Our Executive Team draws on their national and international expertise, including extensive work in novel agricultural technology and innovation, research and development, government policy and the commercialisation of scientifically viable patents and business opportunities.
Chief Executive Officer
Dave provides leadership and strategic direction to the development of the Centre in its emerging role, both nationally and internationally. He is a trained engineer, with 26 years’ experience of agri-technology in both the cropping and livestock sectors, encompassing a broad range of technology areas. He has been involved in the R&D of a number of novel and patented developments across the agricultural production sectors. Some of these have been fully commercialised and he has assisted with spin-out and new company formations.
Chief Operating Officer
Kirk has an extensive career ranging from work in central government to social enterprise and innovation companies. He has worked from audit to board level in the private, public and charities sectors all round the world, and has held posts with the Ministry of Justice, BEIS, the Home Office and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. A Chartered Accountant, he also holds an MBA from the London Business School and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Guelph, Canada’s largest agricultural university.
Director of Business Development
Rose comes from a proven sales and business development background having worked in both the public and private sector and within a number of different industries over a 14 year period including agriculture, engineering and higher education. She was previously Business Manager for the newly formed School of Sustainable Food and Farming based at Harper Adams University overseeing all business development and partnership activity as well as day to day running of the school.
Rose oversees the Business Development and Marketing & Communications functions within the Agri EPI Centres, driving forward growth and implementation of strategic direction. She has a deep understanding of the importance of science and technology as a key driver in addressing sector related challenges when working towards a more sustainable, efficient and innovative agricultural supply chain.
Chief Technical Officer
Trish has an interdisciplinary background in engineering, genetics, and biochemistry. She has worked as a research scientist, sustainability and techno-economic analysis expert, and innovation manager for a number of companies. This diverse skillset allows her to approach agri-tech challenges with a unique perspective.
Trish oversees all technical activity within Agri-EPI Centre, which involves working with project partners, national and international governments, industry, and the agri-tech community to help drive Agri-EPI’s technological vision and strategy. She brings her passion for sustainable innovation to her work as CTO, and has spearheaded a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) offering within the company.
Together with our Management Team, our board navigates Agri-EPI Centre towards a sustainable future. By deepening long-term opportunities that advance our mission to accelerate the adoption of precision agriculture and engineering technologies, to boost productivity and increase farm efficiency worldwide.
Chair
Vince is a Founding Director of Agri-EPI and also founded and commercialised well known precision farming and digital farming brands in the UK, Europe and Africa.
He has a continued passion for developing agri-tech businesses globally. At the heart of this is advancing agricultural research within the agri-tech sector. Integrated science and technology is at the heart of this objective.
He has delivered wide reaching commercial success in the agri-tech sector from a number of collaborative projects including Innovate UK funded Agri-tech projects and European Space Agency projects.
A skill set that bridges the gap between academic and commercial ventures is at the heart of his value to the industry, delivered as an independent consultant and non-executive director.
Vice Chair
Willie Thomson is Harbro’s technical director, responsible for their agri-technology and R&D strategies. With over 30 years of experience in animal nutrition and husbandry. He has been heavily involved with the development and application of technical advances for many species in the monitoring of health and nutrition
Willie is also a director of Innovent Technology, which was created in 2001, primarily to assist with addressing the needs of the Scottish agriculture industry and to commercialise a patented animal health product that he invented, Kling-on Blue.
He has vast experience in the agricultural industry, and in bringing products to market successfully. He has experience in writing and filing patents and is aware of IP methodologies. He has heavily been involved the development of the Agri-EPI Centre since its inception in 2014/15 and was Chair of its Board between 2015 and 2020.
BVM&S, CertCHP, DipLaw, MRCVS
After qualifying from the Royal School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, Matt started life in companion and livestock veterinary practice in rural Dorset. In 1999 he returned to academia to continue his career, and held positions at the University of Sydney, US Davies in California, and at the Royal Veterinary College in London, where he was appointed lecturer and Senior Clinician. After completing a RCVS Certificate, Matt returned to clinical practice, setting up his own veterinary businesses. With 37 clinics the group become the UK’s largest veterinary business in their sector, before managing a successful exit to Private Equity in 2018. His network of businesses included laboratories, digital animal health, first opinion and referral veterinary clinics.
Matt’s passion is innovative veterinary care, and he has received several awards for developing new and novel ways of ensuring the highest standards in animal care, including a Nuffield Scholarship and the Queens Award for Voluntary Services. His main Executive role is as the Global Chief Medical Officer for Destination Pet, assisting with ensuring the group achieves the highest clinical standards, supporting the development of the Destination Pet digital strategy and helping to create the European development of the business.
Matt is active in vet tech and Agritech in the UK and is on the board of five Agritech businesses including the government Agritech strategy centre Agri-EPI and vettech businesses VetYou and Vet Pursuits. He is also a consultant for Geneva based Animal Health consultancy Stonehaven and chair of the MWI Clinical Board. As a farm vet and a qualified lawyer, Matt still does the odd fertility routine visit and provides legal opinion on a number of animal welfare and litigation cases.
Tom was born in Sheffield and now lives in North Yorkshire. He brings a wealth of experience drawn from across the food and farming sector in terms of policy, industry dynamics and commercial drivers. His career in farming has spanned more than 20 years in a variety of leadership roles at the NFU, Tesco and AHDB. He is a recognised expert in agricultural policy and has a significant track record in strategy development and influencing government and the wider food and farming industry.
Having left the farming industry in 2020 Tom is now CEO of the North York Moors National Park Authority where he leads a team of over 130 people charged with conserving and enhancing the landscape, cultural heritage & natural beauty of the North York Moors, one of ten National Parks across England.
Allan was brought up on a Scottish arable farm and has enjoyed a varied career as a chartered accountant in a broad range of private and public sector business roles. He brings a diverse range of experience and expertise to Agri-EPI. He is a past Chairman of the Farmers Club, and currently Chairman of two pension schemes, advisor/consultant to a few agri-tech companies and running Luffness Mains Farming, an arable enterprise in East Lothian.
After a business and law degree in Edinburgh his accountancy career took him abroad and then to England where he worked in finance and commercial roles in growing private international businesses, finally returning with his family to buy out the family farming enterprise in Scotland.
Back in Scotland, he acquired a portfolio of NED roles, including Chair of AHDB Potatoes and SCRI which merged into the new James Hutton Institute, both these appointments taking him into the agriculture and science policy environment, with an interest in the sustainability of food, farming and technology. These involved some time developing relationships in China and elsewhere on matters concerning the global potato industry.
Registered office: Agri-EPI Centre Midlands Agri-Tech Innovation Hub, Poultry Lane, Edgmond Newport, England, TF10 8JZ
Company Reg. Number: 09922991
VAT Number: 240019456 (UK)
