Group Commercial Director appointed at Holstein UK

As an exciting new position within the company, the appointment of Michael provides the group with the opportunity to further develop commercial strategies and areas of growth.

The group includes the Holstein UK breed society which is Europe’s largest independent breed society, registering over 200,000 animals per year with a membership over 4,500. There is also The Cattle Information Service (The CIS), which is a leading provider of milk recording and health testing to farmers throughout GB. Finally, the National Bovine Data Centre (NBDC) collects, analyses and disseminates data for a wide variety of pedigree dairy and beef breeds, including Type Classification and Genomic information.

Michael has a strong commercial and sales background with a broad network within the industry. He has experience in the genetics field, working with both elite pedigree and highly focused commercial operations which have given him knowledge of various production systems and business models required by the different dairy farming businesses.

He spent six years as Business Development Manager for Worldwide Sires and recently has been in the role of Commercial Director for CattleEye Ltd, a tech start-up business. Michael, who joins on 3 April 2023, will report to CEO Melanie Harmitt and work closely with key heads of departments including Janette Mathie and Dena Snidall, CIS; Meurig James, NBDC and Hannah Williams, Head of Events and Marketing.

Michael said: “I look forward to joining the Holstein UK Group and this is a fantastic career opportunity to utilise my skills and network to shape and implement the commercial strategic objectives. I look forward to further developing the portfolio of products and services across the Holstein UK Group, creating commercial offerings for both the membership and external stakeholders.”