Richard Anscombe, Chief Executive Officer of AtlasFram Group, the UK’s foremost farmer-owned cooperative, has been named Director of The Year by the judges of the prestigious East Anglian Daily Times Business Awards 2013. It comes 12 months after AtlasFram Group won the ‘Medium to Large’ Business of the Year category in the EADT Business Awards 2012.
The Director of the Year award, which is sponsored by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, recognises the hard work, creativity and innovation of business leaders in Suffolk. The judges were looking for a business leader who has excelled in their role and brought innovation to their industry, the county of Suffolk or a significant sector of the community. Their brief was to identify directors with vision, clarity and the ability to keep their eye on the ball in a challenging economic climate, the winner being an individual who has not only achieved significant profit levels but is regarded as a positive symbol of creativity in the workplace.
In making the award the judges said: “Last year, AtlasFram experienced growth against the tide of an extremely tough sector market, thanks to innovation, a great deal of input to team morale and development, and tightly-focused business planning and management. In a really strong year for entrants, Richard Anscombe’s past 12 months at AtlasFram – specifically, his successful introduction of a game-changing product innovation, the company’s bold use of digital technology to create a sizeable market sector from scratch and the strong growth of employee morale – make him our Director of the Year 2013.”
Educated at Harper Adams Agricultural College, Richard began his career with Norsk Hydro Fertilisers in 1984 and subsequently co-founded Active Web Solutions, a Suffolk-based Information Technology business. Since being appointed CEO of AtlasFram Group in 2010 he has made it the UK’s foremost farm inputs purchasing and crop marketing cooperative. The business, which has an annual turnover of over £170 million and is owned by its 1250 members who collectively farm more than 300,000 hectares throughout the UK, operates as a true cooperative, remaining true to the principles on which it was founded more than 50 years ago.
Commenting on the award, Richard stated: “In 2012, everyone within AtlasFram Group was delighted that we won the Medium to Large Business category. Earlier this year my team asked if they could nominate me for Director of the Year because they believed that I had made a big difference to the business. I was delighted they felt that way and honored to win, but my hope is that it will help to further raise awareness of AtlasFram, of the agricultural sector and of the excellent career opportunities which it now offers.
“This award would not have been possible without the support of my wife Penny and the staff, directors and members of AtlasFram. Leading any organisation is not always plain sailing, but in doing so I am mindful that everyone is important and their opinion matters. By listening to others you yourself learn, which in turn enables you to provide the resources and skills that they need to go off and do great things. Only by adopting this approach has AtlasFram Group has been able to achieve the significant progress that it has done in the last three years and will do in the future.
“Our investment in Information Technology and innovative use of it has been pivotal in taking the Group forward, as has been our achievement of the ‘Investors In People’ standard, which continues the process of involving and empowering employees working within AtlasFram to strive for personal and business development.
“With children of my own I am passionate about investing time and knowledge in the next generation, encouraging them to raise their aspirations and be the best they can be. As part of that philosophy I work closely with groups such as Young Farmers, Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and Suffolk County Council to help and inspire young people to choose a career about which they will be equally passionate.”
