The Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) has named Tim Bailey as its new chief executive, taking up the role in March 2019.
Mr Bailey, who has worked in the food supply chain for 19 years, joins from Acoura (formerly Scottish Food Quality Certification) where he has served as agricultural director, managing director and global head of service delivery support.
Acoura forms part of the Lloyd’s Register Group, and is the UK’s fastest growing provider of risk services for the food and drink supply chain. Prior to joining Acoura in 2002, Mr Bailey practiced as a veterinary surgeon, and he also runs his own livestock farming business.
Mr Bailey will take over from James Graham, who is retiring after 21 years with SAOS.
He said: “SAOS is in the pivotal position to make an even larger contribution to the Scottish agri-food and drink industry in the years ahead, and I believe I can help it to achieve that.
“The SAOS team is highly respected for its expertise and track record, but also for the collaborative values it represents and practices in all its work. SAOS’ values and innovation capabilities will be more important than ever to the industry in future, as we address a wide range of challenges and capitalise on the growth opportunities ahead. I very much look forward to taking up the chief executive role in March.”
Mark Clark, chair of SAOS, also said: “Tim brings a range of knowledge and skills from across supply chains that will be extremely valuable as we continue building SAOS through our innovation work. It is also vitally important that Tim brings both a genuine interest in Scotland’s primary and manufacturing sectors, and empathy with SAOS’ co-operative membership, our culture and our values.”
