During that period he obtained extensive experience
in Europe as President of the Confederation
of European Agriculture from 2000 to 2004
which saw the enlargement of the EU from 15
to 25 countries; and on the world front as
a member of the Executive Committee of the
World Body: International Federation of Agricultural
Producers.
Since
retiring from the NFU he has established his
own business Hawkhills Consultancy Ltd which
specializes in advising agrifood businesses
on food and farming and also into renewable
energy where he has a particular interest
and expertise in the use of biomass. More
recently the business has established a specialty
in advising on the extent of the change agenda
that currently exists and leading discussions
on what this means for existing businesses.
Clients include a number of FSTE 100 companies.
In 2005 Ben chaired the Government’s
Biomass Task Force which produced a comprehensive
set of recommendations (which have been largely
adopted by the Government) to improve the
uptake of biomass as a renewable energy source.
Ben
is a non executive director of Countrywide
Farmers plc, Eden Research plc, an associate
director of Sovereign Strategy and chairman
of English Apples & Pears Ltd. He is a
Governor of the John Innes Institute at Norwich
and of the University of Lincoln. He is the
Managing Director of The Hawk Creative Business
Park near York which has recently been completed
to sustainable standards using biomass heating
and intelligent building controls and offering
the first business park outside London with
next generation internet access speeds. |
