Graham Wilkinson to join AHDB as new CEO

AHDB has announced the appointment of Graham Wilkinson as its new chief executive officer.

Graham, pictured, brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success from his time at Arla Foods as Global Vice President, Agriculture.

During his extensive time at Arla working in both global and UK roles, he has successfully supported over 8,500 cooperative farmer owners and managed the delivery of innovative commercial milk concepts on farm.

With his experience and knowledge of the supply chain, Graham created a leading European agriculture function within Arla, spanning seven markets. He has also worked in the retailer-side at Tesco PLC, where he strengthened the sustainability of agriculture supply chains in its dairy, beef, pork and poultry sectors.

Having worked throughout the supply chain for his whole career, agriculture has always been part of Graham’s life, working with his grandparents and parents on the family farm in the north east of England. He is a passionate leader and strong advocate of British food and farming.

Nicholas Saphir, Chair of AHDB, said:

"We are thrilled to welcome Graham to AHDB with his passion for farming, his impressive leadership skills and vast industry knowledge.

"We believe he is the ideal candidate to lead AHDB into the next exciting phase of our growth, putting levy payers at the heart of our work and maximising the impact of the work we do. Thank you to Arla for supporting a smooth transition."

Reflecting on his appointment, Graham said:

"I am excited to join AHDB, an organisation that I have a deep appreciation for and huge respect for its fantastic team.

"My passion is working with farmers, for farmers and with my experience, I see this as a great opportunity to drive greater impact and success for all levy payers to help create a world-class food and farming industry."

Graham is set to start at AHDB on 1 March 2024.

He replaces Tim Rycroft, who left AHDB in December after nearly two and a half very successful years.