The Land Trust - trustees

Andrew founded RB Organic, an organic vegetable growing, processing and marketing business. They work with their own produce and a small group of likeminded growers, supplying every UK retailer directly. Andrew has held national posts in the National Farmers Union and British Growers, and he has worked with Defra on agricultural policy in an advisory role. Recently retired, Andrew retains a passion for all things organic.

Jane is a Trustee of the Soil Association Land Trust. A graduate of the Royal Agricultural College, Jane worked as a Rural Surveyor in the East Midlands, specialising in private estate management. Previously a prominent member of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, she is passionate about responsible land management. Jane has worked with other charities, having set up and developed a charity for the benefit of disabled children and is a Trustee of a Riding for the Disabled Group.

Joanna is Trustee of the Soil Association Land Trust and is a longstanding member of the Soil Association. A strong advocate for organic farming, she was unexpectedly left the Paget Estate in 1985, which she continues to manage. Joanna helped to set up the Land Trust in 2007 and has been a Trustee since then. She is also involved in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project in Farnham.

Jonathan is a Soil Association Trustee and an independent consultant on forestry, land management and nature conservation. He retired as Head of Environment at Forestry England in 2019. He has worked in historic landscape conservation, ecosystem services accounting, biodiversity conservation, water quality, climate change, deer, boar and sustainable forest management. He is on the Knepp Advisory panel and is Chairman of the Trustees of Bentley Wood, a 700ha forest nature reserve near Salisbury.

Michael is Chairman of the Soil Association Land Trust, and his original career was as a rural chartered surveyor providing strategic oversight for rural estates and advice on business structures, management and governance. He supervised multi‑disciplinary teams delivering projects both for the firm and for clients. He now mixes being a consultant to Rankine Rural Ltd, running Lord Crewe’s Charity, and is trustee to the Northumberland National Park Foundation and Groundwork NE and Cumbria.

Richard is a Trustee of the Soil Association Land Trust, with a background in strategic marketing for a wide range of businesses. He is a leading fractional Chief Marketing Officer, offering strategy, advisory, and coaching services to a number of companies. He primarily works with sustainability, climate tech and green finance businesses. Although he grew‑up on farms, his career has taken him into the world of digital marketing and storytelling, but his roots remain in the land.

Vimal is a Trustee of the Soil Association Land Trust. He is a chartered engineer by training and specialises in delivering low‑carbon and renewable energy infrastructure on a development and city‑wide scale. With over 25 years of experience helping land owners and developers implement complex infrastructure projects, Vimal intends to lend that experience to the Land Trust to help realise the Trust's vision of any land asset held.

Mark has over 30 years of financial experience in investment, trading in financial markets, lending, and risk management at HSBC, Deutsche Bank and NatWest. Since leaving finance, Mark advises companies in strategic planning, capital raising and business development. In his personal life, Mark is transitioning his family farm on the Shropshire/Powys border to a nature‑friendly, low‑input system, with a focus on improving soil condition, restoring habitats and building natural capital.