Independent research charity, the Organic Research Centre (‘ORC’), has today announced that it is strengthening its leadership with the appointment of three additional trustees.
The new appointments – Janet Dwyer, Honor May Eldridge and Jake Pickering – will bring a breadth of experience from research in sustainable agriculture, agricultural economics and policy through to food retail and will support ORC in its work to deliver the transition to naturally healthy and resilient farming systems.
Janet Dwyer is Professor of Rural Policy at the Countryside and Community Research Institute at the University of Gloucestershire. She is also a director of Rural England, chairs the Defra Food, Farming and Countryside Commission and is President of the UK Agricultural Economics Society.
Honor Mayeldridge
Honor May Eldridge is a food systems consultant, working primarily to advise NGOs and businesses in the agriculture and food retail sectors. She was previously Head of Policy for the Sustainable Food Trust, worked on post-Brexit policy at the Soil Association and was Legislative and Government Affairs Co-ordinator at the Center for Food Safety in Washington DC.
Jake Pickering is the Senior Manager for Agriculture at Waitrose, where he leads the team that is responsible for setting and implementing the Waitrose agriculture strategy. He was previously employed by Sainsbury’s in roles across sourcing and agriculture.
Commenting on their appointment, Tim Bennett, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Organic Research Centre, said:
“The addition of Janet, Honor and Jake to our Trustee Board will significantly strengthen our leadership and governance. This will help us ensure that we continue to deliver innovative research and knowledge transfer, to better equip farmers in managing the transition to naturally healthy and resilient farming systems. The wide range of experience, contacts and expertise that they bring to our organisation will be invaluable as we work to help farmers navigate the global challenges ahead.”
