A FARMER from Sampford Spiney will play a leading role in driving forward the business of the major co-operative Cornwall Farmers.

Dr Geoffrey Vernon has been made chairman of the £70-million co-operative. He has been a board director since 2007 and succeeds Peter Thomas who has stepped down after three years in the role.

Geoffrey farms 155 acres with his wife, Julie. They have a herd of pedigree Red Rubys and a mixed flock of commercial and Greyface Dartmoor ewes. He is a pharmacist and a member of the Veterinary Pharmacy Group of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. He has extensive business experience and is chairman and non-executive director of a number of public and private companies in the UK and abroad.

Geoffrey has been a board member of Cornwall Farmers since 2007 and was appointed chairman of the audit committee in 2009. He has played a key role over the last 12 months in helping to refocus the business.

Cornwall Farmers unveiled its new eight-strong board having announced earlier this year that it was recruiting new directors to drive the business forward.

The co-operative has been supplying the agricultural community for the last 90 years and is owned by its 4,200 members. A vote at the annual meeting in March was to diversify its board structure following a review.

The new board members were appointed following an external assessment process and were judged against stringent qualifying criteria.

Geoffrey said: 'These new appointments strengthen the breadth and depth of experience, skills and commercial acumen available to Cornwall Farmers. They reinforce our fierce commitment to remain independent as we focus on driving the business forward.

'The quality of candidates was so impressive that we have decided to appoint four new member directors rather than the two originally planned. I'm confident that their decades of business experience will bring increased drive and focus to the co-operative and I am delighted to welcome such an outstanding team.'

He recorded his thanks to the outgoing board members for their support and said former vice-chairman Adrian Shute would remain on the board until next year's annual general meeting to help effect a smooth transition.

Cornwall Farmers' new board includes two executive directors, four member directors and one professional independent director. The executive director posts are held by chief executive Simon Birch and director of finance Andrew Knott.

The four new member directors are Jeremy Oatey, Ian Tremain, Rex Ward and Charles Williams, and the professional independent director is Jules Hydelman.