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Sheena Horner
Freelance consultant, Chilli farmer and Non Exec Director
Sheena has been involved in agriculture all her life and on returning home to Galloway,
diversified into growing chillies. It was through that business that she developed a growing network of food and drink businesses throughout Scotland. A firm believer in developing skills, collaboration and the circular economy led her to setting up Food from Farming, a second business enabling her to do this and advise others.
She believes strongly in the locality and seasonality of food and drink and a passion for sustainability and the benefits this brings to local and rural economies. These skills are currently being used in her role as a director of the Oxford Farming Conference, a trustee of The Crichton Trust and a regional food and drink coordinator.
Why did you decide to join the program?
"I love helping others, passing on my knowledge but also learning form those that I help as this is always and should be a two way conversation where both benefit."
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
I hope my experience can help others to reach their potential while challenging myself. I have been lucky enough to be on some fantastic programmes and hope to use these experiences to help others.
Andrew Teanby
Associate Director at Savills and Lincolnshire Farmer
I am a rural researcher at Savills, focusing on agricultural, environmental, rural property, and land use issues across the UK. I lead a team of research analysts and a specialist rural data team, analysing the impact of policy changes on rural businesses and the land market. Alongside this, I run our family arable farm in east Lincolnshire and am busy investigating ways that we can evolve our combinable cropping system to make the business more sustainable.
Why did you decide to join the program?
I joined the program as I was keen to benefit from an outside perspective on my development while also offering my experience back as a mentor. I really like the matching process and that there is training to help make sure you get the most out of the program.
Ian Brown
Farmer and Business Owner
I was born the third-generation tenant of a mixed farm in 1986, at age 21 chose to run the farm business which I did until 2012. The farm was called Lee Moor and had a well-developed website that I keep going www.leemoor.net The farm was a demonstration site for many innovations. I immediately started putting into place sustainable farming practices and as such was an early member of Linking the Environment and Farming (LEAF). I have a very wide range of farming and non-farming related business experiences and now have set up a sugar-based plastics business www.chestnut.bio
Why did you decide to join the program?
Impact and legacy – there is only so much in life you can do for yourself, and to be fair there is a great inner feeling one gets from helping people reach their ambitions. I have always been involved with the land-based industry and there is so much uncertainty and anxiety in the countryside at the current time I am determined to share my ‘know how’ and importantly ‘know who’ to make things better for decent hard-working individuals.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
To be challenged to come up with a range of scenarios to add to that of the mentee and then to be supportive and to follow up and help pivot if that is required. Nobody has a monopoly on wisdom and the environment of threats and opportunities change regularly.
Hannah Scott-Cook
Studying for her PhD at Harper Adams University
Originally from inner-city Birmingham, I was attracted to the broad range of subjects that agriculture encompasses so completed a degree in Agriculture at Harper Adams University. During this time, I developed an interest in poultry nutrition and am now pursuing a PhD in slow growing broiler nutrition and environmental impact assessments. In my spare time I enjoy French classical dressage, cooking, knitting and exploring fashion.
Why did you decide to join the program?
I decided to join the Cultivate Success program to develop a good foundation for a career in agriculture once I finish my PhD. I am passionate about networking and building communities and believe these factors are essential for personal and professional growth.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
I hope to have great conversations with people from the sector that will lead to lasting networks and communities. I hope that through the mentorship I will develop clearer goals for my future and gain confidence about heading out to work in the industry.
Andrew Suddes
Founder of Your Farming Future
After a career spanning over 25 years in Agricultural Banking, Policy and Consultancy, I set up my own business, Your Farming Future, in late 2023. I focus on results driven consultancy and support for livestock businesses in the North of England. This encompasses financial planning, including cashflow modelling, benchmarking and advice on maximising profitability. I also deliver technical advice on areas such as nutrition and nutrient planning and an increasing focus is on sustainability and productivity.
Why I joined the Programme
As a self employed individual, I find myself dispensing advice and a form of mentoring to paying clients on a daily basis. But I have realised that there is little or no support for someone trying to dispense this advice! My business relies on my ability to connect and build rapport with clients new and old and I need an outlet to focus on this for myself and keep these skills fresh for me. I hope that the Cultivate success program can help with this.
What do I hope to Gain?
The offer of a mentor and a network of like minded individuals in the industry is an offer I could not miss and I hope to build relationships with trusted individuals who will be an asset to my continued growth.
James Goodson
James is a Fellow Member of the British Institute of Agricultural Consultants (FBIAC) and previously was an Agricultural Farm Business Consultant for Fisher German based at the Newark office with the title Partner. His role entailed full farm management of ‘in hand’ farms owned by private clients, as well as managing and running a large number of contract farming and joint venture arrangements. Also focussed on Single Farm Payment (SFP) and its replacement the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) applications, as well as EU legislation and conservation grant schemes. He was actively involved in providing business advice to a wide range of agricultural and contracting businesses, both large and small.
His work also involved working with banks and other financial institutions providing advice and business recommendations to their clients and was also on the business support panel for Lloyds Bank, providing advice on business recovery and rescue for their clients throughout England and Wales.
He now spends his time working full time on the family farm to concentrate on various new enterprises his family have recently gained planning permission for. The first being a Natural Burial Ground, a venture which includes 700m of new hedgerows, 100 new tree species and 10 acres of wildflower meadow for ashes and burial internments. The second being a self-storage business and commercial unit lets.
Why did you decide to join the program?
I have enjoyed over the years mentoring and helping younger people within my team grow in confidence within the Agribusiness industry and this had been incredibly rewarding seeing them progress. I see this program as a further way in which, I can assist in giving ideas and knowledge transfer enabling them personally and professionally to achieve their goals with ongoing mentoring and support.
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