NEWS RELEASE
Date: 22 July 2008
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New Chair Appointed for Potato Council
Allan Stevenson has been appointed as Chair of the Potato Council Ltd.
He has also been appointed as a board member of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), the new levy body which came into being in April this year.
The Potato Council is a wholly owned subsidiary of AHDB which works towards making the British potato industry more competitive and helps stimulate use of the GB potato crop in home and export markets.
As Chair of the Potato Council, Allan will play a leading role in developing and delivering its strategy and will have responsibility for spending the levy collected from the potato sector for the potato sector’s benefit.
In welcoming the appointment John Bridge, Chair of AHDB, said:
“I am delighted to have someone of Allan’s calibre on board; he will be a real asset”.
Allan sees his appointment as an exciting challenge.
‘I look forward to working closely with the Board of AHDB, and in particular the excellent team at the Potato Council, whose value to the British Potato industry is vital in strengthening the sector and ensuring its future success,’ he said.
Biographical details of Allan Stevenson can be found in the notes to editors.
Notes to Editors
1. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is a Defra sponsored NDPB which became operational on 1 April 2008. Its role is to help improve the efficiency and competitiveness of various agriculture and horticulture sectors within the UK.
2. It was set up following an independent review of the five statutory agricultural and horticultural levy bodies (the British Potato Council, the Horticultural Development Council, the Home Grown Cereals Authority, the Milk Development Council and the Meat and Livestock Commission), which it has now replaced. The responsibility for setting and delivering strategies to deploy AHDB levy income has been delegated to the executive boards of its six sector organisations.
3. The new Potato Council is one of six sector organisations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of AHDB. AHDB and the sector organisations are currently based in various locations in England, but it is planned that they will co-locate in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire during 2009/10.
4. The appointment of Allan Stevenson follows the resignation of Janet Bainbridge in February this year. Dennis Heywood has been acting as interim Chair of the Potato Council and will stand down when Allan Stevenson takes up the role.
5. The selection and appointment of the Potato Council Chair has been carried out in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) Code of Practice for Public Appointments. The appointment was made by Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Farming and Food, Richard Lochhead, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and Elin Jones, Welsh Assembly Minister for Rural Affairs.
6. For further information about AHDB and its sector organisations please see the following link www.ahdb.org.uk
Biographical details
7. Allan Stevenson was born into a farming family and spent his early years as a student on the farm before moving into the world of business and finance. He has a Business degree from Edinburgh University and is a qualified Chartered Accountant whose early career involved a number of positions as Marketing Director, Commercial Director and Managing Director for various food service, engineering and manufacturing companies. Allan then became Group Finance Director, at EC Harris Group, a global consultancy firm in real estate capital projects. In 2005 he became a Non-Executive Director at Cobra UK (Holdings), a satellite and home automation technologies company and up until 2008 he was Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at DEGW Plc, an international workspace design consultancy.
8. Allan has several current positions, primarily as Director of his own arable farming company, Luffness Mains, in East Lothian, which he has been involved in for over 23 years. The company specialises in high quality pre-pack potatoes for Tesco, and was awarded the Tesco\Greenvale Scottish Potato Grower of the year in 2007. It is a LEAF Marque accredited farm. Allan is also a Governing Board member of the Scottish Crop Research Institute, chairing the Audit Committee, and a Non-Executive Director at the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution and Chairman of the E C Harris Group Pension Scheme.
Appointment details
9. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However in accordance with Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activities, if any, to be made public. Allan Stevenson has not declared any current political activity.
Remuneration
10. Allan’s appointment will be for four years, from 21st July 2008 and he will be paid £300 per day with an initial commitment of up to a combined maximum of 172 days per annum for the AHDB and Potato Council appointments. He will also be able to claim reasonable travel expenses.
End
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Page published: 22 July 2008