Sir Don Curry to become Leckford chairman

Waitrose has announced the appointment of Sir Don Curry CBE into the post of non-executive chairman of its Leckford Estate in January 2009.

A longstanding champion of responsible farming practices as chair of the Policy Commission of the Future of Farming and Food, Sir Don oversaw the delivery of the groundbreaking report “Farming and Food, a sustainable Future”. He has also held the posts of chairman of the NFU Mutual Insurance Society and Crown Estate Commissioner. Running a Northumberland farm for 30 years has given Sir Don first-hand understanding of the issues the farming community faces.

Sir Don will replace David Felwick, former Waitrose managing director, who will retire on January 27, 2009.

Waitrose managing director Mark Price said: “Sir Don brings a huge amount of experience to the role of chairman, and working with the excellent team at Leckford, will give us even greater insights into the way forward, not only for our own enterprise but for British farming generally.”

Sir Don added: “As a customer and a farmer, I have always been impressed with the partnership Waitrose has with its suppliers, as well as its commitment to quality food standards - long before it became fashionable. I hope to use my experience to enable Leckford and the industry to develop more solutions for the challenging times ahead.”

Part of the Waitrose business for the last 80 years, Leckford is a 4,000-acre working farm that embodies the Waitrose principles of quality food and sustainable farming.