Meet The Team

Richard Simpson – Development Director
B.Sc. Hons (Agric)

Richard has been with Kingshay since 1994 and is involved in all aspects of business management and development. He has a wide experience gained in consultancy, managing and running practical projects, IT projects, farmer surveys and desk studies; researching and writing technical reports and leading farmer discussion groups. His areas of expertise include farm business consultancy, farm business analysis & budgeting, extensive knowledge of dairy farming systems, key performance measures and keys to profitability & success as well as the ability to find & develop solutions e.g. applying the input requirements of a complex scientific model to practical farm situations that can be replicated from farm to farm.

Richard has been heavily involved in the designing, development, operation and promotion of the Dairy Manager herd costings service which is used by 2,000 dairy farms in the UK. Richard also has IT development and data analysis skills together with an in depth knowledge of on-farm Carbon Footprinting and evaluation of measures that can be taken to reduce emissions.

From a dairy farming background Richard, gained a BSc honours in Agriculture at Harper Adams and has practical experience managing cows on a day to day basis.

Sarah Bolt – Membership Development Manager
B.Sc. (Agric), MSc Animal Behaviour

Sarah has worked in the agricultural sector for over 20 years, having graduated with a BSc in Agriculture (University of London). Roles have included  technical sales and advisory positions. Latterly she was heavily involved with knowledge exchange, focussing on engaging farmers to drive change on farm.

Sarah studied for an MSc in Animal Behaviour (University of Exeter) graduating in 2014. Her dissertation looked at the effects of social contact on the health and production of dairy calves.

Joining Kingshay in 2017 Sarah is responsible for knowledge transfer to the membership, principally with writing technical publications and dealing with technical queries. Her role with Kingshay continues to build on her passion for motivating and inspiring change on farm for a profitable, sustainable future. Sarah also facilitates the Wyvern Discussion Group.

Sarah is a founder of “Women in Dairy” and now sits on its steering committee, organising the annual conference, training facilitators and driving the organisation forward. In her spare time Sarah is most likely to be found in the great outdoors, either gardening or walking the many footpaths of the southwest.

Kathryn Rowland – Senior Farm Services Manager
B.Sc. Hons (Agric)

Kathryn joined Kingshay in 2002 after studying Agriculture at Seale Hayne, University of Plymouth. She carried out work experience as a placement student for Kingshay in 2001.

She now manages the Farm Services Team. A key part of her role is analysing key performance data and writing technical articles for publication. Kathryn co-ordinates the publication of Kingshay's Dairy Costings Focus Report, published annually. She also runs the Profit Manager service and business management training workshops.

She is involved in farm discussion group meetings where all costs of production are discussed in detail and benchmarked against full costs of production.

Felicity Gale – Farm Services Specialist
B.Sc. (Animal Science)

Felicity will be known to many of you as the main contact for any technical and customer service queries regarding your herd(s) and is responsible for the smooth running of our Dairy Manager costings service. Having joined the team in 2013, she now regularly analyses production results and industry trends for key clients.

Felicity is well qualified for the role having gained a BSc in Animal Science from Harper Adams and has worked on a diverse range of dairy farms in Australia and Canada.

Hayley Tincknell – Service Support Specialist

Hayley joined the Farm Services Team in January 2018, as Farm Services Specialist to cover Felicity Gale whilst she was on maternity leave. She will be known to many of you as providing support to the dairy manager costings service and now that Felicity has returned, Hayley provides support to the whole office, covering the Dairy Manager team and looking after the marketing of Kingshay.

Having gained previous experience working as a laboratory supervisor and personal assistant at a leading poultry veterinary practice, laboratory technician in a milk laboratory and office manager of a small farm and poultry veterinary practice, she brings knowledge and understanding of the farming industry.

Hayley grew up on both a dairy and a poultry farm and has recently moved to the area to marry Henry, a dairy farmer. She can usually be found in her spare time, walking her dog, Ruby.

Lily Howard – Service Support and Marketing Coordinator

Lily joined the team in November 2019 to cover Hayley’s maternity leave.

Bringing with her previous marketing experience and 7 years working in a consumer facing environment.  She is responsible for designing Kingshay’s marketing materials and providing support to other areas of the business.

Lily grew up locally and is keen to learn more about the industry from both the Kingshay team and her housemate, a veterinary nurse.

Emily Carter – Data Projects Coordinator
B.Sc. Hons (Environment and Ecology)

Emily is responsible for the development and running of data capture and reporting projects within Kingshay and the wider Origin Group. She is currently working with Origin’s veterinary teams to develop bespoke web based programs to manage client information, record and report clinical investigations and to analyse clinical data.

Previously, Emily helped Kingshay to develop what is believed to be the UK’s largest agricultural carbon footprinting model, which enabled approximately 2,500 assessments to be carried out annually spanning the major livestock and produce (including milling wheat) sectors.

Emily is a FACTs qualified adviser.

Christina Ford – Services Development Specialist
BSc (Hons) Bioveterinary Science

Christina joined Kingshay in April 2019 as Services Development Specialist to provide customer support and to progress the services we provide.

Christina grew up on a beef and pig farm in Somerset and studied Bioveterinary Science at Harper Adams. Before joining Kingshay, Christina worked as a pig nutritionist at ForFarmers, where she formulated unique diets and progressed a data analysis system to enable clearer access to data to help improve productivity on farm.

In her spare time, Christina can be found running around the hockey pitch or walking her dogs Aussie and Rolo.

Ian Heathcock – IT Development Specialist

Originally trained as an electronic engineer, Ian has been creating websites and writing bespoke software since the late 1990’s. With Kingshay since 2008, Ian develops both in-house software and customer facing products.

Helen Frost – Finance and Administration Manager
MAAT

Helen has joined the team to ensure the efficient running of the office. With her background in farm accountancy Helen will be keeping our books up to scratch. Prior to joining us Helen ran her own farm secretarial business.

Duncan Forbes – Dairy Research Director
B.Sc. Hons (Agricultural & Environmental Science), Dip, AFM, ARAgS

Duncan was invited to join Kingshay in 1995 as Development Director and was appointed Managing Director in 2000. Working with a dedicated team of specialists, he has established Kingshay as one of the leading providers of near market research, advice, services and training for dairy farmers & the wider industry across the UK & overseas.

Duncan has wide experience of business management, strategic planning, staffing and personnel, financial control, business succession as well as general farm management consultancy. He has a particular interest in finding innovative solutions to everyday farming issues and enjoys drawing on his team’s expertise to develop them.

After several years in practical farming, Duncan moved into farm management consultancy with the MMB and subsequently held regional and national management posts with National Milk Records and Milk Marque before joining Kingshay in 1995.