Profile of new AHDB chief executive Graham Wilkinson

Graham Wilkinson worked on the family farm and gained experience on other units in the North East, eventually becoming a dairy herd manager. His early career remains firmly etched in his mind, as he steers the AHDB through the coming years as the organisation’s chief executive officer.

Mr Wilkinson took up the chief executive officer post this spring, replacing Tim Rycroft. Having come directly from a “fast-moving, commercial environment”, he has already established four main pillars of action for the AHDB.

He says: “We are nothing without our levy payers, so our main goal is to deliver value for money for our work. The second pillar is to demonstrate strong, brave and decisive leadership; the AHDB has been too quiet, for too long.

"One recent example is our five-year Environmental Baselining project, an industry first pilot scheme in which 170 farmers and growers will record and monitor environmental performance statistics.

“The third pillar is to create an organisational culture that will attract, develop and retain people with some of the best skills in the industry, while our fourth broad aim is to identify areas of growth, including exploring ways of attracting funding from other sources that benefit levy payers.”

(Image: Contributor)

The corporate-style approach is a long way from Mr Wilkinson’s beginnings. Brought up on a tenanted dairy farm near Stockton-on-Tees, he went on to study agriculture at Houghall College (now called East Durham College). After graduating, he worked for eight years as a dairy herd manager on a large mixed farm in Sedgefield, County Durham.

In 2001, he started to look at “options in the world beyond the farm gate” and spent a short period as a sales representative for agricultural supplies company, Hadrian Farm Services.

“My next step was a move to Express Dairies as agricultural manager and within a year the firm had merged with the farmer co-operative, Arla Foods,” says Mr Wilkinson. “I retained my position, establishing sustainable farming groups for a number of retailer customers, including Tesco and Morrisons.

“While managing these groups, I was headhunted by Tesco and joined the retailer as its agriculture manager. It was a steep learning curve. I initially managed the pig and poultry section, before moving across to beef and lamb and then dairy. It was fascinating to gain new insights into other livestock systems and supply chains.”

After four years with Tesco, he moved back to Arla and in 2005 was promoted to become the firm’s global senior agriculture director.

“I managed both the UK and the global agriculture team at Arla,” he said. “It fulfilled one of my main passions, which is forging links between farmers and consumers. To have any success in this endeavour, both parties must benefit and today, more than ever, consumers are interested in how their food is produced. Food provenance and quality are considered significant to a growing percentage of consumers, although the phrase, ‘price is king,’ remains relevant.”

Arla’s head office in Denmark and its association with several other European countries meant that his weekly work schedule for managing a global team required extensive travel. This was a time for learning about the many similarities among the demands of farmers and consumers from different cultures, he commented.

While no longer clocking up quite so many miles since moving to the AHDB, his “visible leadership style” approach means that he will be a regular sight at the myriad events around the country where the AHDB has a presence. He commutes to the AHDB head office in Coventry from Yarm, North Yorkshire, not far from his birthplace.

At home, he keeps a small number of beef cattle for meat box sales and is an avid follower of Middlesbrough Football Club, enjoying running, walking his dogs and spending time with his wife, Joanne, and their two sons, Louis and Benjamin. He also likes “tinkering” with old tractors and has restored a number of vintage models including a McCormick 434, which was purchased by his grandfather as a new machine in 1968.

“In fact, a little grey Fergie that I restored to its former glory still sits in the canteen at Arla, where it serves as a reminder that Arla’s farmer owners are central to the company’s success,” he says. “One third of my working life to date has been in practical agriculture, and I like to think that the experience helps me when working with farmers. My role at AHDB in overseeing the various agricultural sectors mirrors my previous career, in many ways.

“As for future plans for the AHDB, the focus will be on the four pillars of success that have been set out as a guideline for the development of the organisation. There are always challenges, but we should never lose sight of the wide range of new opportunities to explore.”