New Strategy Directors for Horticulture, Dairy and Cereals & Oilseeds have been announced by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

Amanda Ball will be Strategy Director for Dairy, Martin Grantley-Smith will be Strategy Director for Cereals & Oilseeds and Steve Tones is to be the Strategy Director for Horticulture. All three are internal promotions and will start in their new roles on Monday 5 October. These three join the two Strategy Directors already in post – Mick Sloyan for Pork and Rob Clayton for Potatoes. The recruitment of the sixth Strategy Director for Beef & Lamb will be completed in early October to replace Nick Allen, who is AHDB’s new Market Development Director.

The six sector Strategy Directors are key members of AHDB’s senior management team and will report into Tom Hind who was recently announced as AHDB’s Chief Strategy Officer. They have a pivotal role as the ‘glue’ between the *Sector Boards and the operational parts of the organisation, ensuring that what the Sector Boards have agreed within their business plans is delivered by AHDB’s operational teams. Freed up from having to directly manage large numbers of staff, the Strategy Directors’ roles will focus on extensive liaison both internally and externally with levy payers and key stakeholders.

Rebecca Geraghty, AHDB Chief HR Officer, said: “I am pleased to welcome Amanda, Steve and Martin into these important roles. They will be a primary point of contact for our levy payers and Sector Boards and I expect them to have impact and influence on our organisation through their knowledge and skills.”

Steve Tones: Strategy Director – Horticulture Steve has been Head of Business Development of AHDB Horticulture (formerly HDC) for six years, leading the strategic planning of AHDB’s work in the sector and helping to shape the long-term direction of levy-funded programmes for the horticulture industry. Previously he spent more than 20 years at ADAS as an entomologist and set up ran his own specialised consultancy and investment companies. He is an Agricultural Zoology graduate from Newcastle University and studied for a PhD at Glasgow University.

Dr Martin Grantley-Smith: Strategy Director – Cereals & Oilseeds Martin has headed up the Business Development team for AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds (formerly HGCA) for the last six years, working with the Sector Board to shape the priorities and the sector’s business plan. Before it was merged into the AHDB, he worked for the Meat and Livestock Commission. He has significant agricultural and post-farmgate experience in a number of different areas including marketing and exports, strategic planning and development, project management and managing industry and Government relations across the UK. He is an Animal Psychology graduate from the University of London and has a PhD in Ruminant Nutrition from Reading University.

Amanda Ball: Strategy Director – Dairy Amanda has been with AHDB Dairy (formerly DairyCo) and, prior to that the Milk Development Council, since 2006 in senior marketing and communications roles. Most recently as Head of Marketing and Communications for AHDB Dairy she was responsible for promoting a positive perception of dairy farming among the general public and activity to promote AHDB Dairy tools and services to levy payers. Previously, Amanda worked in the Agricultural Supply Trade for 15 years. Her last post in the supply trade was as Business Development and Training Manager for Cargill PLC. It was during this time that she was elected the first female president of Bristol Corn and Feed Trade Association.