People

People

The UK Agricultural Industries Confederation has announced that Sam Bell, UK Commercial Director at CF Industries and Nick Major, Corporate Affairs Director at ForFarmers have taken over as chairs for the AIC’s Fertiliser Executive Committee and Feed Executive Committee, respectively.

Commenting on Sam’s appointment, Jo Gilbertson, Fertiliser Sector head for the AIC said; ”Sam’s appointment comes at a critical time for the sector and we are delighted that she has accepted the role. I am confident that Sam will build on the excellent work that Peter Scott Technical Director Origin Fertilisers, has driven over the last two years. The sector will not be losing Peter’s expertise as he has recently been appointed Chair of the European Fertiliser Blenders’ Association (EFBA). Sam will be taking up her role on the 28th October”.

Sam’s stated objective is to ensure that the fertiliser sector navigates the right path through all the forthcoming changes in a post-Brexit landscape. She said: “Significant change is on the horizon and we need to respond with creativity, diligence and energy to provide solutions to achieve a productive, sustainable future for UK agriculture. I need to ensure time and resources are well spent, engagement from members is high and we effectively communicate to all stakeholders to deliver our agreed goals”.

For the Feed Executive Committee, Nick Major was appointed at the AIC AGM in early October, taking over from recently appointed AIC Chair Angela Booth, Director of Feed Safety at AB Agri.

“We are delighted that Nick has accepted this role having served as a member of the Feed Executive Committee for many years”, commented James McCulloch, Feed Sector head for the AIC. “He has already had an integral role in the initiatives championed by Angela during her 8 years as Chair and I am confident that he will be bringing his experience, most notably as immediate Past-President of FEFAC to build on the unwavering commitment that Angela has demonstrated during her time”. On behalf of the whole committee I would like to thank Angela and look forward to working with her in her role as AIC Chair.

AIC has also appointed Ed Barker to the role of Head of Policy & External Affairs. Barker is from a Suffolk farming background, with stints at Westminster, the CLA and most recently as senior policy advisor for the National Pig Association. Chief Executive Robert Sheasby emphasised there was much to do, “we are at a critical stage in trade negotiations with our biggest trading partner and with many others who will become increasingly influential. Our sector is facing significant change as the Common Agricultural Policy makes way for a devolved approach. I am confident that Ed will help AIC develop policy alongside members which will ensure we move forward in a positive way.”

ClimeCo says that it has promoted Dr. Scott Subler to Chief Science Officer (CSO). Subler has made an enduring mark on the carbon offset world over the last 15 years. From overseeing the first US offset delivery from a dairy farm methane capture project to chairing the Offsets Committee for the Chicago Climate Exchange, Subler has been a major influence on many carbon offset methodologies that are used today. His work investigating different types of lagoon cover systems for dairy and swine farms in different climates continues to impact new methane capture installations, and his advocacy for organic waste composting projects resulted in the protocol used today at the Climate Action Reserve.

Nirlep Singh Rai will become the new Director (Technical) of India’s National Fertilizer Ltd (NFL). Rai previously served as an executive director in the same organisation. He is also chief executive officer (CEO) of Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (RFCL), a joint venture between NFL, Engineers India Limited (EIL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL).

Rai gained a Batchelor of Engineering (Instrumentation and Control) from Thapar University, and has 35 years of professional experience. He took charge of RFCL on November 1, 2018. He has worked at NFL in various capacities, including head of technical services and projects at the Bathinda unit. Rai has been involved in various projects such as feed stock change over from fuel oil to natural gas, commissioning of DCS and ESD systems, machine monitoring systems, process gas analysers, fire and gas systems etc. His experience includes technical services and operation and maintenance of large scale fertilizer plants.