What does British agriculture need from its leaders? And is that the same as what British farmers will need?

Three of the most powerful roles in UK agriculture are changing hands. It's a moment that could be described as a leadership vacuum, or just as easily, a turning point. Whatever you call it, this shift raises a bigger question. What does British farming need from its leaders? And is that the same thing British farmers need?

Who do we need in the driving seat...or do we need them plugging in the GPS?

Who’s Staying and Who’s Going?

Over the last few months, we’ve seen some major moves.

Graham Wilkinson is stepping down as Chief Executive of AHDB on 22 August 2025. He had been in post since March 2024 and was gaining traction with his focus on putting levy payers at the centre. He will be replaced on an interim basis by Janet Swadling OBE, an experienced leader who has worked across the public, private, and academic sectors, including at SRUC and TIAH. She also previously sat on AHDB’s board.

At the UK Agri-Tech Centre, Phil Bicknell has left his role after leading the complex merger of Agri-EPI, CHAP, and CIEL. That merger was designed to streamline agricultural innovation across the UK. His replacement for now is Hannah Senior, an entrepreneur and advisor in agri-tech with a global perspective and strong governance experience.

At the NFU, Tom Bradshaw remains President after being elected in early 2024 to follow Minette Batters, but the Director General, Terry Jones, has announced he will step down in 2026. That means another influential role at the heart of UK farming policy will soon be vacant.

So at this moment, leadership across the sector is in transition, the three biggest roles in agri leadership are independently being recruited for. And that invites some serious reflection.

The Pros and Cons of a Leadership Vacuum

Leadership changes always come with risk. But they also bring opportunity.

On the positive side, this could be the moment to inject fresh thinking. New leaders might challenge long-standing assumptions, work across silos, and bring energy to a sector that sometimes struggles with inertia. There’s also the opportunity to appoint leaders with different experiences, values, or perspectives. That could mean better alignment between farming, science, the environment, and the market.

But there are also real risks. Interim leaders often maintain rather than transform. Farmers could lose confidence or feel adrift during transitions. Strategic direction may pause, especially if replacements take months to be appointed. And if appointments are too cautious, we could end up with more of the same, just at a time when boldness is needed.

The key point is this. Change on this scale is rare. It could either create momentum or cause drift. Which direction we head depends on the choices we make now.

Where This Has Happened Before

We’ve seen similar moments in other sectors in the food supply chain. In 2014, Tesco was in crisis. Consumer trust was low, profit forecasts were overstated, and leadership had lost its way. The company brought in Dave Lewis, a former Unilever executive with no retail background. He stripped away expansion plans, fixed supplier relationships, and focused on rebuilding trust. Tesco stabilised and returned to growth.

Sainsbury’s went through its own transition. After the failed Asda merger, Mike Coupe stepped down and Simon Roberts took over. Roberts quietly improved operations, embraced digital tools like the SmartShop app, and repositioned Sainsbury’s on value. Under his leadership, the business became leaner and more focused.

Globally, Unilever recently made headlines when it removed its CEO Hein Schumacher after just 18 months. Despite progress on margins, he was seen as too slow to act. Investors wanted faster, clearer results. His successor, Fernando Fernandez, was a long-time insider who quickly signalled a sharper focus on commercial delivery.

The lesson is clear. When sectors face change, leadership style matters. Those who restore clarity, confidence and pace tend to leave a lasting mark.

What Does British Farming Need Right Now?

British farming as a sector needs strategic, outward-looking leadership. Leaders who understand policy, science, food systems, finance, and sustainability. People who can see the whole system, not just one part of it.

The sector needs faster progress on digital adoption, natural capital accounting, farm-level carbon data, and innovation that works in practice. It needs leadership that can translate complexity into clear action. It needs leaders who have power and influence and know how to wield it. And it needs the confidence to tell a coherent story to the public, to policymakers, and to the next generation of talent.

But that might not be the same thing that British farmers need.

Farmers are looking for people they trust. People who have walked in their shoes. People who will stand up for their interests and explain the big picture without jargon. Farmers want advocacy. They want certainty. And they want clarity in a world that keeps changing the rules.

In short, British farming may need leadership that can move systems, while British farmers need leadership that can stand with them through the changes. That’s not a contradiction. But it is a tension.

We have a whole research project on the changes British farmers are enduring right now - in their own words. I urge any decision makers to read it and get closer to 2000 personal reflections on challenges in agriculture in the last 12 months. Read it here

Bridging the Gap

The real leadership challenge now is to close the gap between strategy and lived experience. To connect the policy rooms in Westminster with the realities of too wet (and too dry) fields, shrinking margins, and sky-high input costs, uncertainty, mistrust and policy change.

The next generation of leaders will need to be comfortable in both places. They must be able to influence public policy and retail strategy while remaining grounded in farming’s day-to-day pressures. That’s not an easy combination. But it’s essential.

We’ve seen what happens when leadership becomes disconnected from the people it represents. Trust erodes. Engagement drops. Progress slows. And we’ve also seen what happens when leadership becomes too reactive, too focused on protection, and not enough on transformation. The sector becomes defensive. It loses visibility and momentum.

Lastly, it will be interesting to see if a 'systems' approach is taken to these new appointments - if the next crop of leaders will be independently appointed or sought to harmonise with each other and complement each other for the benefit of the sector in leadership styles, vision and mission for UK agriculture.

Final Word

Leadership always matters. But right now, for British farming, it matters more than ever. We are in the middle of a fundamental change. Policy, finance, climate, trade, public expectations are all shifting at once.

So the people who step into these leadership roles won’t just be managing organisations. They’ll be shaping the future of UK food and farming.

They could be the dream team we all needed, they could be the holy trinity.

If we get it right, we might look back on this moment as the one where we reset, realigned and rebuilt trust. If we get it wrong, we risk deeper division between the direction of the sector and the people who make it work.

So let’s not just ask who will take the job. Let’s ask what kind of leadership is needed and who can deliver it, for both British farming and British farmers.