Our governance

The main decision-making, executive and managerial bodies at the Rural Payments Agency.

Agency Management Board

The Agency Management Board (AMB) has responsibility for advising whether the strategic aims and objectives of the RPA are consistent with its overall strategic direction and are within the policy and resources framework determined by the Secretary of State.

The board is made up of non-executive directors, a Defra director and RPA members. AMB is supported by the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) that has responsibility for risk assessment, auditing and accounting.

Board members

  • Board Chair Role (currently vacant)
  • Paul Dillon-Robinson (ARAC chair and AMB member)
  • Tim Breitmeyer (AMB member)
  • Mark Suthern (AMB member ARAC member)
  • Paul Caldwell, RPA Chief Executive Officer
  • Dan Gilbert, RPA Finance Director
  • Marie Hardeman, RPA Customer Director
  • Peter Crewe, RPA Grants Functional Standard Director
  • Mark Ashenden, RPA Strategy, Planning, Capability Director
  • Sophia Haughton, RPA HR Director
  • Janet Hughes, Defra Farming and Countryside Programme Director

RPA Executive Team

The RPA Executive Team (ET) is made up of the Chief Executive Officer and a team of executive directors. The purpose of ET is to:

  • have overall authority to run the Agency day-to-day, including budget delegations
  • set the policy and direction for the Agency and take responsibility for the delivery of the Agency’s Strategic Plan and Annual Action Plan in line with Defra’s overall strategy and priorities
  • approve and set a full range of targets for the organisation and consider progress against them
  • make decisions that are not delegated and consider escalations to AMB
  • consider reports and escalations from sub-committees and sub-groups
  • consider people management related issues for the Agency, review budgets and communications, and manage change initiatives.

ET members

ET is led by Paul Caldwell, the RPA’s Chief Executive Officer (and Accounting Officer). Other core ET members are:

  • Emma Appleby, Business Transformation Director
  • Peter Crewe, Grants Functional Standard Director
  • Tom Foster, Land Service Owner Director
  • Marie Hardeman, Customer Director
  • Charlotte Inman, Data, Insight and Outcomes Director
  • Ali Johnson, Customer Delivery Director
  • Mark Ashenden, Strategy, Planning, Capability Director

ET is also supported by the following business partners from the Defra Group’s corporate services:

  • Sophia Haughton, RPA HR Director
  • David Painter, Defra Digital Data and Technology Services Director
  • Dan Gilbert, RPA Finance Director

Non-Executive Directors

Paul Dillon-Robinson – Chair of ARAC and member of AMB

  • Paul is a chartered accountant (FCA) who has been working in the public sector for over twenty-five years, occupying Head of Internal Audit roles. For the last nine years, this involved working in the House of Commons.
  • In his time in the NHS he was Head of Internal Audit for a number of NDPBs, as well as Trusts and Authorities. He was also responsible for managing a not-for-profit internal audit and counter fraud consortium.

Tim Breitmeyer – Member of AMB

  • Tim served as an Infantry Officer in Grenadier Guards for 18 years prior to returning to help run the family farming business in South Cambridgeshire. His home farm has 1600 Acres with 3500 Acres of Contract Farming Agreements and a 3000 acre Sugar Beet contracting business. Alongside the running of the farm Tim worked for Andersons Farm Business Consultants for 17 years in East Anglia, specialising in Sugar Beet, Cereals and contract farming.
  • Tim became an Officer of the Country Landowners Association in 2013, serving as President of The Association from 2017 to 2019.

Mark Suthern – Member of AMB and ARAC

  • After graduating from Sheffield Hallam University Mark worked in industry for a short while before joining Barclays in 1986. Mark spent 35 years at Barclays and was the Managing Director and National Head of Agriculture, where he led a team of c200 colleagues within the UK focused entirely on Farming, Landed Estates, Agri-Tech and Energy and Environment.
  • Mark is Chair of The Board of Trustees for The Farming Community Network Charity as well as being a Lay-Canon and member of the Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral.

Julia Grant – Member of ARAC

  • Julia Grant has held leadership roles in global consulting firms, financial services and the not for profit sector in a career spanning 30 years. She has deep experience of the link between the business and non-business worlds, including investing for impact.
  • She has extensive non-executive and board experience including previous Ministerial Appointments at the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Surrey Learning and Skills Council. She is a Forestry Commissioner and a Non- Executive Member of the Investment and Delivery Committee at the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office.
  • She is currently a Trustee at Education Development Trust, a major player in international and UK education and at Right to Succeed, working with children in communities of high deprivation. Previous trustee roles have included Shelter and the Community Foundation for Surrey.
  • She has an MA (Oxon) in Politics Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University and holds an MBA from London Business School.
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