Site search

Search

Recruiting a new Chief Executive Officer

December 2025

Following the announcement that Jim Moseley will retire from the role of CEO, Red Tractor is seeking a new Chief Executive to lead our organisation through its next chapter.

The role

  • Lead the delivery of the UK’s largest food assurance scheme, implementing strategy and business plans.
  • Ensure the financial health and continued growth of the organisation.
  • Act as a role model for Red Tractor’s values and foster a positive workplace culture.
  • Build strong relationships with stakeholders across the supply chain, government, and media.
  • Act as Company Secretary, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and oversee corporate governance.

What we’re looking for

  • Proven track record of achievement through managing high-performance teams.
  • Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate effectively at pace and in uncertain environments.
  • Financial acumen and commercial thinking, with experience in business development and managing significant budgets.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to make decisions based on consensus.
  • An appreciation of the food supply chain, government and regulatory environments is desirable.
  • Substantial experience at Senior or Board level, ideally within a member, service, or not-for-profit organisation.

Applications

The role is being recruited by Berwick Partners (part of Odgers Group). The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 4 January 2026.

Recruitment and appointment process

The approach for recruiting the CEO is outlined in the Nominations Committee Terms of Reference which can be found in Red Tractor’s Governance Handbook

Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee is chaired by Alistair Macintosh, Chair of Red Tractor, and is made up of representatives from Red Tractor’s Board of Directors, with representation across the supply chain.

Members of the Nominations Committee are:

  • Chair – Alistair Mackintosh
  • Sector Director – Tim Lock, Dairy Sector Chair and farmer
  • Industry Director – Natalie Smith, BRC representative
  • Independent Director – John Pain, Consumer representative and Vice Chair

Current CEO, Jim Moseley, is being invited to attend the initial CEO interviews by the Nominations Committee specifically to answer candidate questions about the role. He will not take part in the final interviews or the preferred candidate recommendation.     

Shortlisting

Berwick Partners were appointed as the recruiters by the Nominations Committee following a competitive tender process.

The recruiters are advertising for applicants via their website, the Red Tractor website, LinkedIn and the Guardian and carrying out a search. The closing date for applications is 4 January 2026

Once a longlist has been identified, Berwick Partners will carry out preliminary interviews before presenting a shortlist of candidates to the Nominations Committee.

Interviews

Candidates from the short list will be invited for first round interviews.

A small number of candidates will then be taken through to a second stage. This will include further assessments and another in person interview with the Nominations Committee members only.

Preferred candidate

The Nominations Committee will recommend a single candidate to the Red Tractor Board of Directors, which includes representatives from across the supply chain, for approval. If the Board does not approve the appointment of the nominated candidate, the Chair will explain to the other members of the Nominations Committee the reasons for the Board’s decision and the Nominations Committee will repeat the above process until an appointment has been made by the Board.

The final appointment will be ratified by the Ownership Body before any announcement is made. The expectation is that this would be sometime in March 2026.   Sector Board members will be updated on progress as part of Sector Board meetings in February.