MISSION
	FARMER-CONTROLLED BUSINESSES
	RURAL SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
	RURAL PARTNERSHIPS

PLUNKETT FOUNDATION STAFF

The staff at the Plunkett Foundation work within the strategy and policy guidelines provided by the Trustees to support its network of members, consultants and those involved in rural and agricultural collaborative enterprises. If you would like to contact a specific member of staff by e-mail, please click on the relevant name or telephone the main Plunkett switchboard.

Chief Executive – James Money-Kyrle
James was appointed by the Trustees of the Plunkett Foundation as new Chief Executive of the organisation in November 2006.

For the last six years he has worked as the CEO and MD for charities and commercial companies in the rural and social enterprise sectors. He was the interim CEO of the Scarman Trust, a national social enterprise charity working with predominately urban communities to support a wide range of educational, employment and community projects as well as fostering greater community cohesion and engagement. Prior to this role he was the CEO of the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), again a national charity providing conservation and environmental advice to farmers and land managers throughout the UK. He worked with their Board of Trustees and management team to help this charity through significant change, particularly as a result of CAP reform and the introduction of new environmental regulations and schemes.

James has an MBA from the London Business School and, as an associate of Ashridge management centre, provided consultancy advice to government and private sector clients. Before that James spent twelve years working as a television producer, managing demanding personalities, complex logistics and tight deadlines to make wildlife and travel documentaries for the BBC and US broadcasters. He lives on the edge of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire on a small farm with his wife, Sue where they have a growing flock of welsh hill sheep.
James.money-kyrle@plunkett.co.uk

Denise Ault – Development Executive
Denise Ault has a life-long interest in food, farming and the countryside, which she has now developed into a career as a consultant, working part-time for the Plunkett Foundation, as well as pursuing independent research projects. After a successful career in publishing, Denise returned to education in 2000 to study for an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) at Oxford Brookes University. She graduated in 2003, having completed a dissertation on "Supply Chain Management in the UK Organic Meat Sector: the SME Producer Perspective". The dissertation was awarded a mark of 88 percent, and won the Business School Prize for the best dissertation of 2002-3. The MBA at Oxford Brookes has a special focus on small and medium-sized businesses, and some modules are based at the Business School's Entrepreneurship Centre, which supports small business development throughout the UK. She joined the Plunkett Foundation in 2004 as a Development Executive.
denise.ault@plunkett.co.uk

Kathryn Morrison – Operations Manager
Kathryn comes from a farming family and has a background in corporate banking. She joined Plunkett in 2002 and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the financial and non-financial operations of the Plunkett Foundation.
She is also the Company Secretary and Assistant to the Chief Executive.
kathryn.morrison@plunkett.co.uk

Karen Ewart - Operations Administrator
A member of staff for seventeen years , provides administrative support for the Foundation. Her role includes responsibility for conference administration, training, publications and marketing support.
karen.ewart@plunkett.co.uk

Mike Perry – Research and Communications Manager
Mike joined the Plunkett Foundation in May 2006. His role is to support the activities of the consultancy team. Mike previously worked for Oxford University Press as an Online Account Co-ordinator. He is a graduate in BA (Hons) Business Administration and grew up in a family run farm in Worcestershire.
mike.perry@plunkett.co.uk

Jennifer Heim – Head of Programme Management, Making Local Food Work
Jennifer joined Plunkett in September 2004, initially managing Rural Revival, a grant programme providing support to rural social enterprises. Since this time she has worked on a number of grant programmes. Her projects have focused on social inclusion, rural issues, social enterprise, community development, community asset development and local food. In September 2007, Jennifer was promoted to manage the Making Local Food Work programme; this programme focuses on supporting social enterprises that are enabling access to local food in their communities.
jennifer.heim@plunkett.co.uk

Gill Withers – ViRSA Manager
Gill has been appointed in April 2005 as the new Manager of ViRSA, taking over from Anthony Weldon who assumed the role on a transitional basis following the merger with Plunkett. Gill was one of the driving forces behind the Tackley All-in-One Centre, and has previously worked for BP and as a consultant to GP fundholding practices. Gill's main role is to oversee the activities of ViRSA, managing a network of twelve Community Retail Advisers around England in order to promote and support community-owned village shops.
gill.withers@plunkett.co.uk

Donna Smith – ViRSA Projects Manager
Donna joined the Plunkett Foundation in September 2004 as Projects Assistant in the Consultancy and Training Division. She is now taking on the role of assisting ViRSA in its support towards community-owned village shops. Prior to this she worked for 15 years for West Oxfordshire District Council dealing with statistics and subsidies, and then went on to study for an HND at Oxford Brookes University in Business and Finance. Donna's role within the Plunkett Foundation is to support the activities of the Village Retail Services Association.
donna.smith@plunkett.co.uk

James Alcock – Project Manger
James was appointed in August 2007 to project manage Regional Development Agency grant programmes. He previously worked for Oxfordshire Rural Community Council as a Rural Housing Enabler. James is a BA (Hons) and MSc by Research graduate in Human Geography, both of which focused on rural community issues.

Jackie Davies – Project Manager
Jackie was appointed in September 2007 and is responsible for the Farmer Director training schemes. Jackie has her own consultancy agency and has delivered a range of work for UN agencies and international NGO’s. She is also a skilled trainer in media and communications.

Jez Newall – Community Retail Manager
Jez joined the Plunkett Foundation in March 2008, taking over from Gill Withers as manager of Community Retail. Jez has worked for several International non-governmental organisations and also undertaken consultancies for United Nations. Most recently he worked for Oxfam GB as a Project Manager on Humanitarian Responses including the Earthquake in Pakistan and flood relief programmers in Nepal and Uganda. As Community Retail Manager Jez’s main tasks are to develop the scale and the scope appropriately and to manage a network of Community Retail Advisers across England in supporting community-owned village shops.

Jan Trefusis – Senior Project Officer – Information, Evaluation and Communication, Making Local Food Work
Jan joined the Plunkett foundation in February 2008 to manage the Information, Communication and Evaluation aspects of the Making Local Food Work programme. Jan grew up on a farm in Cornwall and, having fulfilled similar roles for Oxfam, Opportunity International and Aimhigher, he is looking forward to applying his skills to the issues of local food and rural social enterprise.

Peter Stimpson – Programme Management Accountant, Making Local Food Work
Peter joined the Plunkett Foundation in January 2008 as the Management Accountant for the Making Local Food Work project having previously worked in a similar role in the semi-conductor industry. He holds a BSc (Econ) in Accounting and Management and is a CIMA Passed Finalist. Peter is responsible for the effective financial management of the Lottery programme but also gives financial support to the Foundation.

Lauren Boulton – Programme Administrator, Making Local Food Work
Lauren has a family farming background in Yorkshire, breeding and showing pedigree Hereford cattle. Having graduated in 2004 from Writtle College with a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture, she settled in Oxfordshire. She has since become an active member of Enstone YFC and is currently Vice Chairman of the Oxfordshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs. Her role within Plunkett, which she joined in 2007, is to support the management team with the Making Local Food Work programme.

Eileen Keenan – Central Support Administrator
Eileen joined in March 2008 as Central Support Administrator within the projects team. She will be supporting the Strengthening Rural Communities across the North West programme and also the Building Communities Fund. Eileen previously worked for the NFU and now lives in rural Oxfordshire.

Ceinwen Lally – Project Officer – Farmers' Markets, Making Local Food Work
Ceinwen joined the Plunkett Foundation in March 2008 to work on the farmers' market strand of the Making Local Food Work Programme. Ceinwen has previous experience of the local food sector having worked as a business manager for a farmers' market co-operative. She has also worked for a disability charity, 3M UK and as a free-lance marketing consultant. She has an MBA from Warwick Business School. She will be responsible for helping to set up collaborative farmers' markets groups throughout England.

Erry Lilley – Project Officer – Local Food and Local Shops, Making Local Food Work
Erry joined Plunkett at the start of April 2008 to manage the ViRSA project under the Making Local Food Work programme, focusing on developing the local food offering of community and village shops. A lifelong interest in the countryside, farming and rural life led Erry to a BSc Hons in Rural Resource Management at Reading University. A number of project based positions over the years following University included 4 years at WRAP working in Business Development and both the Organics and Wood market development programmes. Prior to moving to Plunkett, Erry had found her passion - food (good & local food of course) - and was working in Gloucestershire for Taste of the West, the South West regional food group, developing their work and supporting food & drink producers & outlets in the County. Erry is also working as a consultant on other local food work alongside her 4 days on Making Local Food Work.