New horticulture, dairy and cereals and oilseeds strategy directors have been appointed by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
The move follows the AHDB's recent appointment of three new people in senior operational positions, including former Tesco director Tom Hind.
Amanda Ball will be strategy director for dairy, Martin Grantley-Smith will be strategy director for cereals and oilseeds, and Steve Tones is to be the strategy director for horticulture.
All three moves are internal promotions, and the trio will start in their new roles on 5 October.
They join the two strategy directors already in post – Mick Sloyan for pork, and Rob Clayton for potatoes. A strategy director for beef and lamb is still to be appointed. The six sector strategy directors will report into Hind.
They are intended to provide a pivotal role as the 'glue' between the sector boards and the operational parts of the organisation, ensuring that what the sector boards have agreed within their business plans is delivered by AHDB’s operational teams.
Rebecca Geraghty, AHDB's chief HR officer, said: “I am pleased to welcome Amanda, Steve and Martin into these important roles. They will be a primary point of contact for our levy payers and sector boards, and I expect them to have impact and influence on our organisation through their knowledge and skills.”
Tones has been head of business development of AHDB Horticulture for six years, leading the strategic planning of AHDB’s work in the sector and helping to shape the long-term direction of levy-funded programmes for the horticulture industry.
Previously he spent more than 20 years at ADAS as an entomologist and set up ran his own specialised consultancy and investment companies. He is an agricultural zoology graduate from Newcastle University, and studied for a PhD at Glasgow University.
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