Sandy Wilkie, Sales and Marketing Director at Robert Wiseman Dairies, has been appointed chairman of the Dairy Council.
Mr Wilkie is a highly-respected industry figure industry, both in the UK and internationally.
He succeeds Barry Nicholls, former chief executive of Milk Link, who is stepping down after three years as chairman of The Dairy Council.
Sandy Wilkie said today: "It is a great privilege to take on the chairmanship of The Dairy Council at a time when it has never been more important to underline the health and nutritional benefits of dairy products.
"We are confronted all too often with negative and ill-informed criticism of dairy and it is absolutely essential that we keep making every effort to demonstrate the outstanding contribution dairy foods make to our lives and wellbeing.
"There is overwhelming support for dairy products from the British public in that 98% of households enjoy what are scientifically-proven healthy and nutritious elements of our diet."
Sandy Wilkie is chairman of the European Dairy Association’s liquid milk committee, chairman of the Milk Marketing Forum, a director of the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland and an associate of the Royal Agricultural Society. He is also chairman of the Scottish Dairy Marketing Company, which aims to encourage more people to drink milk, and a former national chairman of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers’ Clubs.
Barry Nicholls said: "I am pleased to have steered The Dairy Council successfully through the recent review of industry bodies and now that process is complete I think it is an appropriate time for me to step down. I am delighted to have served as chairman for the last three years and wish Sandy all the best in taking the organisation forward."
Dr Judith Bryans, Director of The Dairy Council, said: "We are very pleased to have such a well respected industry figure such as Sandy to lead the organisation into a new era and we are very grateful for the great contribution Barry has made."
