Trustees
These are the Trustees of The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust
Below is a list of individual trustees and the Secretary.
Aled Jones
Aled is NFU Cymru President. He is an eighth-generation farmer who runs a pedigree herd of Holsteins with his son. Aled has previously held a variety of positions across the industry, including holding the post of Chairman of milk recording company Cattle Information Services (CIS) for seven years and being a trustee of Holstein UK for eight years.
Christine Kennedy OBE
Christine is a partner in her family’s farm business in County Down. Christine was previously a Non-Executive Director of NFU Mutual. She was also the Director of Commodities and Food for the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) and a co-opted member of the UFU Board. She has also acted as an Independent Assessor for PricewaterhouseCoopers for appointments to the Policing Community Safety Partnership and for the Commissioner of Public Appointments in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. She has been an Independent Panel Member for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Peace Projects, Rural Development and Review Panels. She is a director of Countryside Services Ltd, a member of the NI Food Advisory Committee for the Food Standards Agency, a member of the UFU and a Trustee of the Donaghadee Young Farmers Club. Christine was awarded an O.B.E in 2006 for services to the dairy industry and agriculture in Northern Ireland.
Jim McLaren MBE
Jim was appointed to the Board in 2012 and appointed Chairman in 2019. He is also Chair of the Nomination Committee. Jim served as President of NFU Scotland from 2007 to 2011, having served as Vice President in 2006. He was Chairman of Quality Meat Scotland Limited from 2012 to 2019 and is a former Director of Scotland’s Rural College. Jim is a mixed beef and arable farmer from Perthshire in Central Scotland and a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies.
Martin Kennedy
Martin is President of NFU Scotland. He is a tenant farmer in Aberfeldy, Highland Perthshire. They have 600 ewes and 60 cows on the farm rising from 800ft to 2,500ft. Martin has served as Highland Perthshire Branch chair and represented East Central region on the LFA committee.
Minette Batters
Minette runs a tenanted family farm in Wiltshire; a mixed farming business that includes cow, sheep and arable. She is the former President of NFU England & Wales. Diversification includes the conversion of a 17th Century tythe barn into a wedding and corporate events venue, and horse liveries. Minette co-founded the campaigning initiatives 'Ladies in Beef' and the 'Great British Beef Week'. She served as Wiltshire’s Council delegate and also as a Regional Board Chair for the South West. She is also an ambassador of Farm Africa.
Nick Turner
Nick was appointed NFU Mutual Group Chief Executive in 2021. He was appointed to the Board in 2013 and was previously Sales and Agency Director where he led the growth of the General Insurance and Life businesses. Nick joined NFU Mutual from AXA where he was Managing Director, Intermediary & Partnerships – Personal Lines. His career spans more than 38 years, largely in the fields of General insurance, Life Assurance and Wealth Management. Nick is a former President of the Chartered Insurance Institute and was previously President of the Personal Finance Society.
Sian Johns (Secretary to the Trustees)
Sian is a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute and a solicitor. In addition to her role as Secretary to the Trustees, Sian is Company Secretary for NFU Mutual and the Farm Safety Foundation.
Tom Bradshaw
Tom is President of NFU England & Wales. He farms in partnership with his wife and parents in North Essex. Alongside the small-owned farm, they run a larger contract farming business growing a range of combinable crops across 950 hectares in North East Essex.
William Irvine
William is President of Ulster Farmers’ Union. He is a dairy farmer from Mountnorris farming in partnership with his wife and son. He has held numerous roles within the UFU including dairy committee chair, representing NI dairy farmers on the COPA Milk Working Group and the UK on the Milk Civil Dialogue Group.