Julie Robinson, Tom Allen-Stevens and Will Surman will join The Oxford Farming Conference board (OFC) as its new directors for a three year term until January 2019. The trio will take up their voluntary appointments after the 2016 OFC AGM on 5 January.
Julie leads the Agriculture team at Roythornes solicitors, and describes her role as “getting farmers onto land to grow stuff!” She spent several years as chief legal advisor at the National Farmers’ Union and worked in the steel and other commercial sectors before switching to her career in law.
Tom is an arable farmer from Oxfordshire and editor of Crop Production Magazine. He is a graduate of the Royal Agricultural College and has worked as manager of LEAF’s Open Farm Sunday and is a director of Farming in the Park, an event that aims to put on a major agricultural show in central London.
Brussels-based Will Surman works for CropLife International, a trade body which champions the role of plant science innovations. He has worked as a political advisor in the European Parliament, as a senior reporter for Farmers Guardian and as parliamentary advisor for the NFU in Brussels.
He said of his appointment: “I am delighted to be joining the OFC council. I have attended the conference many times and find it to be a market-place of ideas and full of energy. I always leave both inspired and buoyed by the incredible people that work in our industry.
In my day job I look at the policies and innovations that can help farmers around the world tackle issues of food security and sustainable development and hope to bring my experience in international agriculture to the OFC. Not only is the OFC a great forum to discuss the future of British agriculture, but it is also an opportunity to interact with farmers from around the world. I can’t wait to get started!”
Commenting on the three appointments, Al Brooks, Chairman of the 2016 Oxford Farming Conference said: “Our new directors bring a great diversity of experience and contacts to the OFC, they are all hugely passionate about the sector.”
Julie Robinson describes the OFC as “the pre-eminent independent farming conference,” which drew her to apply as a director. “OFC has the capacity, not only to inform, but to provoke. To be involved in the organising team is both exciting and daunting, with the challenge of maintaining the top quality content and creative sessions that delegates rightly expect."
Tom Allen-Stevens added: “I’m delighted to be a director of the Oxford Farming Conference – it’s been an ambition for many years. The conference is one of the key occasions in the farming calendar, and much of what is set out by politicians, industry experts and leading farmers at Oxford is then played out in the ensuing months, which is why I’ve attended this conference for over 20 years and drawn great value from it. What’s more, as an Oxfordshire farmer, this is when farming’s great and good come to my home turf, so I’m looking forward to my role as one of the hosts to ensure every delegate draws as much value from their time here as I do.”
The OFC Council is made up of nine people who work with the rest of the team to deliver the conference programme, speakers and the wider activities now linked to the OFC such as the Arable Conference at the Cereals Event, the OFC scholars programme and the OFC/RASE Practice with Science Award, sponsored by Map of Agriculture. The team is supported by a professional secretariat, Farm Smart Events; a treasurer/Director and a marketing consultancy, Jane Craigie Marketing.
The other directors on the board are: Dr Tina Barsby, Al Brooks, Martin Davies, John Gilliland, Alan Laidlaw, Robert Lasseter, Caroline Millar, Charlotte Smith and Philip Wilkinson OBE. The treasurer is David Turner and the secretary is Ann Newbold. Marketing and media relations for the conference is undertaken by Jane Craigie. Milly Wastie is an Associate Director.
Martin Davies will take over as the 2017 OFC Chairman in January 2016.
