Agriculture/Animal Health

Principal Consultant

John Jebb  (click on the name link to see the profile and contact details)

Agricultural 

Although, very much a niche area in terms of global executive search businesses, providing expertise in this sector has been the remit of one of CNA’s core business units and has been supported by a dedicated specialist team of consultants since 1996. Although some of our clients’ operations are multinational in nature we also dedicate our services to support the needs of smaller local businesses and have enabled them to grow substantially over the years by providing some of the UK’s top talent in their specific fields.

It is estimated that at least 1 in 5 senior managers in this sector will be retiring within the next four years. Effective succession planning is therefore critical to the ongoing survival of many organisations. On the other hand only few new graduates enter this industry each year and there has been a dearth of new blood for over ten years. Clearly then, management talent is becoming scarce and our work with our key clients goes far beyond recruitment to include dedicated support for long term talent management and development.

Our main activities are in the following sectors

• Animal feed and nutrition
• Machinery and equipment
• Agrochemicals, Fertilisers and Biologicals
• Grain and commodity trading and brokering
• Plant Breeding
• Animal Health & Pet Food

Animal Health 

The CNA Animal Health and Pet Food team have been supplying key managerial, commercial and technical professionals for over ten years and our work has involved global searches and numerous placements each year in the UK and Western Europe..

Recent years have seen a number of key mergers and acquisitions, as well as divestment of non core businesses by major players in these industries. However, the changing demographics of the pet, farm animal and equine populations and greater public awareness of animal nutrition and welfare issues has resulted in an increase in the number of smaller niche players. The issues for companies trying to attract new talent have been compounded by increased regulation and legislation with a critical shortage of experienced and qualified professionals in key areas. Our extensive knowledge of this sector, the main issues and the key players has enabled us to ensure that our clients can adapt and continue to attract the top talent they need to remain highly competitive.

Our main activities are in the following sectors

• Veterinary pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and diagnostics
• Veterinary Equipment
• Pet food manufacturers
• Pet care and pet treats companies
• Specialist retail and merchant businesses