The Soil Association Certification has appointed Dominic Robinson to replace Martin Sawyer as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Dominic Robinson
Dominic arrives with a wealth of experience in environmental and forestry organisations and has had a close working relationship with Soil Association Certification since 2018. As an independent member of its Scrutiny Committee, Dominic was responsible for scrutinising decision making to ensure impartiality and the integrity of the standards being delivered. This has given him a great familiarity with the organisation and its people, together with a good understanding of its purpose, challenges and opportunities.
He joins Certification from Severn Trent Water where he was Head of Visitor Experience for five years, responsible for managing the public, land and assets across 30 reservoirs. Before this he was with Forestry England where he was responsible for certification of the 250,000 ha public forest estate.
Dominic said: “The demand for sustainable products and the need for hallmarks that can be trusted has never been so strong and is only going to increase. I am proud to be part of such an esteemed organisation, working with a passionate team to realise the opportunities that lie ahead.”
“Key to my approach is to create connections, nurture relationships and build partnerships to achieve more together – for the benefit of people and the environment. I will be looking to bring this into the CEO position, seeking to work with producers, clients, retailers, certification bodies and consumers to increase the market share of organic and sustainable forest products as well as the continued growth of carbon markets and ecosystem services.”
Dominic lives in Solihull with his wife and two young children. He studied Geography at Cambridge University and worked with Ryton Garden Organic to undertake research into nitrogen-fixing organic farming rotations. He went on to study Environmental Technology at Imperial College London.
Martin Sawyer retires from Soil Association Certification after seven years at the helm in which he has overseen many key developments and milestones including the phenomenal performance and resilience of the Organic Market which broke the £3 billion mark in 2021.
Soil Association Group CEO, Helen Browning, said: “I will miss Martin immensely. He has led SA Certification admirably for the last seven years and I welcomed his wise advice and constructive approach, his calmness and perspective, particularly in recent years through all the trials and tribulations of Brexit and Covid. We wish him the very best for the future.”
“It is a big welcome to Dominic. I look forward to working with him and I know he will bring vast energy, novel perspectives and enthusiasm for the twists and turns ahead.”
For more information:
Pete Williams
Soil Association Certification
Tel: 0117 3145149
Email: [email protected]
www.soilassociation.org