Defra register of board members' interests 2025
Updated 17 March 2026
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Background
Defra’s departmental board members’ register of declared interests as of October 2025 (updated January 2026).
This list sets out the declared interests of executive and non-executive members of the Defra board. The Cabinet Office publishes a list of ministers’ interests separately.
Departmental board members are asked to declare any personal, business or related party interests that may, or may be perceived by a reasonable member of the public to, influence their judgements in performing their obligations to the department.
The purpose of this list is to meet the requirements of section 6.4.3(e) of the Government Financial Reporting Manual 2023 to 2024 and paragraph 4.15 of the Corporate governance in central departments: code of good practice.
Register of interests: Permanent Secretary
Register of Interests: David Hill, Director General for Strategy and Water
Financial Interests:
NIL Return
Employment, appointments and other outside roles (including voluntary / advisory):
NIL Return
Personal Interests:
NIL Return
Register of Interests: Iain King, Chief Financial Officer
Financial Interests:
NIL Return
Employment, appointments and other outside roles (including voluntary / advisory):
Unremunerated interests:
- Kimpton Cricket Club Limited - Treasurer
- Edmonton Academy Trust - Trustee and Audit Committee Chair
Personal Interests:
NIL Return
Register of interests: Non-Executive Directors
Heather Hancock, Lead Non-Executive Director
Financial Interests:
NIL Return
Employment, appointments and other outside roles (including voluntary / advisory):
- St John’s College, University of Cambridge - Master
- Royal Countryside Fund; Director of associated trading company Royal Countryside Fund Trading Ltd - Chair
- Upper Wharfedale Agricultural Society - Vice President
- Devonshire Group Ltd - Non-Executive Director
- Amerdale Ltd - Director
- Deloitte LLP - Former Partner
- University of Cambridge - Trustee
- Cambridge University Music Society - Chair of Trustees
- The Agricultural Forum - Chair
Director of Amerdale Ltd, which owns the freeholds of two farm holdings in Littondale North Yorkshire, a small hydro-electric scheme, and a pub. Amerdale leases the farms/land, pub, and grazing and sporting rights. Co-owner of the freehold of other land in Littondale with husband, also leased out. Amerdale Ltd/farm tenants are in receipt of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) payments, and receive other ad hoc grants for environmental improvements.
Trustee of the Chatsworth Settlement Trust: which has let and in-hand farm and forestry estates in Derbyshire and North Yorkshire, attracting BPS and other support payments.
Master of St John’s College, Cambridge, which owns land at Ousebridge Farm, Denver (which is managed by a tenant farmer). Ousebridge Farm forms part of the Ouse Washes Landscape Recovery Scheme which involves 9 landowners, and the project is managed by the RSPB. The Ouse Washes Landscape Recovery Scheme has secured LRS funding from Defra from February 2024 for 2 years. All money from Defra will run through the RSPB so the college will not receive money directly from Defra.
Heather was awarded a grant of £135,000 to plant 15.7 hectares with 24,000 trees under the Nature for Climate programme – part of the Northern Forest scheme, and a Woodland Trust and YDNPA collaboration called Grow Back Greener. The planting was completed on Horsehead Moor at Halton Gill in 2024/2025.
Personal Interests:
NIL Return
Nick Folland, Non-Executive Director
Financial Interests:
- Marks and Spencer Group plc - General Counsel, Company Secretary and Director
Directorships
- Marks and Spencer plc
- Marks and Spencer Group plc
- Marks & Spencer Simply Foods Limited
- Marks and Spencer (A2B) Limited
- Marks and Spencer Holdings Limited
- Marks and Spencer International Holdings Limited
- Marks and Spencer (Investment Holdings) Limited
- Gist Limited
- Marks and Spencer Scottish Limited Partnership
- Ruby Properties (Long Eaton) Limited
- Ruby Properties (Hardwick) Limited
- Marks and Spencer 2005 (Chester Store) Limited
Significant shareholdings / interests in public or private companies:
- Marks & Spencer Group plc
- JCF Consultants Ltd
Employment, appointments and other outside roles (including voluntary / advisory):
- Ocado Retail Limited - Chair of Remuneration Committee
- Defence Equipment & Support - Non Executive Director and Chair of Audit & Risk Assurance Committee
- NERC / BAS Operations & Safety Assurance Group - Chair
- Natural Environment Research Council - Member
- JCF Consultants Ltd - Director
Personal Interests:
NIL Return
Sachin Jogia: Non – Executive Director
Employment, appointments and other outside roles (including voluntary / advisory):
- Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust - non-executive Director (remunerated)
- HMRC - non-executive Director
- The Jogia Ltd - running a management consultancy focused on technology advisory services, primary client is the Alan Turing Institute - director (remunerated)
- City Year UK – a charity that places young adults between 18-25 years old into schools in underprivileged areas across the UK, volunteering to support ‘focus list’ children that require additional mentorship and guidance - non-executive Director and Trustee (voluntary)
- Save the Children UK - Corporate Advisory Board member (voluntary)
- Imperial College AI Alumni Network - Co-Chair (voluntary)
- UK Year of Service - member of the business advisory council (voluntary).
Personal Interests:
NIL Return
Indro Mukerjee: Non-Executive Director
Financial Interests:
NIL Return
Employment, appointments and other outside roles (including voluntary / advisory):
Unremunerated Interests:
- Royal Academy Of Engineering - Hon Fellow
- Academy Of Medical Sciences - Hon Fellow
- Royal Society Of Arts, Manufacturers And Commerce - Fellow
- University of Oxford: Said Business school - Executive in Residence
Remunerated Interests:
- The Business Growth Fund (BGF) - Deeptech and climate advisory board
Personal Interests:
NIL Return
Dan Corry: Non-Executive Director
Financial Interests:
NIL Return
Employment, appointments and other outside roles (including voluntary / advisory)
- Future Governance Forum (a think tank) – Chief Economist, part time
- Flint Global (consultancy) – associate
- Kivu International (development – I focus on Zambia) - associate
Unpaid
- Carers Trust – Chair
- Women in Prison (member of leadership board)
Personal Interests:
- son works at MHCLG (as a special advisor)
- wife chairs the London Housing Panel (GLA funded body)
Allison Ogden - Newton: Non-Executive Director
Financial Interests:
Company name: JMW Barnard Management Limited.
Percentage: 50% (of the total company value)
Type: Property Management
Employment, appointments and other outside roles (including voluntary / advisory)
- Keep Britain Tidy - Chief Executive Officer (2015 – present)
- Wildlife & Countryside Link - Trustee (December 2021 – present)
- British Cleaning Council - Trustee (2015 – present)
Personal Interests:
NIL Return