The OTB has appointed Adrian Blackshaw as chair for the OTB and David Diggens as Commercial director to the Organic Trade Board. Paul Moore, the outgoing Chair, assumes the role of CEO of the OTB to ensure continuity in forthcoming marketing programmes.
The OTB also retains Catherine Fookes as campaign manager of the team that launched “Organic Naturally Different”, #OrganicUnboxed and “Wake up to Organic” as part of an award-winning marketing campaign that has successfully engaged with organic consumers.
” … there is tremendous opportunity to grow the (UK) market and bring it into line with the consumer driven growth seen in other parts of the world”
Adrian Blackshaw, said: “I am delighted with this appointment at a time of surging global growth in organic. The UK organic offer is second to none and I believe there is tremendous opportunity to grow the market and bring it into line with the consumer driven growth seen in other parts of the world. I look forward to working with our members, the excellent management team and a broad range of organic representative bodies.”
Adrian Blackshaw, is an organic farmer and comes with a broad business, financial and political background, relevant to the aims of the OTB in building its revised strategy. David Diggens comes with front line commercial experience, having worked as sales director of Strathmore Mineral Water, setting up a successful brokerage business as well as founding the Norfolk Rivers Trust.
From 2010 to 2016, the Organic Trade Board (OTB) has spent £3.2 million of industry and EU funds promoting the value of organic, working across industry to deliver a program that has contributed to increasing support for organic.
Since 2012 growth in the organic sector has continued to accelerate as consumers increasingly perceive organic as “tasty”, “healthier for you” and “worth it”. The market is set to exceed £2 billion and posted growth of 5.6%, notching up 4 years of consecutive growth and around 1.5% share of total grocery sales.
Despite this solid performance, the OTB says it is “setting its sights set on greater things” and in 2017 is looking to move the British market closer to the global performance of organic in countries such as Denmark, where market share sits at 9.9% and in the last 6 months posted growth of 18%.
