Rare Breeds Survival Trust appoints new Chief Executive
13/12/06

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Clarke to the position of Chief Executive.  He will take up his post in January, succeeding Robert Terry who steps aside after three years in post to take on the role of Company Secretary.

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Richard, who comes to the Trust from North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is a 43-year-old graduate in Biological Sciences with extensive senior management experience and an underlying knowledge of genetics and population dynamics.  This is underpinned by practical fieldwork, including research on Soay sheep on St. Kilda.  He brings a wide knowledge of the charitable sector and a successful track record in developing partnerships across a broad spectrum of conservation organisations.

Farming in Britain is facing significant changes which bring both challenges and opportunities. Commitment to global conservation is a political imperative and this will continue to influence the ways in which we manage the countryside and raise our livestock. In this rapidly developing scene, the RBST is well placed to maintain its position as a world leader in the genetic conservation of farm animals. Richard brings substantial experience of landscape management to the RBST. He also has an underlying knowledge of the relationship between the land and grazing animals.  He is therefore well qualified to lead the RBST into the next phase of its activities and in particular to positively explore new avenues of partnership work. The Trust will look to work with other organisations to underline the importance of our native breeds to current conservation efforts.

Chairman of the Trust, Lawrence Alderson, says "During the past thirty years the Trust has been a dominant force for the conservation of rare breeds of farm animals. It has achieved great success and has been a model for similar organisations in other countries, but we now live in a time of significant change. Richard Clarke is uniquely qualified to lead the Trust through these changes into a new era of growth and to exploit the novel opportunities for British native breeds. I look forward with great anticipation to working with him to realise the Trust's full potential". 

Note:
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) is a charity established in 1973. It works to conserve more than 70 breeds of native farm livestock. The charity is funded entirely by membership subscriptions, donations and legacies.

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