Meredydd David OBE, Principal Reaseheath College.

Ann Turner,
Principal Myerscough College

Introduction

We are honoured to be elected as joint Chairs of Landex at a time of significant change and challenge within the education sector. Landex has been unstinting in its support of land based higher and further education and supporting colleges and universities to achieve the highest standards of teaching, learning and student experience. Alongside this support, Landex actively works for the membership through close working with industry representatives, Government ministers, funding bodies and civil servants to ensure that the unique role of land based colleges is reflected in Government policy and recognised as a critical element in delivering the Agri-tech strategy and meeting the identified skills shortage within the sector. In a year dominated by area reviews of post 16 education and the formation of a National Land Based College there is much activity and we look forward to working with the Landex team and Chris Moody, CEO on the behalf of members.

Lord Boswell of Aynho

'Lord Boswell is an Oxford classics graduate and has a diploma in agricultural economics: he is a partner in the family farming business near Banbury, and was MP for Daventry from 1987 until 2010.
Tim Boswell MP entered John Major's government in 1990 as an Assistant Government Whip, and following the 1992 General Election was promoted within the Whip's Office and became a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury. Later in 1992, Tim Boswell was appointed Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Department of Education and then moved to a similar role at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food until the 1997 General Election. In opposition he was variously a spokesman at the Treasury, Trade and Industry, and then Education and Employment. He also spent periods as the spokesman for Work and Pensions and Constitutional Affairs before announcing his retirement from the Commons. He was raised to the peerage as Baron Boswell of Aynho in the County of Northamptonshire in 2010'.

Baroness Byford DBE, DL

'Baroness Byford of Rothley attended Moulton College as a student and is an honorary graduate of Harper Adams University College: she is an arable farmer in Suffolk and a member of the House of Lords. Lady Byford DBE was the Conservative spokesman for Food, Farming and Rural Affairs from 1997 until 2008, having been made a life peer in 1996.
Lady Byford is a Canon of Leicester Cathedral; President of LEAF; a member of the court and Under Warden of the Worshipful Company of Farmers: a patron of the Women’s Food and Farming Union, and a former patron of the National Farm Attractions Network and the Institute of the Agricultural Secretaries & Administrators. In 2007, she was elected President of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers; and in 2008, she received an Honorary DSc from Nottingham Trent University in recognition of her outstanding contribution and commitment to agriculture and rural life

Donald Curry is married has two sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and lives in Northumberland. Since January 2010 he has been Chair of the Better Regulations Executive (BRE) based in BIS.
In 2009 he was appointed Chair of the Leckford Estate Management Committee – the Waitrose Farm and in August 2012 was appointed Chair of the Royal Veterinary College.
Lord Curry was appointed as a board member of the NFU Mutual Insurance Company in 1997 and was Chairman from June 2003 to December 2011.
He Chaired the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food reporting to Government in January 2002 and was responsible for overseeing the Government’s Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food until March 2009: he served as a Crown Estate Commissioner from January 2000 until December 2007.
He was a founder, of ‘At Home in the Community’ in 1990, a charity providing care and support for people with learning disabilities, and has continued to Chair the company since then. A trustee of Clinton Devon Estates and also Anglican International Developments (AID).
Lord Curry was awarded a CBE for his services to Agriculture in the 1997 New Year’s Honours list, a Knighthood in the Birthday Honours in 2001 and was appointed as a cross bench peer in The House of Lords in October 2011.
In 2004 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (DSc) by Cranfield University, an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Gloucestershire in 2005 and a Doctorate of Civil Law by Newcastle University in 2008.

Chris Moody OBE

Chris Moody has been Chief Executive of Landex since February 2011.
Prior to that, he was Principal of Moulton College in Northamptonshire: a post that he held from 1992 until 2011.
Chris is a graduate of Aston, Bath and Bristol Universities and holds a master’s degree in Education Management. He was appointed an OBE in the 2007 New Year honours list for services to further education and training.
After a short time in industry he taught, and was then Head of a Science Department and Housemaster, in a Secondary School before holding posts as Senior Warden, Development Manager and Vice-Principal in Landbased Colleges. He has a particular interest in the application of business principles to the management of colleges.
He was Chairman of Landex – ‘Colleges Aspiring to Excellence’ from its formation in 2006 until 2008, having previously been Chairman of Napaeo, its predecessor organisation.
Chris is a former member of the Boards of the Association of Colleges, Principals’ Professional Council, and EMFEC. He has also served as a council member of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, and the Learning and Skills Improvement Service.
Chris is currently a governor of Hartpury College in Gloucestershire, and a director of the Agrifood Charities Partnership (AFCP).
His principal leisure interests are sporting, and now revolve around watching as much rugby and cricket as possible!