I’ve gone from running agricultural field trials in the UK, through working for the UK Government to working on the sustainable sourcing of pretty much every single agricultural food crop grown on planet earth over my 30+ year career.
I love working with procurement teams – they are action-orientated, a window to the world outside their business and a reflection of their business they serve. De-mystifying ‘sustainable sourcing’ through deep collaboration with procurement professionals is where I get my energy. Leveraging the procurement functions skills and insights in service of sustainable sourcing unleashes an amazing, positive force for good. In this digitally transparent world, it should be no surprise that it is a business’s buying behaviour that often defines its external reputation.
My expertise is by taking what can appear at first as a complicated and expensive concept of ‘sustainable sourcing’ and viewing it through a procurement lens and making it happen. Reframing it into security of supply – by improving incomes and yields of smallholders or future cost avoidance in the form of carbon regulation by delivering a deforestation-free palm supply chain. Societies challenges of climate change, regenerating ecosystems, enabling living incomes and embedding respect for Human rights I know are all solvable value-creating opportunities for a business’s procurement function.
Probably be hosting my own radio chat show – always thought I could do this, not because I can cut to the heart of current affairs, but as my school report always noted I was ‘too chatty’.
I return the support of my brilliant wife, who makes a difference every day as a primary school teacher.
My agronomy knowledge can be traced back to my time as a summer student for Unilever harvesting peas for Birds Eye and grew to sustainable sourcing roles working across peas, tomatoes, dairy, sugar, and oilseeds.
This agronomy knowledge became sustainable agricultural expertise, and I was there at the start of the Unilever Sustainable agriculture program. I did a two-year secondment at the Cabinet Office, in the regulatory impact unit – removing regulatory red tape and gaining deep insights in to why both business and government need good regulation. I returned to Unilever and was there at the launch of the Unilever Sustainable Living plan.
I became the Sustainable Agriculture Director at Unilever and prior to joining BRODIE I was the Director of Sustainable Sourcing at Mars Wrigley. Both roles involved defining credible impact, then leading and co-piloting procurement teams strategies delivering: a definition of sustainability (Unilever Sustainable Agriculture code), implementing deforestation free palm (Mars Palm positive), increasing living income in rural India (Shubhmint) and leading coalitions such as the Sustainable Dairy partnership and as co-chair of the CGF Palm oil working group.
Whilst reflecting on my next personal journey, I met two inspiring business founders who share my values and purpose, and in November 2021 I joined their super business: BRODIE.
