executive Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
He is a graduate of Imperial College and Oxford University.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Poultry Sector Director
After graduating from Edinburgh, Iain worked in the pig industry for five years before joining BOCM PAULS. He rose through the ranks and was part of the management buyout and later sale of the business to ForFarmers.
For the past 17 years, he has worked at Executive or Group Board level. After 30 years of working closely across the agricultural industry, he left his role as Chief Operating Officer in December 2017. In 2018, he became Chair of the BOCM PAULS defined benefit pension scheme. Iain is also Chairman of the AF Group and Chair of the Notcutts defined benefit pension scheme.
James is a recognised leader of the veterinary profession, having held several roles within the British Veterinary Association and serving on the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England and appointed as an Assistant Clinical Professor for the University of Nottingham.
For decades, he has worked closely with Red Tractor food producers, and has been recognised for his contribution in the commitment to the fight to eradicate Bovine Viral Diarrhoea and Bovine Tuberculosis.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Member of the Management Team
As CEO, Jim oversees Assured Food Standards and manages the team. He has a keen interest in working with regulatory and enforcement bodies.
Jim started out at FMC Meat Ltd, then Europe's largest meat group. His next move was to Wander Foods, where he launched sports drink Isostar in the UK.
He later spent 12 years as Tulip's Sales & Marketing Director, before becoming Managing Director of General Mills UK in 1999. There he handled brands like Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Green Giant and Nature Valley. In 2015, he joined Mizkan Euro Ltd.
Jim has chaired the Provision Trade Federation and was a Food Drink Europe board member. He's also been both interim Director General and President of the Food & Drink Federation.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Beef & Lamb Sector Director
John joined our board in March 2022. He has more than 30 years of experience as an advocate and leader in British agriculture and the food processing industry.
In addition to running a successful beef and lamb family farming business in Devon, he has experience in pioneering electronic auctions and managing one of the largest beef and lamb processors' livestock divisions and continues to hold the position of strategy director for The Royal Smithfield Club.
John is Agricultural Director for Avara Foods Limited, a joint venture between Faccenda Foods Limited and Cargill. In his early career he worked in Commercial Layer Management and was Regional Agricultural Manager for Eastwood/Imperial Group/Hillsdown Holdings. In 1991, John became Agricultural Director for Moorland Foods. He joined Sun Valley Foods/Cargill as Agricultural Director in 1998.
His achievements include a Nuffield Farm Scholarship, Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies and Chairman of the BPC. He joined our board in 2019. John has been involved in many Industry and Government Committees.
He co-founded the Red Tractor Assurance Poultry Board British Poultry Training and Poultry Health & Welfare Board.
John joined our board in January 2020. He has a degree in Agricultural Economics from Newcastle University and an MBA from the University of Leicester.
John has worked with leading UK brands like Sainsbury's, Nabisco, and Diageo, and joined KFC GB in 1994. He later became Marketing Director for Yum! and VP of Marketing at Taco Bell USA.
In 2007, John returned to the UK as Marketing Director of the Compass Group UK & Ireland business. He later became MD for the Wendy's Company APEMEA region. John is Vice Chairman of KFC Philippines and Chair of Governing Council at the Royal Agricultural University.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet Sector Director
- Sector Board Chair
Kit is a Norfolk-based, award-winning farmer and conservationist growing feed and seed wheat, malting barley, sugar beet, oilseed rape, vining peas and potatoes. He has held a number of chair and board roles within the agri-food sector, including Anglia Farmers (Now AF), AF Logic, Pensthorpe and the NFU Sugar Board.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Fresh Produce Sector Director
- Sector Board Chair
Lucy has worked across the food industry, agriculture and fresh produce sector for over 25 years. She has helped improve the quality and safety of fresh produce for leading UK retailers like Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury's. She has also worked extensively throughout their supply bases. Lucy is current Chief Executive Officer for the Organic Research Centre.
She is a Nuffield Scholar and has an MBA from Cranfield University, Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Agriculture from Nottingham University and a BSc (Hons) in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Surrey. She is also undertaking research into the future of farm assurance and audit requirements.
Job Titles:
- First Purchaser Representative
Job Titles:
- Integrator Representative and N Ireland
Nick has a deep understanding of the British meat and livestock industries having previously worked in market development roles for the Meat and Livestock Commission, AHDB and the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX).
As CEO of the British Meat Processors Association he is able to pull together his connections from across farming, the meat industry, retail and government to forge a more collaborative approach to the UK's food challenges.
As well as his role with BMPA, Nick also runs a farm in Hampshire.
Job Titles:
- Independent Pesticides Consultant
- Pesticide Issues Consultant
Job Titles:
- Head of Operations
- Member of the Management Team
Philippa handles industry, regulatory and stakeholder liaison around technical assurance and manages the six sector boards. She also oversees our IT strategy. This helps ensure Red Tractor Assurance data and electronic services meet the needs of RTA, members, and the wider industry.
Job Titles:
- Independent Welfare Advisor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Head of Marketing and Commercial
Richard manages the consumer marketing strategy to raise awareness and understanding of Red Tractor. He also oversees our commercial trade development. This aims to increase the number of licensees using the Red Tractor logo on products.
Sophie represents the BRC and joined our board in June 2020. She has been with Wm Morrison plc since November 2017 and heads up Agriculture, Fisheries and Sustainable Sourcing.
Sophie started at ASDA before taking time out on the family farm to have children. She joined Bishopton Veterinary Group in 2009. There she developed and managed RAFT Solutions Ltd with her colleagues which delivers livestock research and training. She also helped set up the government funded agri-tech centre, CIEL (Centre of Innovation Excellence in Livestock). Sophie is part of the steering committee for the IGD generated FIIA (Food Industry Initiative for Antimicrobials).
Job Titles:
- Producer / Breeding Company
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- FRAgS - Pig Sector Director
- Sector Board Chair
Stewart has served as a non-exec member of the Food Standards Agency Board. He was also chair of the British Pig Executive and a member of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
In addition, he has been on the Scottish Agriculture College board and was Executive Director of the National Pig Association. He is today a non-exec member of Defra's Animal Health and Welfare Board, England which advises ministers on policy. It is currently developing an Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Dairy Sector Director
- Sector Board Chair
Tim joins Red Tractor with extensive experience in the dairy industry having previously held roles with the NFU National Dairy Board and has chaired the Chichester Branch of the NFU.
He ran a mixed family farming business in West-Sussex and brings a wealth of experience and understanding of the whole dairy sector to the role. Tim has also served as the chair of the M&S National Milk Pool.
Tom is the NFU Deputy President. He farms in partnership with his wife, Emily, and his parents in North Essex. Alongside a small owned farm they run a larger contract farming business growing a range of combinable crops across 950 hectares in North East Essex. The home farm is based around arable production but has also diversified into equestrian and renewables.
Tom has represented the NFU from Local Branch Chairman through to Chair of the National Combinable Crops Board. Tom also served as Vice President from February 2020 to February 2022.
Job Titles:
- NFU Staff Member Representative