Chief Executive and director profiles

Tim Smith took up post as Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency in 1 May 2008.

Tim is the former Chief Executive of Arla Foods UK plc. The company, which is responsible for a number of major food brands, is now part of Arla Foods amba, Europe's largest dairy manufacturer. He was appointed Chief Executive of Arla Foods in early 2005.

Tim graduated from Leeds University with a degree in microbiology and zoology. He has spent his entire career in the food business: from 1979 to 1994 he was at Northern Foods, finishing his career there as a divisional director. After five years at Sara Lee Corporation, where he was President of UK operations, he joined Express Dairies plc as Executive Director. Express Dairies merged with Arla Foods in October 2003.

In June 2010, Tim was appointed a Board Member of the London Food Board. The board is responsible for advising on the development of a new food strategy implementation plan for the Greater London Authority.

Tim also sits on the Improve Board Committee which is the Sector Skills Council for the Food and Drink Manufacturing Industry in the UK. He used to sit on the UK Government’s Council of Food Policy Advisors.

A scientist with a degree in biology and a PhD in plant molecular biology, Alison joined the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1994. There, she held a number of posts in food science and food safety policy before transferring to the Agency on its creation in 2000. Following a short period at Defra during 2001, Alison returned to the Agency where she has held a range of roles, including, most recently, Head of Contaminants and Novel Foods Division.

Andrew Wadge started his career at Westminster Medical School carrying out research on the effects of environmental pollution upon health. He continued research in this area and was awarded a PhD from King’s College London in 1985.

After a short spell of post-doctoral research, he joined the Department of Health where he worked on the health effects of environmental pollution advising ministers on issues such as asthma and air pollution. In April 2000, he moved to the Agency and brought together people from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health to form a new culture around the Agency’s values of putting the consumer first. Under his leadership, consumer confidence in the handling of food safety issues has grown significantly.

Andrew was appointed as Director of Food Safety in August 2003 and in April 2010 took on the role as Interim Director of Food Policy following the merger of the FSA and MHS. He is the Agency’s Chief Scientist and the lead media spokesperson for the Agency on food safety issues.

Andrew Rhodes joined the Food Standards Agency in August 2010, having previously worked as Director of Products and Services at the DVLA in Swansea. Andrew holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in History from the University of Wales Swansea. Andrew has worked in a number of private and public sector roles, having worked for Cable & Wireless and NTL in telecommunications, PricewaterhouseCoopers as an IT consultant and in local government before joining the Civil Service in 2005.

Andrew has a background in running very large and high-volume services, such as ‘car tax online’, as well as some of the largest operations in Government. At the FSA Andrew is responsible for Operations, including the inspection and regulation of the meat industry, shellfish, dairy, eggs, imported foods, wine standards and the relationship with local authorities and their environmental health officers.

Rod Ainsworth joined the Agency on 6 April 2010 as Director of Legal Services. Prior to this Rod was Group Legal Director for the Affinity Sutton Group, a position he had held since 2006.

Rod has practised as a solicitor since 1981 and has worked for the London Boroughs of Harrow and Brent. In 1986, Rod became a partner at a London law firm specialising in planning, development and public sector work. In 1995, he joined the Audit Commission as its solicitor where he was involved in the Westminster 'homes for votes' case and creating the Audit Commission Inspectorate. In 2004, Rod became Legal Director and Company Secretary for William Sutton.

Terrence Collis joined the Agency in April 2006. Prior to that he worked in a range of media and communications roles, predominantly in the private sector, both in-house and on a consultancy basis. He is a former Director of Corporate Communications at National Westminster Bank and Director of Group Corporate Communications at Lloyds TSB.

He has extensive experience of public policy and political lobbying and has worked with a wide range of trade bodies and consumer organisations during his time in retail banking.

Chris Hitchen joined the Agency in January 2010. Prior to this he worked as a Head of Finance at Santander.

Chris graduated in Accounting and Finance in 1992 and gained his Chartered Management Accounting qualification (ACMA) whilst working for Yorkshire Water in 1996. He then spent two years in a Finance role with MD Foods plc (now Arla Foods UK). Joining GE Capital in 1998, he worked in a range of finance roles, latterly as the Head of Finance Auto UK, and was part of the management team that led the sale of the business to Santander in 2009.

Lynne Bywater joined the Agency December 2007 as Director of HR of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS), an executive agency of the food Standards Agency. She was appointed as Director of HR in January 2010 for the Agency during the Integrated Corporate Services programme, when the MHS merged with the FSA.

Lynne has spent all her career in the HR field since graduating with a BSc in Social Science and studying for a postgraduate diploma in Labour Studies whilst working at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Fulham. She has worked in private and public sector organisations including the Health Service, Unilever, West Yorkshire Police and the NHS Employers Organisation. Whilst her career has focused on generalist HR roles she has also experience in employee relations and employee development roles. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Charles Milne, Director Scotland

Professor Charles Milne was appointed Director of the Food Standards Agency office in Scotland in June 2009.

Charles was the Chief Veterinary Officer in Scotland, a post he had held since 2003. He studied at the Royal Veterinary College, London, qualifying as a vet in 1985 and has wide experience of public veterinary service, including active involvement in national emergencies.

Charles started his career in private practice in Fife and joined the Scottish State Veterinary Service (SVS) in Perth in 1987. Charles was working with the SVS during the BSE crisis and also has direct experience of working in meat hygiene. In 1996, Charles took on the role of Veterinary Adviser to Scottish ministers and also worked at a national level. During this time he had responsibility for diverse areas, such as zoonotic diseases, international trade and animal welfare. In 2001, during the foot and mouth outbreak, Charles played a key role in managing and delivering the control policies in Scotland with a team of 1,200 staff.

Steve Wearne, Director Wales

Steve Wearne was appointed Director of the Food Standards Agency office in Wales in October 2007.

Steve is a scientist by training, with a degree in biochemistry and a spell of post-graduate research in molecular biology. Steve joined the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1990 and held a range of posts in food science and food policy development, before transferring to the Agency when it was launched in 2000. His first post in the Agency was head of the Private Office and Private Secretary to the first Chair of the FSA, Sir John Krebs (now Lord Krebs).

Between 2003 and 2004, Steve served as Interim Director of FSA Wales for 14 months.

Gerry McCurdy, Director Northern Ireland

Gerry McCurdy was appointed Director of the Food Standards Agency office in Northern Ireland in August 2008. Gerry's previous role was Deputy Director of FSANI.

Gerry was previously the Deputy Chief Environmental Health Officer at the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) before transferring to the Agency, where he had responsibility within the Chief Medical Officer's command for providing advice on a range of environmental health issues. He was previously with the Environmental Health Unit within the Department of Environment and, before that, worked in local government for Belfast City Council and Carrickfergus Borough Council.

Gerry qualified as an environmental health officer in 1978 and obtained an MSc in Environmental Health in 1990.He has over 30 years' experience in the profession, the last 15 being within central government. He has represented central government at various levels, including European, UK, all-Ireland and locally. He has also lectured at Queen's University on EU Food Law and EU structures.