Team Member Category: ELT

Steve McLean joins the UK Agri‑Tech Centre as Chief Executive Officer at a pivotal moment for British agriculture, bringing extensive leadership experience from his role as Head of Agriculture & Fisheries Sourcing at Marks & Spencer. Known for driving innovation and strengthening supply chains across retail, agriculture and fisheries, Steve brings his deep sector knowledge and proven ability to lead strategic change. Industry leaders have welcomed his appointment, highlighting how his background aligns with the Centre’s mission to accelerate agri‑tech innovation that boosts productivity, increases resilience and delivers with impact across the UK’s food and farming sector and beyond.

Grace is External Affairs Director at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, where her role is focused on policy and engagement with government and the agri-tech ecosystem. This involves working with innovative businesses to support their growth and deliver solutions to the UK and international markets for resilient and sustainable agricultural systems. Her policy focus includes addressing critical sector challenges that prevent innovations from getting to market. Grace has experience across agriculture, including livestock health and welfare, the veterinary medicines sector and research and innovation. She qualified with a PhD in Animal Functional Genomics and a degree in Veterinary Medicine from University College Dublin and is a Nuffield Farming Scholar. Her previous roles included Head of Innovation and Animal Health Specialist at the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) and Senior Technical Policy Manager at the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), representing the UK veterinary medicine sector.

Harry Langford has a background in soil science and geomicrobiology, with a PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Sheffield. He has worked in postdoctoral and scientific coordination roles for the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the University of Sheffield, focusing on soil microaggregate structure and landscape-scale environmental observation systems. Before joining CHAP, he spent three years working as a Knowledge Exchange Fellow for the N8 AgriFood Resilience Programme, building and leading an innovation cluster on Urban & Controlled Environment Agriculture and delivering knowledge exchange focused on soil health and sustainable agriculture. Harry is an expert in cryoconite and spent his PhD traversing glaciers in Svalbard; he also plays badminton competitively and enjoys walking in the Peak District.

Ruth grew up on a mixed farm in South Wales, she has a PhD in Plant Biology and has held research posts in plant genetics and breeding across the globe. She left the bench to pursue a career in science strategy, policy and communication which saw her working alongside government departments and international bodies such as FAO. Ruth has held several leadership roles including the Executive Director of the Global Plant Council, where she coordinated the activities of 28 national, regional and international plant, crop and soil societies to facilitate the development of research for global challenges. Ruth was Innovation Director with Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) prior to the merger and she now leads the Innovation Directorate – which she describes as a huge pleasure and honour – to have the opportunity to work alongside such a wide range of sector expertise. It makes everyday a ‘school day’ full of new ideas and opportunities to develop solutions to real-world problems that affect everyone’s lives, from climate change and environmental sustainability to productivity gains and disease mitigation. Fun fact about yourself One of Ruth’s passions outside of work is dog agility.