Robert Merrall Email & Phone Number

Specialist Agri-Tech Consultancy delivering insight, project monitoring and collaborative business development that focuses on sustainable food production and the technology required to deliver this. Clients include Innovate UK and CNH Industrial.

Newport, Shropshire, United Kingdom

Stoneleigh

National charity promoting the transfer of science and knowledge to the farmer and land manager through wide spectrum of commercial and technical activities. £10m turnover, 6000 members, 90 staff.Business Development Director – Board member reporting to the CEO, delivering commercial and technical events for the charity focussing on increased customer satisfaction and maximising sales while optimising efficiency. Generating circa £2m pa commercial sales and direct responsibility for over 40 staff during a strategically difficult period.• Led on Society restructure; Instigated and led reinvigoration of reorganisation. • Revitalised key but stagnant relationships between the Society and a broad range of key stakeholders including various NGOs, trade associations and agricultural groups. Engaged fully with RASE’s Trustees, Council and Members.• Improved the Stoneleigh Park site’s productivity through engagement, recovery and support plans. Developed, shaped and maintained an incisive focus on customer satisfaction, training and morale as well as contract adherence.• Led arrangements for several highly successful training and team building exercises, necessitating painstaking attention to detail, diplomacy and tolerance.

Well-established agricultural, construction and garden equipment dealer serving the West Midlands. Key franchises included: New Holland, Vaderstad, Manitou, Honda, Doosan.£14m turnover, 2 branches, 45 staff.After Sales & Marketing Director – Reporting directly to the MD, responsible for business growth and efficiencies with particular emphasis on product support and customer service. • Improved customer retention through creation of a focussed, company-wide customer data system in partnership with a leading sector systems provider. • Built staff self-esteem and career progression through implementation of a technician accreditation programme with industry body, the Institution of Agricultural Engineers.• Developed seasonal marketing plans and cut inventory of redundant stock, securing support from suppliers to underpin promotions which were promoted on a greatly improved website which logged traffic flows.

Agricultural and garden equipment dealer serving the South of England. £20m turnover, 5 branches, 100 staff.Key franchises included: New Holland, Simba, JCB, CaseIH, Manitou, Honda.Marketing & Communications Director – Reporting directly to the MD (and deputising for him as required), drove improved profitability during a phase of rapid growth. Involved in direct customer sales contact, responsible for internal and external communication and throughout this period edited a monthly 16 page glossy magazine to engage customers. • Led the drive to halt five years of unbudgeted losses by adopting a one-team approach.• Developed business plans to secure new franchises and major supplier investment.• Pioneered new customer data systems with suppliers and systems specialists, allowing groups of dealers to improve customer retention and benchmark against each others’ pooled data.• Applied large manufacturer’s PR principles to the independent retail sector, using media relationships developed at Renault.

Subsidiary of French automotive giant’s agricultural operation, who at the time were Europe’s largest distributors of agricultural equipment through their network of retail outlets and independent dealers. UK Operation: £20m turnover, 22 head office staff, 5 wholly owned retail branches, 65 independent dealers.Note: Renault Agriculture is now wholly owned by the Claas Group.Marketing Manager – Responsible to the UK Managing Director and leading the marketing team at Renault Agriculture’s Warwickshire base, managing promotion, PR and the liaison with the French production team. In addition, ran Renault Agriculture’s UK training school as well as a number of programmes for the UK market in France.• Jointly responsible for increasing Renault’s share of the UK tractor market from 3% to 5% (representing some 600 tractors per year) with a sub £150k marketing and advertising budget.• Developed a highly successful series of UK road show campaigns, deploying a French product demonstration team to support local events championed by local independent dealers and UK staff.• Created a PR buzz around the brand through judicious product placement and careful liaison with journalists and opinion leaders, underpinned by business events at venues including Gleneagles, Stoneleigh Park as well as a range of agricultural colleges.

Engd, Engineering Measures To Improve Forage Maize Production

Research based at Cranfield’s Silsoe Campus, with remote field trials over 4 years in County Durham) Trained at Cranfield School.

Beng (Hons), Agricultural Engineering

Four year programme at Silsoe College accredited by both IAgrE & IMechE. Included a 12 month industrial placement Core Subjects: Higher.