Seafish Board

Mike’s whole career has been in the agri-food sector, primarily in the pork sector. Armed with a degree in languages, he first joined PIC, the world’s biggest pig genetics company, and enjoyed a 14 year career there, working in operations and marketing, in various European locations.

From there he set up his own pig farming company, producing breeding stock for PIC, which operated successfully for 18 years before selling up. During that time he was the founder chief executive of the National Pig Association, the trade body for pig producers.

He is currently a Board Member of AHDB, the levy board for agriculture and horticulture, where he chairs the pork sector board, and leads on international market development.

He is approaching the end of his term as a Director of Red Tractor, the farm assurance organisation, where he has chaired the pig sector board and chaired the marketing committee.

Jeff is Vice-Chair of Seafish. He has Chair and non-executive experience in the food sector, the NHS, Higher and Further Education and as a Charity Trustee, and has senior executive experience in the food, healthcare, technical and regulated markets. Jeff has been involved in significant corporate change programmes involving mergers, acquisition, divestment and refinancing.

Jeff is currently the Chair of the Mining Remediation Authority (formerly the Coal Authority), the public body which looks after the legacy of Britan’s coal mining industry, protecting people and the environment in former mining areas. He is also Chair of the housing association bpha, which manages over 20,000 social houses in the Oxford to Cambridge area.

Heather has thirty years’ experience working directly with governments, industry and research institutions in a scientific capacity. She was formerly the Head of International Division in the Scottish Government and a Deputy Director in Marine Scotland. She has experience as a CEO; operating strategically at board level for 14 years. Heather established the UK’s first industry-led aquaculture innovation body, with 200 organisations in membership.

Her range of recent advisory roles includes the UK Seafood Innovation Fund, the Aquaculture Research Collaboration Hub, Scotland's Aquaculture Leadership Group and she is founder of the Women in Scottish Aquaculture network. 

Sarah Holmyard is Head of Sales and Marketing at the award-winning aquaculture company, Offshore Shellfish Ltd. Sarah has extensive experience of the sea fishing and aquaculture industries, having previously held executive roles at Seafood Scotland, Interfish, Cleanseas and The Kingfish Company.

Georgina Wright, formerly the Sales Director at Mowi Scotland, brings thirty years’ experience of the sea fish industry to the Seafish Board. Georgina served as Chair of the Scottish Salmon Industry Brexit Working Group which worked to ensure the industry was successfully prepared for the changes brought by Brexit.