Jim Harrison - chairman

For the past 45 years, Jim Harrison, chairman of Milk Link Ltd, has been senior partner in a family farming partnership. They are currently farming 1800 acres with 800 cows, 200 acres of cereals and a beef unit. Jim brings a wealth of practical and managerial experience to the Milk Link board, holding a number of current directorships as well as being past national chairman of the Tenants Farmers Associ-ation. Jim is the UK representative of the European Dairy Farmers Organisation.

John Singleton - Elected Director

Since 1976 John Singleton has held a number of significant farm and estate management positions and is currently the farm and estate manager of a 5000 acre estate in Hampshire with over 475 dairy cows and 1000 acres of arable land. From 1990 to 1999 John also built up a 23 round retail dairy with an on farm processing business. John is an associate of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and a past chairman of the Romsey branch of the NFU. John's commercial and technical background is a great asset to the business.

Rex Ward - Elected Director

Rex Ward has worked in agriculture since leaving college. His original farm holding of 130 acres has expanded to around 600, which he farms in partnership with his wife. It is a mixed farm including 120 dairy cows, 150 beef cattle, 400 ewes and 100 acres of arable. Rex also has 140 acres of organic land in countryside stewardship and has been given the responsibility by Milk Link to develop its specialist milk markets. Since 1994, Rex has been a director of Cornwall Farmers Ltd, an agricultural supply co-operative.

Neil MacFarlane - Operations Director

Neil MacFarlane has worked all of his career in the dairy industry. He started as a field officer for the Milk Marketing Board in 1967 and since then has gained considerable experience in milk collection and distribution, Milk Marketing, and membership services.

More recently, Neil progressed from Business Development manager to managing director of Milk Marque Developments Ltd, which was established to create additional demand for milk in areas of surplus production. Two cheese creameries, Aeron Valley Cheese and North Bradon Farm were purchased and a number of joint ventures explored. More recently, plans were made for a food ingredients factory at Cullompton.

Nairn Glen - Non-Executive Finance Director

Appointed late last December, Nairn Glen is responsible, along with fellow Board members, for defining strategy and establishing the infrastructure of Milk Link. A qualified accountant, he brings a great deal of commercial experience from his previous career in financial management at Safeway PLC (previously Argyll Group and Cavenham Group), where he worked from 1973 to November 1999.

As the finance director of Safeway Stores he was responsible for all financial accounting, reporting and planning for the large stores division of the Safeway Group and controlled the investment appraisal process. In 1997, he took up the task of Director of Corporate Finance at Safeway, where he was responsible for financial accounting, corporate treasury and risk management of the group.