Andy is a non-executive Director at Farm Carbon Toolkit. He qualified as a vet in 1997, and after a short period in mixed practice, went to New Zealand to learn how to be a proper farm vet. Returning to the UK in 2003, he has worked in farm practice ever since.
In 2007, he embarked on a part-time MBA journey, aiming to enhance his business acumen and develop a strategic mindset for the future. From 2009 to 2019, he not only owned a vet practice but also took on significant leadership roles. He became the Chair of XL Vets UK Ltd and a Non-Executive Director of a Veterinary training business. In these positions, he focused on delivering governance, fostering growth, and building strong teams, all within an industry undergoing rapid corporatization.
He has always struggled with the tension within veterinary medicine between farmers wanting magic bullets to ‘cure’ their animals and the need to challenge farmers to create environments where they don’t get ill. He has always been more interested in how to create systems that deliver animal health and welfare so that pharmaceutical remedies are not needed.
In 2019, he made a significant transition, selling his business and joining Mole Valley Farmers. This move allowed him to broaden his understanding of Agriculture from different perspectives, encompassing nutrition, agronomy, and retail, all while managing their vet practice. This shift also sparked a deeper interest in how we can address issues of climate change and sustainability.
In 2022, he completed a short course in sustainability leadership at CISL. Understanding how to draw down carbon and farm regeneratively allows him to act as a bridge between farming, professional services, agricultural businesses, and innovative companies.
Since 2022, his consulting activities have been split between working with vet practices to strategically face the future and farming business to engage in regenerative farming.
He works with organisations to support their senior leadership teams in thriving whilst valuing their people and the planet.
Currently, he has his own consultancy business focused on supporting Veterinary and Agricultural organisations in facing the future with optimism and creativity to deliver a sustainable future where our grandchildren can be proud of the work we have done to cool the planet and bring back biodiversity.
