Our governance
The main decision-making and management committees at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
APHA Steering Board
The steering board meets 6 times a year. It’s responsible for:
- setting the strategic direction of the agency
- making sure the agency meets its targets
- managing risk
- managing how we work and communicate with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Welsh and Scottish governments
The steering board is chaired by Chris Nicholson, APHA Lead Non-executive Director. Members and attendees are:
- Lizzie Peers, Non-executive Director
- Laura Green, Non-executive Director
- Mike Venables, Non-executive Director
- Deep Sagar, Non-executive Director
- David Holdsworth, APHA Chief Executive
- Kevin Ingram, APHA Finance Director for APHA
- Jenny Stewart, APHA Director of Science and Transformation
- Yvonne Spencer, APHA Director of Science and Transformation
- Ian Brown, APHA Scientific Services Director
- Nicola Hirst, APHA Service Delivery Director
- Michelle Reynolds, APHA Strategy Planning and innovation Director
- Andrew Soldan, APHA Veterinary Director
- Christine Middlemiss, Chief Veterinary Officer (UK)
- Nicola Spence, Defra Chief Plant Health Officer
- Vicki Brookes, Defra Deputy Director for HR
APHA Audit and Risk Committee
The committee meets 4 times a year with more meetings if required. It’s responsible for:
- supporting the executive board in managing risk
- assessing the agency’s performance
- reviewing the agency’s financial management
- reporting the results of the internal and external audits to the steering board
It’s chaired by Lizzie Peers, Non-executive Director. Other members are:
- Deep Sagar, Non-executive Director
- David Horne, Independent Member
- Mike Venables, Non-executive Director
Regular attendees at the meeting are:
- David Holdsworth, APHA Chief Executive
- Kevin Ingram, Finance Director for APHA
- Russ Baldwin, APHA Head of Finance and Business Partnering
- Natalie Towers, Defra Group Chief Internal Auditor, Government Internal Audit Agency
- Rebecca Andrew, APHA Risk and Assurance Manager
- National Audit Office
APHA Executive Board
The executive board meets monthly and is responsible for:
- the day-to-day running of APHA
- implementing improvements
- monitoring delivery against targets
- authorising and managing the agency’s change programme
It is chaired by David Holdsworth, APHA’s chief executive. The other members are:
- Kevin Ingram, Finance Director for APHA
- Jenny Stewart, APHA Director of Science and Transformation
- Yvonne Spencer, APHA Director of Science Transformation
- Ian Brown, APHA Scientific Services Director
- Nicola Hirst, APHA Service Delivery Director
- Michelle Reynolds, APHA Strategy Planning and innovation Director
- Andrew Soldan, APHA Veterinary Director
APHA Science Advisory Board
The board meets 4 times a year. It supports the APHA Board and Accounting Officer in their responsibilities for the oversight and assurance of APHA scientific work.
It’s chaired by Laura Green, Non-executive Director. Other members are from a range of external scientists and experts working on veterinary and government science and research.
APHA Strategic Health and Safety Committee
The committee meets quarterly. It supports the APHA Executive Board.
It oversees the implementation of APHA’s health and safety strategy to ensure the agency continually looks to raise standards and improve the health and safety culture. The committee resolves and decides on matters within its remit and escalates unresolved issues to the executive board.
It’s chaired by David Holdsworth, APHA’s chief executive. The APHA corporate health and safety advisor is the deputy chair. Members include senior managers representing different areas of the agency.
APHA board and committee meetings