Transparency data

Defra register of board members' interests 2024

Updated 23 October 2024

Background

Defra’s departmental board members’ register of declared interests as of April 2024 (updated September 2024).

This list sets out the declared interests of executive and non-executive members of the Defra board. The Cabinet Office publishes a list of ministers’ interests separately.

Departmental board members are asked to declare any personal, business or related party interests that may, or may be perceived by a reasonable member of the public to, influence their judgements in performing their obligations to the department.

The purpose of this list is to meet the requirements of section 6.4.3(e) of the Government Financial Reporting Manual 2023 to 2024 and paragraph 4.15 of the Corporate governance in central departments: code of good practice.

Register of interests: Non-Executive Directors

Heather Hancock, Lead Non-Executive Director

Renumerated interests

• St John’s College, University of Cambridge - Master
• Urban Logistics REIT plc - Non-Executive Director
• Rural Solutions Ltd - Non-Executive Director
• Devonshire Group Ltd - Non-Executive Director

Unremunerated interests

• Royal Countryside Fund - Chair
• Royal Countryside Fund Trading Ltd - Director
• Amerdale Ltd - Director
• Deloitte LLP - Former Partner
• University of Cambridge - Trustee
• Cambridge University Music Society - Chair of Trustees
• Chatsworth Settlement Trust - Trustee

Significant shareholdings or interests in public or private companies

• Amerdale Ltd

Relevant family members’ interests or persons living in your household

Husband:

• Rural Solutions Ltd - Chairman
• Amerdale Ltd - Non-Executive Director

Farmers or land manager in receipt of any Defra payments for environmental land management or legacy Direct Payments (formally known as Basic Payment Scheme)

Director of Amerdale Ltd, which owns the freeholds of 2 farm holdings in Littondale North Yorkshire, a small hydro-electric scheme, and a pub. Amerdale leases the farms, land and pub, and grazing and sporting rights. Co-owner of the freehold of other land in Littondale with husband, also leased out. Amerdale Ltd and farm tenants are in receipt of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) payments, and receive other ad hoc grants for environmental improvements.

Trustee of the Chatsworth Settlement Trust, which has let and in-hand farm and forestry estates in Derbyshire and North Yorkshire, attracting BPS and other support payments.

Master of St John’s College, Cambridge, which owns land at Ousebridge Farm, Denver (which is managed by a tenant farmer). Ousebridge Farm forms part of the Ouse Washes Landscape Recovery Scheme. The scheme is managed by the RSPB and involves 9 landowners. The Ouse Washes Landscape Recovery Scheme has secured LRS funding from Defra from February 2024 for 2 years. All money from Defra will run through the RSPB so the college will not receive money directly from Defra.

Heather has been awarded a grant of £135,000 to plant 15.7 hectares with 24,000 trees under the Nature for Climate programme – part of the Northern Forest scheme, and a Woodland Trust and Yorkshire Dales National Park collaboration called Grow Back Greener. The planting is on Horsehead Moor at Halton Gill.

Other declarations

• Upper Wharfedale Agricultural Society - Vice President
• The Agricultural Forum - Chair

Colin Day, Non-Executive Director - Audit Risk Assurance Committee Chair 

Remunerated interests

• Premier Foods Plc - Chairman
• FM Global Inc - main board member and member of Finance Committee and Investment Committee
• FM Insurance Europe SA - main board member and member of Audit Committee
• S4c Plc - Board Member and Non-Executive Director

Unremunerated interests

• Council of the University of Cranfield - member of Finance Committee and pro bono Adviser
• MKU Ltd - Chairman
• Flyglass Ltd - Secretary, Director

Chris Tyas, Non-Executive Director

Remunerated interests

• GS1 UK - Chairperson
• Greenback Recycling Technologies - Senior Non-Executive Director
• Hellios Information Ltd - Advisory Board

Unremunerated interests

• Sheffield University - Visiting Professor (resigned 24 December 2023, effective 31 December 2024)
• Grantham Foundation - Ambassador (resigned 24 December 2023, effective 31 December 2024)

Significant shareholdings or interests in public or private companies

• Greenback Recycling (private company) - shares and options
• o9 Solutions - shares
• Barclays PLC - ISAs and savings
• UBS - life bond

Relevant family members’ interests or persons living in your household

• Tyas Services Ltd, family company to manage advisory earnings

Nick Folland, Non-Executive Director

Remunerated interests

• Marks and Spencer Group plc - General Counsel and Company Secretary
• Marks and Spencer plc - Director
• Marks and Spencer Simply Foods Limited - Director
• Marks and Spencer (A2B) Limited - Director
• Marks and Spencer Holdings Limited - Director
• Marks and Spencer (Investment Holdings) Limited - Director
• Gist Limited - Director
• Marks and Spencer Scottish Limited Partnership - Director
• Ruby Properties (Long Eaton) Limited - Director
• Ruby Properties (Hardwick) Limited - Director
• Marks and Spencer 2005 (Chester Store) Limited - Director
• Audit and Risk Assurance Committee - Defence Equipment and Support Non-Executive Director and Chair
• Solicitors’ Regulatory Authority Qualified Solicitor - Roll number 158494
• JCF Consultants Ltd - Director

Unremunerated interests

• NERC-BAS Operations and Safety Assurance and Advisory Group (NBOSAAG) - Member

Significant shareholdings or interests in public or private companies

• Marks and Spencer Group plc (not significant in the context of Marks and Spencer, but significant from the perspective of the individual)
• JCF Consultants Ltd

Register of interests: Senior officials

Tamara Finkelstein, Permanent Secretary

Unremunerated interests

• Norwood (children and adult learning disability charity) - Trustee
• JCoSS (Secondary school) - Trustee
• Wiener Holocaust Library, an institution devoted to the study of the Holocaust, its causes and legacies - Patron
• Institute for Government (Organisation promoting effective Government) - Board Member
• Leadership Centre (Leadership Centre Fellows network charity) - Trustee

Relevant family members’ interests or persons living in your household

Brother (Daniel Finkelstein):

• House of Lords - Member
• The Times - Columnist

Friend (Shanker Singham):

• Competere - Director
• Trader Support Service - Research author

Nick Joicey, Defra group Chief Operating Officer and Second Permanent Secretary

Unremunerated interests

• University of Bristol -Trustee, Board Member and Chair of the finance board
• The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Dulwich St Barnabas - Trustee
• Fera Science Ltd - Board Member (February 2015 to July 2018)
• Cambridge Film Trust - Director (August 2007 to February 2018)

Relevant family members’ interests or persons living in your household

Wife (Rachel Reeves):

• Labour MP for Leeds West and Pudsey (formerly Leeds West) - appointed 6 May 2010
• Chancellor of the Exchequer - appointed 5 July 2024
• Previously Shadow Chancellor, Shadow Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Minister for the Cabinet office - appointed 10 May 2021

Other declarations

• Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) - Member
• Financial interests - Vanguard ISA, National Savings Premium Bonds, owns a 1 bedroom property that’s rented out (previously main residence)

Iain King, Chief Financial Officer

Unremunerated interests

• Kimpton Cricket Club Limited - Treasurer
• Edmonton Academy Trust - Trustee and Audit Committee Chair

David Hill, DG Strategy and Water

No interests declared.