Meet the NFU South team

Jacks previously worked in rural surveying and farm business management.

She lives on a family farm in South Gloucestershire, and has a passion for agriculture, and rural businesses.

A former journalist, he worked on regional daily newspaper the Western Morning News and spent nine years as a reporter and producer at ITV Westcountry, before moving into public relations.

David joined the NFU in 2011 as assistant regional public relations officer, before becoming regional public relations officer and then taking on the membership communications role.

Her role is to ensure members in the region continue to have a strong voice in the media.

After studying at the University of the West of England, she worked as a journalist for almost a decade, writing for a huge variety of publications.

Before joining the NFU, Charlotte was an editor for local online news publications across the South West.

Alongside this, he was the agent for the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, working on the political side of campaigns and policy, and served as district councillor and leader of the opposition on the Vale of White Horse district council.

Nathan’s agricultural career began on local farms in the Vale of White Horse. He also attended Oxford Brookes to study politics and international relations at this time, before moving into agricultural engineering.

In 2025, Nathan completed in the 28th iteration of the Worshipful Company of Farmers Challenge of Rural Leadership course. He is currently joint secretariat to the South Region Combinable Crops Board. 

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His previous background involved working with farmers across the region as a contractor and consultant on various landscape schemes, from designing and delivering individual Countryside Stewardship applications to catchment-scale restoration projects.

Ben finished his undergrad at UEA (University of East Anglia) in 2012 and has recently reconnected with the university, engaging in an academic project with a focus on soils and land use. He is also in the final stages of a post-grad course with Harper Adams University.

Over the years, Ben has worked with various external organisations, such as government departments, NGOs, local authorities and academic institutions, and working in conjunction and collaboration with farmers has always been at the heart of things. 

Since joining the NFU, Ben has enjoyed working with the NFU Cornwall County Management Team, officeholders and group secretaries on a range of activities to support members in county, and continues to work with regional and national colleagues on a range of policy issues and campaigns. 

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Before working for the NFU, Fiona was an officer in the British Army Educational and Training Services. Fiona lives on a beef and arable farm in North Devon.

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Before that, Dirk served as the Conservative Agent for Wiltshire, where he combined campaign strategy with vital administrative support for local stakeholders.

Outside work, Dirk is passionate about rural life. He is the proud owner of two yellow Labradors and enjoys spending his downtime beating and picking up on shoot day.

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Hattie was also the secretary for the South Uplands Group, supporting uplands farmers in Cornwall, Devon, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Somerset.

She has a master’s degree in Environmental Health, and previously worked within local authorities and environmental protection.

Hattie grew up on a mixed farm outside of Bristol and has always had interest in the environment and food.

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Tom grew up on the Titsey Estate, on the Surrey/Kent border – a mixed farm, farming pedigree Sussex beef cattle and arable. Despite not being on the farm day to day, he goes back to help when he can, where his dad has been the manager for nearly 40 years.

He is a Harper Adams graduate and before joining the NFU, he worked for Cogent, the cattle breeding/AI company, for nearly 12 years as an international sales manager, mainly covering Europe and Canada.

Tom enjoys working with members and is interested in the diversity of agriculture across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. He is particularly interested in dairy, beef and arable operations but is keen to meet as many members are possible helping them with their queries and problems.

Outside of work Tom has a young family and is a keen follower of sports, particularly cricket and football. 

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Emily grew up in Buckinghamshire, finding her love for farming through lambing and calving on friend’s farms.

She graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2018 with a BSc (Hons) in Animal Science and then moved to the South West for her role in the NFU.

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She previously worked as an agricultural adviser in a specialist firm covering Wales and the border counties.

Katie was an active member of Llysyfran YFC and at all levels of the organisation, finishing as Wales YFC Chair in 2021 and is still involved as a club leader. She completed the Worshipful Company of Farmers; Challenge of Rural Leadership Course in 2022.

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Previously, Lindsay managed an equine veterinary laboratory.

Her role includes overseeing, and ensuring, a coordinated administration service to regional staff, as well as the NFU's boards and committees.

Prior to graduating from Hartpury University in 2022 with a BSc in Equestrian Sports Science, Molly worked with injured and retired racehorses, rehabilitating and pre-training them to return to racing or retraining them for secondary ridden careers.

She has also worked across several other equestrian sectors, ranging from elite level eventing to stud and reproductive work.

Grace joined the NFU in November 2024, after graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BSc in Criminology.

She grew up in a rural village on the outskirts of Taunton, where she still lives, and in her spare time she is a keen netball player and a member of her local young farmers club.

Grace is looking forward to being a part of the NFU team and working towards a better future for British farming.