Chief Executive, Cefas (on secondment)
Neil Hornby
Biography
Neil returned to his role as Chief Executive of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in January 2026, a role he has held since February 2021.
He was appointed the Rural Payments Agency’s (RPA) Interim Chief Executive Officer on 9th June 2025.
Prior to this, he held a number of senior positions within central government, most recently as Director of Marine and Fisheries at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). His earlier roles included leading areas such as flood policy and nuclear energy.
Chief Executive, Cefas (on secondment)
Cefas’ CEO is appointed by Defra and is the agency’s accounting officer. He is responsible for the overall leadership of Cefas.
Previous roles in government
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Interim Chief Executive, RPA