Joe Farren is the new CEO of British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB). He succeeds Ian Hartley who led the organisation for 22 years. Farren is a lawyer and advises on company mergers and acquisitions. He has worked with a multinational distributor of building and home improvement products and with Lloyds Bank. He is part of a farming family.

BWMB serves the interests of wool producers and helps in maximising the value of their wool. It manages the auction process so as to maximise prices for producers and promotes wool strongly on the global stage as the pre-eminent fiber, being aesthetically attractive, known for being high performance and environment friendly.

Established in 1950, the farmer-run organisation was created to operate a central marketing system for UK fleece wool, with the aim of achieving the best possible net return for producers. The not-for-profit body is required to register all producers with four or more sheep.

The BWMB remains the only body in the world that collects, grades, sells and promotes fleece wool, its preference for the auction method being another of its stand-out qualities.

Originally, the board was a statutory body, but it’s now a producer cooperative. It provides courses and training on shearing.

www.britishwool.org.uk/