Elsoms Seeds has shifted and expanded the responsibilities of its senior leadership as the company bolsters its product range and invests further in research and development.
Managing director Robin Wood has seen his role expand, being appointed commercial director and deputy chairman – a position formerly held by Anthony Keeling.
Keeling will continue in his role as company director and remains deputy chairman of the holding company, Elsoms (Spalding) Ltd.
Explaining the changes, Elsoms said continued growth was expected “thanks to an expanding range of products and services and ongoing investment in research and development programmes.”
Wood’s expanded role “acknowledges his deep understanding of crop performance and of the wider industry”, Elsoms added in a press release. This “will enable him to fully develop the commercial opportunities the company’s growth presents.”
Reacting to his appointment, Wood said: “Anthony has played a vital role in recent years, successfully transferring responsibility and knowledge in his characteristically generous manner. His experience and passion for the industry will continue to be invaluable to the board and the company in the future.”
The seed company has also beefed up the role of finance director Andrew Davis, adding logistics to his remit. Davis will now take on responsibility for warehouse activities, in addition to his existing roles in finance, human resources, health and safety, and IT.
Further changes have seen Elsoms appoint David Coop as the new research, development and marketing director, managing the extensive research and development team and retaining responsibility for Elsoms’ marketing activities.
Meanwhile, head of plant breeding Sue Kennedy will continue to work closely with Coop as she moves into an advisory role for the seed firm. During her time leading the R&D function, “Kennedy built an incredibly strong R&D team and delivered a development projects pipeline that will be key to the company’s future growth,” Elsoms wrote.
Commenting on the leadership shakeup, company chairman Roger Keeling said: “The expansion of our senior team puts Elsoms in a great position to build on recent growth and to continue delivering for our customers and partners.
“Our development projects, ongoing investment in all aspects of the business, new partnerships within the industry and a growing portfolio of products all point to a really exciting future for Elsoms. Together, the new senior team is looking forward to making that future happen.”
