Red Tractor has appointed Paul McLaughlin, a former chief executive of Scotland Food & Drink, to succeed Jim Moseley as chief executive.
He will take up the role on May 5, working alongside Mr Moseley, before he retires at the end of May. Mr McLauglin will join Red Tractor’s board of directors, working alongside industry, sector and independent directors.
He arrives with a distinguished career spanning food, farming and assurance, having started out in food manufacturing, working with Mars and The Coca-Cola Company before his role at Scotland Food and Drink, where he bought together producers, processors and retailers.
He was managing director of a fresh produce business, Scotty Brand, and has held leadership roles at the Building Engineering Services Association and most recently at the Rail Safety & Standards Board where he led the transformation of a major assurance scheme.
Mr McLaughlin said: “British farming is the backbone of our food system, and the farmers and growers who meet the Red Tractor standard deserve a scheme that works as hard for them as they work for us. I want Red Tractor to be something that farmers can be genuinely proud of and that retailers and consumers trust completely. I’ll be doing a lot of listening first, and then getting to work.”
Alistair Macintosh, chair of Red Tractor said: “Paul brings a unique blend of experience working within food, assurance and multistakeholder organisations. He really impressed the interview panel with his considered and strategic approach to leadership and demonstrated the dynamism needed to drive continued improvement at Red Tractor. I very much look forward to welcoming him to the Red Tractor team.”
The appointment, which followed a ‘comprehensive, open recruitment process’ was ratified by Red Tractor’s board of directors on March 13.
Following the recent NFU elections, Paul Tompkins, NFU deputy president has also joined the Board to represent the farming unions, replacing outgoing director, David Exwood.