Optimised production team to offer greater farmer support

Warrendale Wagyu has optimised its production team, the farmer-facing support and success team, to offer greater support to our farmer partners.

Following on from feedback in a recent farmer survey, it was clear that farmers really appreciated highly supportive Area Relationship Managers, whether it was coming into contact with Warrendale for the first time, onboarding with the Warrendale scheme, at any production stage, or in understanding how to maximise margins in running a wagyu enterprise on farm.

Nick Davies becomes Wagyu Chief Operating Officer

Warrendale appoints Nick Davies as Wagyu Chief Operating Officer. With a 20-year background in industry organisations such as Karro, Dunbia and most recently, 2 Sisters, Nick will ensure Warrendale is set up for continued and sustained growth over the next decade. Nick says: “What attracted me was a business with strong foundations and significant opportunity. I’m genuinely excited to be joining the team, meeting colleagues and farmers, learning from their experience, building on the strong foundations already in place and beginning the next stage of the journey together.”

Production heads realign to offer greater efficiency and support.

Aside from welcoming an industry heavyweight to the company, production team stalwarts, Katrina Donaldson, Dan Morris and Jamie Brownrigg have realigned their roles to ensure greater efficiency and efficacy in the supply chain.

Jamie Brownrigg has moved from Production Director to Director of Business Development and will focus on new business expansion. Whilst he is still very much plugged into every day operations at Warrendale, his new role will enable him to focus on ensuring an ever-increasing resilient supply chain. About his new role Jamie says, ‘This is a great opportunity for me to focus on areas within the business that will offer our farmer community greater value and a more resilient supply chain’.

Jamie Brownrigg – Director of Business Development

Dan Morris, who previously led the production team in the south of the UK, is now leading the national team. Dan says: ‘Having one person managing the team on a day-to-day basis, allows us greater alignment, better standardisation on how we support our farmers and that is what drives us forward.’

Dan Morris, new National Head of Production

In addition, Warrendale has four senior relationship managers throughout the UK that lead their regions and the ARMs that form part of those areas. The Senior Relationship Managers are Melissa Donaldson (Northern England), Owen Daley (Wales and Midlands), John Crichton (Scotland) and Matt Hutchings (Southern England).

Katrina Donaldson is now Head of Cattle Supply Chain and with her specialist knowledge on managing cattle planning and movements, is focussing on ensuring Warrendale is maximises opportunity and efficiencies when planning calf and cattle movements from producer to finishing and reporting back key performance indicators around animal and carcase productivity. Not only does this allow for greater efficacy, but it also means that Warrendale can increase its focus on ensuring welfare is always key in terms of movements between farms, preferencing local farm-to-farm transitions.

Katrina says: ‘What will be really helpful is aiding farmers to better understand their performance and where they can improve, along with ensuring that we are moving animals at the best time and to the best place’.

Katrina Donaldson, Head of Cattle Supply Chain

 

Tom Richardson, Managing Director says: ‘We know that our farmers want more support, guidance and communication and to increasingly feel part of the Warrendale Community. With the structural and personnel changes, along with the addition of Nick Davies, we are certain that we will be increasing the roles that Relationship Managers directly have with farmers. Our focus is to ensure farmers make the most productive outcomes they can from their wagyu enterprise’.

The staff changes are already in effect, with Nick joining in early October. Read more about Nick Davies’s appointment here.

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