Our governance
The main decision-making and management committees at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
APHA Board
The board meets 6 times a year. It’s responsible for:
- setting the strategic direction of the agency
- making sure the agency meets its targets
- managing risk
- managing how we work and communicate with Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Welsh and Scottish governments
The Board is chaired by Chris Nicholson, APHA Lead Non-Executive Director. Members and attendees are:
- Alison White, Non-Executive Director
- Julie Fitzpatrick, Non-Executive Director
- Nigel Reader, Non-Executive Director
- Mike Venables, Non-Executive Director
- Ian Hewett, Interim APHA Chief Executive
- Kevin Ingram, APHA Finance Director for APHA
- Kath Webster, APHA Director of Scientific Services
- Anne Marie Wallace and Michelle Reynolds, Interim APHA Service Delivery Director and EU Exit Directors
- Andrew Soldan, APHA Veterinary Director
- Christine Middlemiss, Chief Veterinary Officer (UK)
- Nicola Spence, Defra Chief Plant Health Officer
- Nadia Khan, Defra Deputy Director for HR
APHA Audit and Risk Committee
The committee meets 4 times a year with more meetings if required. It’s responsible for:
- supporting the board in managing risk
- assessing the agency’s performance
- reviewing the agency’s financial management
- reporting the results of the internal and external audits to the board
It’s chaired by Alison White, Non-Executive Director and other members are:
- Nigel Reader, Non-Executive Director
- David Horne, Independent Member
Regular attendees at the meeting are:
- Ian Hewett, Interim APHA Chief Executive
- Kevin Ingram, Finance Director for APHA
- Russ Baldwin, APHA Head of Finance and Business Partnering
- Chloe Tyler-Young, APHA Head of Internal Audit
- Pragati Raithatha, APHA Risk and Assurance Manager
- National Audit Office
APHA Directorate Leadership Team (DLT)
The DLT meets fortnightly and is responsible for:
- the day-to-day running of APHA
- implementing improvements
- monitoring delivery against targets
- authorising and managing the agency’s change programme
It is chaired by Ian Hewett, APHA’s Interim Chief Executive. The other members are:
- Kevin Ingram, Finance Director for APHA
- Kath Webster, Director of Scientific Services
- Anne Marie Wallace and Michelle Reynolds, APHA Interim Service Delivery Director & EU Exit Directors
- Andrew Soldan, APHA Veterinary Director
APHA Science Advisory Board
The board meets 4 times a year. It supports the APHA Board and Accounting Officer in their responsibilities for the oversight and assurance of APHA scientific work.
It’s chaired by Julie Fitzpatrick, Non-Executive Director. Other members are from a range of external scientists and experts working on veterinary and government science and research.
APHA Strategic Health and Safety Committee
The committee meets quarterly. It supports the APHA Board (and also reports to the DLT).
It oversees the implementation of APHA’s health and safety strategy to ensure the agency continually looks to raise standards and improve the health and safety culture. The committee resolves and decides on matters within its remit and escalates unresolved issues to the DLT.
It’s chaired by Ian Hewett, APHA’s Interim Chief Executive. The APHA Corporate Health and Safety Advisor is the deputy chair. Its members include senior managers representing different areas of the agency.
APHA Board and Committee meetings