THE British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) has appointed a new chief executive officer.

Joe Farren, 44, from Cawood in North Yorkshire officially took over the reins on Wednesday (1st) following the retirement of Ian Hartley who led the organisation for 22 years.

A graduate of Balliol College, Oxford in Modern Languages and English, Mr Farren is also a qualified barrister.

He spent the first part of his career in the City advising on company mergers and acquisitions. In 2004 he joined SIG Plc, the FTSE 250 Yorkshire headquartered multinational distributor of building and home improvement products, where he was head of UK and Ireland Business Development.

From 2013, he was a director with LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Bank. He is part of a farming family and he and his wife have farms in Yorkshire and Aberdeenshire.

Ian Buchanan, BWMB chairman, said: "We welcome Joe to the BWMB in this high profile and important position at a crucial time not only in agriculture but also in the wool sector.

"We look forward to working with Joe, ensuring we continue to serve the best interests of our producers and in maximising the value of their wool.

"On behalf of UK wool producers I also thank Ian Hartley for his hard work, commitment and contribution to the BWMB and the wool industry and wish him well for a long and happy retirement".

Mr Farren said he was delighted to have joined the BWMB. "I am determined the Board will continue its good service to wool producers," he said. "The Board will also seek to continuously improve the efficiency with which it handles their wool, to manage the auction process effectively so as to maximise prices for producers and to promote wool strongly on the global stage as the pre-eminent fibre, being aesthetically attractive, high performance and environmentally friendly."