About
 Chief Executive & Founder ruralnet|uk & RNUK LtdAs a rural development specialist with wide and varied experience, I have designed and implemented both practical and research projects, in Britain and developing countries. Although my academic background is in agriculture and tropical animal health (Reading, 1977 and Edinburgh, 1978), I quickly moved into working with communities through training and extension work, institutional development, and integrated rural development projects, under the UK Government’s Overseas Aid Programme, spending 12 years in South America and Africa. In 1991 I returned to the UK as project manager to establish WREN Telecottage - one of the first public access ICT centres in the UK - and managed the centre for 2 years.I moved to WREN’s parent, the National Rural Enterprise Centre as Project Manager (Telematics) in 1993, and worked on a range of initiatives, from RegioNet (Project Manager), a pan-EU community telematics project covering nine countries with 34 partners, to planning for individual community ICT centres. In 1995 I took over as the NREC’s Director.In 2002 I lead our team to independence from the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE). ruralnet|uk (http://www.ruralnetuk.org), an independent rural regeneration charity, was launched on 1 August 2002. ruralnet|uk continues to have links with the RASE and occupies the same premises (the National Rural Enterprise Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire). As well as financial and strategic management, my work areas include: rural policy, project management, research and consultancy, online information (www.inforurale.org.uk), communications and collaboration (www.ruralnet.org.uk/ and www.networksonline.org.uk). Key activities over the last 12 months have been:
On 25/4/05 I was ‘Highly Commended’ (2nd!) in the IAB Social Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. I am a Common Purpose 20:20 graduate. In November 2004 I accepted an invitation to become a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA). I am a member of the British Society of Animal Science and the British Computer Society. I work with my wife, we have three children (22-26) and live in a self-built house, which is (still) nearly finished. Personal My favourite website is svt.se/hogafflahage/hogafflaHage_site/Kor/hestekor.swf On-going craze: Tandem and Moulton bike riding!
Commuting to London about twice a week is made Planned rides: Selected past rides: ________________________________________________________ |
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