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All of us believe in encouraging young people into our great industry, whether it's at home or abroad.
We want to give young people the confidence to make a difference to their own lives and have the courage to follow their dreams.
Lord Henry Plumb
All of us believe in encouraging young people into our great industry, whether it's at home or abroad.
We want to give young people the confidence to make a difference to their own lives and have the courage to follow their dreams.
Lord Henry Plumb
Meet Henry’s team of trustees and advisors. A hand picked team of industry and academic experts, they share Lord Plumb’s desire to help young people to forge careers in agriculture and, from the very start, have worked together to make the foundation’s aims a reality.
Chosen for the breadth of their expertise and experience, our trustees and advisors will gather to form expert panels to interview propsective ‘Henry’s Scholars’ and evaluate their projects and proposals.
Actively involved in all areas UK food and agriculture throughout his life, predominantly sheep farming, John Thorley was founding secretary of National Sheep Association (NSA). Awarded the OBE in 2005 he is also a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies (FRAgS) .
Highly experienced in commercial, technical and communication roles, Rosie Carne has operated both at a UK and global level for fertilizer company Yara International ASA, including a period as Vice President. Now based in the UK Rosie is on the Board of LEAF and is a Trustee of the Worshipful Company of Farmers.
Philip has spent his 40 year career managing and advising businesses in nearly every sector of agriculture. He currently has direct responsibility for the management of 7000 acres of primarily arable farming in Lincolnshire as well as providing financial and strategic advice to a wide range of family and corporate businesses. He is a Non-Exec Director of a number of large scale farming and related businesses and is Chairman of two co-operatives.
Adam, born in 1963, qualified in Farm Management in 1982 from the RAU in Cirencester. He then took on the responsibility of the family arable farm, which is now mostly grass supporting Salers cows and a flock of lleyn sheep. In 2011 he built the ASDA cattle progeny testing unit finishing up to 500 retained ownership cattle a year. Adam has held many roles within the NFU including West Midlands Regional Chairman, the animal health group, the National livestock committee and Vice President, to name a few. He was recently appointed Regional Chair for NFU Mutual Midland Farmer Forums. Adam is also a trustee of the Studley College Trust
James, a farmer from Northern Ireland, Studied Agriculture at Greenmount Agriculture College and the RAU in Cirencester. Having worked in the Agriculture Industry, He then took on the responsibility of the family farm, which is mostly grass supporting Suckler cows, Beef finishing and a flock of breeding sheep. A former President of the Young Farmer’s Clubs of Ulster from 2017-2019, Trustee of Rural Support NI and a former ambassador and winner of The Prince's Countryside Fund Land Rover Bursary 2017.
James currently is an active member of the Ulster Framers Union, he currently is North West Armagh Regional Vice Chairman, the Beef and Lamb Committee member. James is also a Trustee for the NFU Farm Safety Foundation, NI Air Ambulance Agri Business Committee.
A Cumbrian Girl- Brought up on family sheep and beef hill farm in the lake district and now living in Scotland for over 20 years.
A highly motivated, passionate straight talker, who is not afraid of tackling difficult and sensitive issues and situations whilst ensuring that trust, respect, values and confidentiality are respected.
30 years' experience of working within Agriculture and other sectors throughout the UK. Also an International network having worked around the world, through and during career and Nuffield Farming Scholarship travels in 2012 studying "Communication - influencing and motivating change"
I am passionate about helping people, my aim is to make a positive difference to every client or company that I work with. I am a connector, a motivator, an agent of change.
After spending my childhood in N.Ireland, I moved to Wales to take up an entrance scholarship to Aberystwyth University. Having completed my undergraduate degree including a year in Industry (working for IBM UK), I returned to N Ireland and ran a small retail business for a year. Deciding that I wished to continue my studies, I was delighted to win a Department of Education (N Ireland) Major State Scholarship and successfully completed a PhD in International Politics at Aberystwyth focusing on British Relations with China 1937-1945. Alongside my studies, I taught international history 1939-1960 and was also Deputy Warden for a complex of Student Halls of Residence. I also worked as a Research Assistant to the Woodrow Wilson Professor focusing on a range of topics in international relations.
An opportunity then arose at the University to apply for an administrative role setting up a new office looking after postgraduate students. This was the start of a career in university administration and management lasting over 30 years in Universities based in both England and Wales at Aberystwyth University; The University of Nottingham, (including the University's Malaysian Campus); Wrexham University, and Harper Adams University.
Throughout my career, I have enjoyed mentoring and supporting students and staff at my own and other Universities to achieve their study and career goals. I also delivered governance training sessions for governors at a range of UK Universities on behalf of AdvanceHE- the national leadership and management organisation for UK HE. I also held a number of other regional and national roles representing the Association of Heads of University Administration, and was appointed to be the HE Champion for the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership Board and chaired the Board's HE Committee.
I also have over 20 years experience of supporting the work of Military Education Committees (MECs) and Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations (RFCA), volunteering as an adviser to East Midlands RFCA, a RFCA Wales Board member, and Trustee and Chair for North Wales. I continue to be a Board member of West Midlands RFCA, and a co- opted of West Midlands MEC.
I retired from Harper Adams University in 2023 and was awarded an MBE for services to Higher Education in the 2024 New Years Honours List.
Lord Benyon was brought up at Englefield in Berkshire. Englefield is an estate with land close to Reading and Basingstoke. It comprises in-hand farmland, forestry and tenanted farms. It has residential and commercial properties and has benefitted from gravel extraction. The family also has property in Hackney and Inverness-shire.
Following a military career in the Royal Green Jackets, Richard attended the Royal Agricultural College and received a diploma in Rural Estate Management. He worked in Gloucestershire as a Land Agent for Lane Fox Partners, managing estates and farms across southern and western England. He qualified as a Chartered Surveyor. At this time he remembers voting for Henry Plumb in European Parliament Elections.
He then worked for a farm management company in Hampshire called Moundsmere Farming Company and then took over the management of his family’s home farm at Englefield. At this time he became involved in local politics getting elected onto his local council.
He fought the Newbury constituency for the Conservative Party twice before winning it in the 2005 election. In Parliament he joined the Opposition Front Bench as a shadow Defra Minister and entered Government as Minister for Fisheries and the Natural Environment in the Coalition Government in 2010.
He left Government in 2013 and served on the Defence Select Committee, Chaired the All-Party Environment Group, lead the UK Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and served on the Intelligence and Security Committee. He became a Privy Councillor. He stood down from Parliament in 2019.
In 2020 he joined the Rural Committee of the Duchy of Cornwall.
In 2021 he entered the House of Lords and a few weeks later re-entered Government as a Defra Minister in which he served (also in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) until the 2024 election. In the House of Lords he lead tributes to Henry Plumb following his death.
In November 2024 he took up the role of Lord Chamberlain, a role that dates back to 1360 but is now effectively the head of the Royal Household. He still sits in the Lords but as a Crossbencher.
Richard was a founding trustee of the charity Help for Heroes. He has been the President of the South of England Show and the Royal County of Berkshire Show. He is a trustee of a rural education charity, the John Simonds Trust and has developed outdoor learning at Englefield, including holding two Englefield Schools Days every year for Primary Schools.
Born to a farming family, Charles pursued a career as a land agent in Oxfordshire before re-joining the family farm to start a beef enterprise. Charles is currently a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Farmers.
A highly experienced communications specialist, Sarah has combined practical on-farm experience with roles for a wide range of political and agricultural organisations including the RASE, GJW Government Relations, Farm Energy Centre, Town and Country PR and the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs.
A marketing and PR communications expert Angus is owner and Managing Director of RDP Advertising & Marketing, one of the agricultural industry’s leading full service marketing agencies.
From the beginning of The Henry Plumb Foundation The Reverend Gordon Gatward was involved in its formation and then became a Trustee when there was an opportunity to do so.
Due to not having been in the best of health a few years later his wish to resign as a Trustee was recognised and so his fellow trustees at the time respected his wishes.
His connection with the Foundation was not destined to end there and a short while later, following a chat with Lord Plumb and some of the senior Trustees, it was agreed that Gordon should be approached to become Honorary Chaplain to the Foundation. All of this took some time and whilst we didn’t tell the world then, now seems to be an appropriate opportunity to welcome our former Trustee back as Honorary Champlain. The real point is you never really left Gordon – just had a quick trot around the field while no-one was looking, even so, welcome home – we need you!