Appointment of non-Executive Advisory Directors

Mr Michael Gates and Dr Sue Sharland have been appointed as non-Executive Advisory Directors to Cefas’ Management Board.

They officially assumed their posts on 1 January 2010, and have been appointed for a period of three years. They attended their first Board meeting last week. 

Michael Gates is a Chartered Accountant and has an MBA from Cranfield. He has held senior positions with a number of blue chip companies including Shell, Glaxo and KPMG. More recently, he has held non-Executive roles with the NHS and the Ministry of Defence, including nine years with the UK Hydrographic Office.

Sue Sharland is the Chief Executive of TRL Limited, a position she has held since 2001. TRL is a world-leading supplier of impartial research, consultancy, software development and certification in the fields of transport and sustainable development. She is a non-Executive Director of HR Wallingford Group and a Trustee of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation. 

Chief Executive Richard Judge said: “I am delighted to welcome both Michael and Sue to Cefas. Both bring valuable knowledge and directly relevant experience to our Board, and I’m sure that their expertise will help us to rise to the challenges we face in the coming years. 

“I also thank Hugh Walker and Alex Tweedie, their predecessors, for many years of valued service and for the enormous difference they made during a period of extensive change.” 

Michael and Sue will work alongside existing Cefas non-Executive Advisory Directors Andy Field and Joe Horwood.

Notes to editors

1. Cefas is an internationally renowned scientific research and advisory establishment and the UK’s largest and most diverse applied marine science organisation. It has over 500 staff, two UK laboratories (in Lowestoft and Weymouth), its own ocean-going research vessel, and over 100 years’ experience. Operating as an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Cefas works alongside government and other agencies, both in the UK and internationally, to play a vital role in securing healthy marine and freshwater environments for everyone’s well-being, health and prosperity.
2. Bridging the interface between science, policy and delivery, Cefas provides evidence-based scientific advice, manages related data and information, conducts world-class scientific research, and facilitates collaborative action through wide-ranging relationships. Those relationships span the EU, government and its agencies, international fora, scientific institutions and research centres, universities, NGOs and industry. For more detail about its range of activities visit www.cefas.co.uk.
3. The Cefas Management Board (CMB) comprises four non-Executive Advisory Directors and three Executive Directors. The latter includes the Chief Executive, who chairs the CMB in his capacity as Accounting Officer for the agency.

The non-Executive Advisory Directors advise and challenge the Board and Chief Executive, bringing an objectivity and independence of view to the CMB's discussions. They help provide the CMB with effective leadership in relation to the agency’s strategy, performance, risk and people management. In particular, they play a key role in ensuring high standards of financial probity and corporate governance through their role on the CMB’s external committees. 

Press contact:
Anne McClarnon
Telephone: 01502 524370 / Email: anne.mcclarnon@cefas.co.uk 

ENDS