Bertie's Background
Coming from a farming family in Norfolk, I have always been involved in agriculture and have had a passion for the industry my whole life. My grandfather got me into farming with his passion for breeding & showing pedigree Simmental cattle and always trying to find new and innovative ways of farming. This passion for the industry led me to study Agriculture at Harper Adams. I was fortunate enough to spend my placement year with a John Deere dealership, where I became even more passionate about agricultural technology and the impact it would continue to have in the sector going forward. From this point I hoped that I could make my career in this exciting industry.
What came after Harper Adams?
When I left Harper I was lucky enough to secure a job with Cogent Breeding (where Hugh Pocock was my boss). I was drawn to the genetics industry and especially Cogent for two reasons, firstly, I had a love for cattle, especially dairy cattle, and secondly I was really interested in the technology that they were pioneering for sexing semen. I spent five great years working across the South East, Shropshire & Cheshire, building relationships with some of the best dairy farmers in the UK and working alongside some cutting edge technology, before moving back home to Norfolk. My interest in technology in the industry continued, as I joined Ernest Doe as an Area Sales Manager, again working with some forward thinking farmers to drive efficiency and improvements in their businesses using the technology and automation. A change of direction then saw me move into agricultural recruitment where I wanted to help businesses ensure they were best placed to succeed by connecting them with the best staff in the industry, not just in the UK but globally. Working mainly with senior level appointments, I did lots of work with companies in the Middle East and Africa, as well as across Europe. Whilst working with one particular client, who were looking to grow their new and innovative technology in the UK livestock industry, I decided that I had the skill set for the job and was inspired to apply! I joined Hectare (SellMyLivestock & Graindex) and took on the task of growing the online presence for these brands and focussed on monetising the platforms. I then moved into the SaaS side of the business, helping to develop and integrate new technology into global supply chains.
Outside the day job
I have always enjoyed sport and played hockey to a reasonably high level when I was younger, before injury prevented me from playing. To fill this void I took up coaching some of the junior teams at our local club. You will normally find me watching some sort of sport at the weekends, whether that be hockey, rugby, cricket or darts!
My passion for cattle has continued and I now have a small herd of pedigree Simmental cattle that I enjoy breeding and showing at local shows. Showing cattle was by far my favourite hobby as a youngster. I was a keen member of Norfolk HYB, which gave me the opportunity to show calves at local and national events. Making some fantastic memories and friends along the way. I am hoping that I will be able to inspire this passion and impart some of my cattle knowledge on to my children as they grow up.
I also use my spare time to promote the importance of mental health in agriculture, something that is all too often overlooked in our industry. I have been fortunate enough to be asked to share my story to help raise awareness, as well as being involved with some fantastic charities that are doing some amazing work. Recently a friend and I have also launched a new mental health awareness campaign called #WalkWithMe to break the stigma around talking about how we are and encourage people to start talking earlier about how they are feeling.
Cultura Connect
I am really excited to join the team at Cultura Connect and to be able to use my experience and contacts to help ensure the right people are in the right roles at the right companies. I firmly believe that we have some extremely talented people within the agricultural industry and by putting them into the right positions we can make a significant difference to the industry and play a small, but vital, role in helping the industry flourish.
I have also seen first hand the need for businesses to work with experienced and talented individuals (especially in new startups) on a short term or consultancy basis and we have some really exciting plans for how we can support this.
If you would like to tell us about the story behind your CV, we would love to hear it!
Bertie 07741 849158
bertie@culturaconnect.co.uk
Cultura Connect – Connecting people in agribusiness.
