Mylnefield Research Services (MRS) managing director Dr Nigel Kerby is to step down next year.
Kerby, an MBE with 23 years of service with the company - which is a commercial affiliate of the James Hutton Institute - will vacate the role on 6 April.
Under Kerby's stewardship MRS saw turnover pass £4 million from a standing start, and he is credited with having pioneered the commercialisation of intellectual assets and resources, as well as having forgedmany partnerships within industry for the “scaling-up” and “scaling-out” of technologies, particularly new plant varieties.
MRS won the Courier Agricultural Business of the Year Award 2014, while Kerby himself was awarded an MBE in the 2014 New Year’s Honours list.
Kerby explained: “After much deliberation I am convinced that the time is right for my departure in April 2015.
“It is my intention to work in the field of agricultural research for development and I hope to be able to act as an ambassador for the James Hutton Institute promoting the excellence and relevance of their research in addressing global challenges.”
Professor Iain Gordon, chief executive of the James Hutton Institute, said: “The institute will build on the successes of MRS through a single commercial subsidiary, James Hutton Limited, and has set up a committee to recruit a new managing director to replace Dr Kerby.
“In the interim, MRS will continue to meet its customers’ needs through the strong team currently co-led by Dr Jonathan Snape, commercial director.”
Following his departure, Kerby plans to spend more time working on agricultural research for development and economic growth, and has just joined the governing board for the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics.
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