AHDB appoints new chief executive to head levy board
© Tim Scrivener Senior Arla Foods executive Graham Wilkinson has been announced as the new chief executive of the AHDB.
Taking over from Tim Rycroft, who announced he was stepping down from the role last July, Mr Wilkinson will take up the position in early 2024, with the exact start date to be agreed in the coming weeks.
Mr Wilkinson is currently global vice-president of agriculture at Arla, where he has helped support more than 8,500 dairy producers.
Graham Wilkinson © Graham Wilkinson
See also: Farmers consulted over higher AHDB levies from 2024
He also has previous experience working in the agricultural supply chain at Tesco, covering the dairy, beef, pork and poultry sectors.
The AHDB is currently in the midst of a number of levy increase proposals for the 2024-25 financial year and is also involved with the potential implementation of digital grain passports.
During the past two years, the organisation has downsized and relocated following votes to end the statutory levy in the potato and horticultural sectors.
AHDB chairman Nicholas Saphir said: “We are thrilled to welcome Graham to the AHDB with his passion for farming, his impressive leadership skills and vast industry knowledge.
“We believe he is the ideal candidate to lead the AHDB into the next exciting phase of our growth, putting levy payers at the heart of our work and maximising the impact of the work we do. Thank you to Arla for supporting a smooth transition.”
Mr Wilkinson added: “My passion is working with farmers, for farmers, and with my experience, I see this as a great opportunity to drive greater impact and success for all levy payers to help create a world-class food and farming industry.”
Following the news of Mr Wilkinsons departure from Arla, Hanne Sondergaard, Arla’s executive vice president, said: “Graham has been an important senior leader for our business, and his contributions to Arla and our farmer owners during his 17 years with us have been invaluable.
“We are sad to see him go, but we wish him all the best in his next career challenge.”
Arla also announced the process to find a replacement for Mr Wilkinson is underway.