Chief Executive (on secondment) Neil Hornby

Biography
Neil was appointed RPA’s Interim Chief Executive Officer on 9th June 2025.
Before joining RPA, Neil served as Chief Executive of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) from February 2021. Prior to this, he held a number of senior positions within central government, most recently as Director of Marine and Fisheries at the Defra. His earlier roles included leading areas such as flood policy and nuclear energy.
Interim Chief Executive, RPA
The RPA’s Chief Executive is appointed by Defra as the Agency’s Accounting Officer and is responsible for overall leadership of the RPA.
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.