Agribusiness
Eden Search is a specialist agribusiness executive search firm partnering with agricultural, agri-food and food supply chain businesses worldwide. We help organisations identify and recruit exceptional board, C-suite and senior leadership talent across the agribusiness sector.
Our consultants bring first-hand industry experience, having worked within agribusiness businesses themselves rather than solely advising them as external recruiters. This practical sector knowledge enables us to understand the commercial, operational and technical challenges facing modern agriculture and deliver leaders capable of driving growth, innovation and long-term success.
Working across the UK and international markets, we support businesses spanning crop production, animal nutrition, agricultural inputs, crop science, seed and genetics, agritech, machinery, commodity trading and sustainable agriculture. From family-owned enterprises and private equity-backed businesses to multinational organisations, we identify leaders who can create lasting impact.
As agriculture continues to evolve through technological innovation, sustainability initiatives, changing consumer expectations and food security demands, finding the right leadership has never been more important. Eden provides the insight, network and executive search expertise required to secure transformational talent.
If you’re looking to appoint a new person to your leadership or management team both locally or globally, please get in touch with a member of our specialist agribusiness consultants.
Dani Walker
Dani leads Eden’s Agribusiness division, partnering with boards, investors, and senior leaders to recruit executive and non-executive talent across the breadth of the sector. Her clients includes science and research, agricultural supply businesses—including seed, fertilisers and crop protection—animal feed, farms and large estates, as well as agri-tech, investment, and innovation.
With over 20 years’ experience in senior-level executive search, Dani has placed Chairs, Non-Executive Directors, CEOs, and senior leadership teams across corporates, private equity-backed firms, research institutes, membership associations and family-owned businesses. She has worked in both global search firms and specialist boutiques, taking best practice from each to bring deep expertise in identifying leaders who create meaningful, lasting impact.
Dani is committed to strengthening agriculture’s future by connecting organisations with leaders who bring both vision and impact. Drawing on deep sector insight and decades of executive search experience, she supports clients in building resilient leadership teams equipped to navigate the industry’s evolving challenges and opportunities.
Rob Bentham
With over 20 years of specialist executive search experience, Rob Bentham joins Eden as Associate Director – Agribusiness, where he will play a key role in accelerating the international growth Eden’s Agribusiness practice.
Drawing on his extensive industry knowledge, global network and track record of delivering executive search assignments across more than 25 countries, Rob will focus on expanding Eden’s international client portfolio, strengthening relationships across key markets, and helping clients secure, strengthen and expand the leadership talent needed to drive growth, innovation and long-term success.
David Macaulay
As Founder and Managing Director of Eden Search & Select, David has spent his career working with a diverse range of businesses in the food and farming sectors – supporting their strategy and helping them recruit and retain Directors and Senior Managers. During this time, he has developed a deep understanding of the industry and the skills and attributes required by businesses to deliver high performing board and executive teams. This experience and track record has made him a credible sounding board on succession planning for both his clients and industry peers. Results-driven, David’s personal values of industry insight and integrity have delivered numerous successful projects and established Eden Search & Select as the executive search partner of choice for leading companies in the fresh food, food and drink, food manufacturing and farming sectors. David’s industry experience is deep rooted, having grown up on the family farm in Essex, which he remains actively involved in.
Case studies
Fera Science Ltd
Eden continued it's relationship with Fera to identify and recruit its Chief Commercial Officer - a leadership role that will be critical for the delivery of Fera’s strategic plan reinforcing its position as the leading scientific partner for sustainable food production, biosecurity, food integrity and laboratory assurance.
Dyson Farming
Dyson Farming engaged Eden to search for a successful and inspirational Managing Director with outstanding commercial acumen and the experience to lead this multi-faceted business into a new phase of growth.
Volac International Ltd.
Eden successfully won a competitive tender process and partnered with the Board to appoint a Managing Director to lead Volac's Forage and Additives division.
NPZ UK
Eden was pleased to partner with Norddeutsche Pflanzenzucht Hans-Georg Lembke KG (NPZ) to appoint a Managing Director for NPZ UK Plant Breeding Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the group.
British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO)
Eden partnered with the British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO) to recruit a Managing Director to deliver their new strategy, drive innovation and deliver real world impact.
NIAB
Based in Cambridge and East Malling, Kent, NIAB is the UK’s fastest growing crop science organisation, employing around 400 people and providing research, scientific services and technical advice to a diverse customer base which includes Government departments, research councils, levy bodies, charitable trusts and the agri-food industry.
Carr’s Group
Eden has worked with the agricultural division for more than a decade and was tasked to support the Group in their search for an Interim Operations Director to support the Animax division.
Wynnstay
Eden partnered with Wynnstay Group PLC to identify and recruit a Group Manufacturing and Logistics Director. This leadership role was essential in strengthening its manufacturing and logistics functions, ensuring operational excellence, efficiency, and innovation.
NFU
Eden partnered with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) to appoint a newly created Director of Regions and Commercial — a pivotal leadership role designed to strengthen the organisation’s commercial performance while enhancing the delivery of frontline member services.
UK Agri – Tech Centre
Eden partnered with the UK Agri-Tech Centre to appoint a Chief Executive Officer to lead the organisation through its next stage of development following the successful merger of three specialist centres in 2024. This was a unique opportunity for a credible, strategic, and people-focused CEO to shape the Centre’s future, strengthen its national and international presence, and drive real-world outcomes for the UK’s agri-tech sector.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Eden supports board, C-suite and senior leadership appointments across agribusiness and agritech , including Chairs, Non-Executive Directors, CEOs, and Managing Directors together with all functional Directors and Heads of including Commercial Directors, Operations Directors, Finance Directors, Technical Directors, Product Directors, Sales Directors. We recruit across farming, crop inputs, animal health, animal nutrition, seed, machinery, agricultural technology, and data businesses.
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Our expertise spans the wider agricultural value chain, including crop production, livestock, animal health, animal nutrition, seed, fertiliser, agri-inputs, precision agriculture, robotics, automation, data analytics, software and digital farming technologies.
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Today’s agribusinesses are navigating challenges including sustainability, food security, labour availability, climate resilience and technological innovation. Successful leaders need to combine commercial expertise with sector knowledge and the ability to drive transformation in increasingly complex environments.
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Yes. We work with a broad range of organisations, from family-owned businesses and multinational corporations to venture-backed agritech start-ups, private equity-backed companies and rapidly scaling businesses seeking leadership to support their next stage of growth.
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Absolutely. We regularly support clients through periods of rapid growth, international expansion, acquisitions, digital transformation, succession planning and investment activity, helping secure leaders capable of delivering long-term value creation.
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Yes. We support leadership appointments across the UK, Europe, North America, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Our international network enables us to identify and engage exceptional candidates across global agricultural and agritech markets.
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Yes. While many assignments require thorough sector expertise, we also help clients identify exceptional candidates from adjacent sectors including technology, engineering, manufacturing, data, consumer goods and supply chain businesses where transferable skills can drive innovation and competitive advantage.
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Yes. We provide interim executives across commercial, operational, technical and functional leadership roles. Interim appointments can be especially valuable during business transformation, acquisition activity, succession planning or critical project delivery.
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Eden is exclusively focused on the global food and agricultural supply chain. Combining executive search expertise with sector knowledge from working in the industry together with an extensive international network, we understand the commercial, technical and leadership challenges shaping the future of agriculture and food production.
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Our search process combines in-depth market mapping, targeted candidate engagement, leadership assessment and talent benchmarking. We evaluate candidates against technical capability, leadership style, cultural fit and long-term potential to ensure successful appointments.
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Yes. A big part of our work is to support clients with succession planning, talent mapping, leadership benchmarking and broader organisational advisory services, helping businesses build robust leadership pipelines for future growth.
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While every assignment is different, most executive search projects are completed within a matter of weeks. Our structured approach is designed to deliver both speed and quality, ensuring clients secure the best possible leadership talent