RABI is delighted to welcome Mark Herrod to the Council of Trustees.

Appointed at the Annual General Meeting in June, Mr Herrod is an executive director and company secretary of the Lamport Group of Companies in Northamptonshire and a qualified Chartered Surveyor.

RABI is the third charity Mark has been involved with, using his experience as a trustee to provide a useful source of charitable governance, aiding the charity’s leadership team.

“After studying farming from the age of 16 before moving to pursue different opportunities, I came back to my rural roots, quickly becoming acutely aware of how valuable the farming community is, especially in preserving our landscape and bringing communities together in otherwise isolated parts of the country,” Mark explains.

“Over the years, I’ve encountered many farming families who are facing challenges, often through things which are beyond their control. Therefore, I’m extremely proud to be working with an organisation that provides an increasingly diverse range of support services to farming people and their families, whether that be financial support or providing specialist advice to help them overcome the challenges they face.”

“Agriculture is facing an exciting and challenging time, which means farming charities like RABI are more important than ever.

“Although I’m under no illusion that this role will involve careful consideration as to how future strategies are formed, RABI has a clear direction of travel to ensure it is able to help the farming community transition into this new era of agriculture. This, coupled with having a fantastic chair of trustees and chief executive in place, means trustees have a clear vision of what RABI is aiming to achieve.”

As a trustee, Mark will serve up to two, four-year terms in his position, joining an enthusiastic Council who all have strong links to agriculture.

Speaking about the appointment, Jeanette Dawson, chair of RABI said: “At a time when the farming community is facing multiple pressures and changes, we’re delighted Mark has joined the Council of Trustees. As a charity, RABI is striving to ensure it can better meet the needs of the farming community, and drawing on expertise from across the industry will help take us from strength to strength.”