Ali Capper has been named as the new executive chair of topfruit trade body English Apples & Pears.
Capper, who is also chair of the NFU's Horticulture & Potatoes Board, grows topfruit and hops at Stocks Farm in Worcestershire, and takes up her new position on 27 March.
She takes over in a restructured role from outgoing chief executive Steven Munday, who has been credited with delivering a modernisation programme for the organisation over the past 18 months, and will be backed by an enlarged board of directors.
Two service providers, Richmond & Towers and the British Growers Association, have also been appointed to deliver promotional and PR work, and run back-office functions respectively.
Capper said: “I’m very excited about joining EAP as their new executive chair. I’m passionate about the topfruit industry and as a grower myself I understand the issues and the opportunities that face us. I’m looking forward to working with the EAP board and our new services providers to provide a best-value solution to our grower shareholders”.
New EAP vice-chair added: “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Steven for all his hard work in delivering our modernisation programme which has put EAP in a much better position to concentrate on the important elements of working on behalf of our growers. It is now clear that we need someone who has an empathy for the industry and who is an experienced and successful lobbyist and we believe that Ali is a perfect fit for this role”.
