William was born into a multi-generational farming family in Yorkshire in the North of the United Kingdom.
The family farm was a mixed farming operation with dairy cows, sheep, grains, oilseeds, potatoes, sugar beet and salad crops giving William the opportunity, from a very early age, to develop practical experience in both livestock husbandry and crop production.
After achieving a BSc (Hons) degree in Agriculture, William embarked on his own agricultural career rather than return to the family farming business. This was following in the footsteps of his father and uncles who established farming businesses in the UK, Zimbabwe and New Zealand.
At 27 years old, William’s first Senior Management role was as Farms Manager for the Minterne Estate in Dorset in the South West of the UK owned by Lord and Lady Digby. William was responsible for restructuring the Estate’s farms and developing a business that was long term profitable, environmentally sustainable and protected the reputation of the Estate owners.
The appointment at Minterne Estates was through a contract farming arrangement with Sentry Farming one of the UK’s leading farm management companies. During his time with Sentry Farming William developed his agricultural business management skills in particular the need for tight budgetary control transparently cascaded down through the organisation.
Following 5 years managing the Minterne Estates, William began his global agribusiness career by moving to Central Europe and pioneering the acquisition of former cooperatives and state farms, restructuring the businesses to capitalise on large-scale, high-quality land, good climates and low costs to develop some of today’s leading Central and Eastern European farming businesses with downstream added value lines.
Over the following 30 years, William led global agribusiness operations, strategic investments, and managed large-scale transformation projects.
His leadership journey spanned key markets in Europe, the Middle East, N & S America and Australasia, where he successfully managed multi-entity portfolios, executed complex acquisitions, and worked alongside governments, international agencies, and both corporate and high net worth individual private sector stakeholders to deliver impactful outcomes.
William’s latest chapter has been as a Senior Executive for the Saudi Arabian flagship global food security entity the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) that was created by a royal charter and is owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) which is the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In his roles as Senior Vice President of Investment, Group CEO Advisor and Chief Executive Officer of SALIC Australia, William was instrumental in building a global food security portfolio across 12 key commodities in 5 strategic net food exporting areas of the world.
William was locked down in Riyadh during COVID and part of the team that ensured full food security for a country that imports 70% of food requirements. During that time William was also engaged with other SALIC Senior Management in revising the food security strategy and executing the changes globally post-COVID.
William has served as a Non-Executive Director and Committee Member for multiple companies globally.
William’s leadership in negotiating acquisitions and integrating diverse agricultural portfolios has contributed to the expansion of SALIC’s international footprint.
In addition to strategic and operational leadership, William has a deep understanding of global food systems, from primary production to international supply chains. He led agricultural projects in multiple countries, including Russia, Australia, and Azerbaijan, and is passionate about leveraging innovative technologies and sustainable practices to drive growth and enhance food security.
William is excited about the opportunity to bring his expertise in global agribusiness investments, operational leadership, and food security strategies to future organisations.
William provides consultancy and coaching to agricultural businesses managing complex change. Drawing on over 30 years of experience, William has successfully supported investors and management teams to define and achieve their business goals.
William’s experience has supported Boards around the World in ensuring operational excellence with disciplined financial control within a culture focused on people, governance, risk and compliance.
