Joe Farren takes over as new CEO of BWMB

By

Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Jun 3, 2016

Joe Farren has officially taken over as new chief executive officer at the British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) following the retirement of Ian Hartley, who has been leading the organisation for the last 22 years.

A graduate of Balliol College, Oxford in Modern Languages and English, Farren, 44, is also a qualified barrister. He spent the first part of his career in the city advising on company mergers and acquisitions.

In 2004 Farren joined SIG Plc, the FTSE 250 Yorkshire headquartered multinational distributor of building and home improvement products, where he was Head of UK and Ireland business development. From 2013, he was a director with LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Bank. He is part of a farming family and Farren and his wife have farms in Yorkshire and Aberdeenshire.

“We look forward to working with Joe, ensuring we continue to serve the best interests of our producers and in maximising the value of their wool,” said BWMB chairman Ian Buchanan, welcoming Farren to the high profile and important position at a crucial time not only in agriculture but also in the wool sector.

“I am determined the Board will continue its good service to wool producers. The Board will also seek to continuously improve the efficiency with which it handles their wool, to manage the auction process effectively so as to maximise prices for producers and to promote wool strongly on the global stage as the pre-eminent fibre, being aesthetically attractive, high performance and environmentally friendly,” commented Farren.