Executive Board

Dr Colin Ruscoe - Chairman

Colin is chairman of BCPC (British Crop Production Council).
He currently works for SynTech Research where he is Director of Communications responsible for contributing to global strategy for marketing and customer service, and for the Innovative Vector Control Consortium where he is on the Executive and Expert Scientific Advisory Committee.
Prior to that he held senior positions within Syngenta and Zeneca Agrochemicals including: Research Station management, European Technical management, R&D Portfolio Planning, Environmental Science, Formulation, Regulatory, Market and R&D Information.

Professor Ian Crute CBE

Professor Crute is Chief Scientist at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). He was previously Director of Rothamsted Research (formerly the Institute of Arable Crops Research). Previous positions held include: Head of the Crop and Environment Protection Department, HRI East Malling, Head of Plant Pathology and then Director of HRI, Wellsbourne, UK

Prof Graham Jellis

Graham graduated in botany from Manchester University where he also completed a PhD in plant pathology. He worked at Plant Breeding International (formerly Plant Breeding Institute) in Cambridge for 27 years on resistance to diseases of various crops and was Head of Plant Technology from 1995. In 1999 he was appointed Director of Research and Development at HGCA (Home-Grown Cereals Authority) retiring from that position in 2009.

Graham is a Honorary Professor in Applied Plant Pathology at Nottingham University, sits on the board of the AgriFood Charities Partnership and chairs the Grants Committee  of the Perry Foundation. He also chairs a number of project management committees, including the Board that manages the HGCA Recommended Lists for Cereals and Oilseeds, and is a member of a several advisory committees related to agriculture.

Dr James Gilmour BSc, PhD, CBiol, MSB

James was head of crop protection for ten years at the Scottish Agricultural College at Edinburgh and then director of the Agricultural Advisory Service for Scotland. After taking early retirement in 1997 he undertook a small number of international consultancies at government level on the organisation, management and funding of agricultural extension and advisory services, mainly in former Soviet-block countries. He has also undertaken consultancies on evaluating agricultural R&D programme proposals and on the design of electronic publications for user acceptability.

James Gilmour was a member of the BCPC Board of Management from 1986, representing the then Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department. Following retirement from SAC, he was elected as an individual member of BCPC and subsequently appointed to the Executive Board. He is editor of BCPC News.

Chris Todd - Secretary and General Manager

Chris is General Manager and Company Secretary of BCPC and an independent consultant for Agricultural and Horticultural Support and Information Services

He was formerly Managing Director of British Crop Protection Enterprises and has worked with BCPC since 1998. Previously Chris held senior management positions in a number of UK Farm Machinery distribution companies after qualifying in 1969 as a Farm Manager.

Tom Bals

Jim Orson

Stephen Howe

Peter Moring – Hon Treasurer