The Board

Jim was appointed to the Board in 2012 and appointed Chairman in 2019. He is also Chair of the Nomination Committee.

He served as President of NFU Scotland from 2007 to 2011, having served previously as the organisation’s Milk Committee Chairman before becoming Vice President in 2006. Jim was Chairman of Quality Meat Scotland Limited and is a former Director of Scotland’s Rural College. Jim is a mixed beef and arable farmer from Perthshire in Central Scotland.

Nick was appointed Group Chief Executive in 2021 and is responsible for managing the conduct of the Group’s business. He joined NFU Mutual’s Board as Sales and Agency Director in 2013 from AXA where he spent 27 years in a wide variety of marketing and strategy roles across life, general insurance and global partnerships for the AXA Group. With a career spanning more than 35 years, Nick is a former President of the Chartered Insurance Institute and was previously President of the Personal Finance Society.

Ross was appointed to the Board in 2021. A Fellow and former Council member of the Faculty of Actuaries, he has over 30 years’ experience in the insurance industry. After working at Scottish Provident and at reinsurer Gen Re, he became Managing Director of Bright Grey and Scottish Provident in 2009.  He is a Non-Executive Director of Longevitas, an actuarial software provider, and has been a member of the Standard Life With-Profits Committee since 2013. 

Jon was appointed to the Board in 2018 and is Chair of the Board Investment Committee.

He has extensive investment management experience, having held senior positions at Pioneer Investments, AXA Investment Managers and Russell Investments. He is a Non-Executive Director of Openwork Wealth Management and a Board member of the Pensions Infrastructure Platform. He was previously Chairman of the Management Committee of Pantheon Ventures, a global private equity business.

Steve became a Director in 2010 and is responsible for General Insurance Customer Services, which includes Underwriting, Claims and Re-insurance, at our Head Office and our seven regional centres.

Steve’s career at NFU Mutual spans three decades and during that time he has held a variety of roles including Sales Manager, Regional Manager and Chief Manager – Life Services.

Ali was appointed to the Board in 2018.

She is Chair of the NFU National Horticulture Board, a director of the British Hop Association, Wye Hops Limited and Wye Fruit Limited, Executive Chair of British Apples and Pears and a Trustee of Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust. She is a previous Board member of Cargill Growers Association. Ali worked in advertising for 16 years where she progressed to Client Services Director before becoming a farmer.

Brian was appointed to the Board in 2014. He is Senior Independent Director, Chairman of the With-Profits Committee and Chairman of the Trustees of the Group’s Staff Retirement Benefit Scheme.

Brian was Group Chief Executive of Scottish Life and Executive Director of Royal London Group. He is Chairman of Scottish Equitable Policyholders Trust, the GEC 1972 Pension Plan, Aviva’s With Profits Committee and the Trustee of the Church of Scotland Investors Trust.

Alan was appointed to the Board in 2020 and is Chair of the Board Risk Committee.

A Chartered Insurer and Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute, he has over 40 years domestic and international General Insurance experience in underwriting and operational management. After a career spanning 21 years at Guardian Royal Exchange he progressed through Zurich Insurance Group to become CEO of Zurich Specialties London Ltd before Global Chief Underwriting Officer based in Zurich. Alan is also Non-Executive Director of Everest Insurance (Ireland) DAC where he is also Chair of their Board Risk Committee.

Christine was appointed to the Board in 2014. She is Chair of the Remuneration Committee and a Trustee of the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.

A partner in her family’s beef farm for 30 years, Christine was the Director of Commodities and Food for the UFU and served on its board. She was a member of the NI Food Advisory Committee and is a NI panel member of the Council for Awards of Royal Agricultural Societies. Christine is also a member of the Rural Affairs Committee of the UFU and a Trustee of Donaghadee YFC.

Richard joined NFU Mutual in 2011 and was appointed to the Board in 2018. His responsibilities include Financial & Regulatory Reporting, Financial Planning & Analysis, Investments, Property and Procurement.

He has held a variety of Finance leadership roles for Thames Water, BNP-Paribas and Lloyds Banking Group. He is a qualified accountant and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

David was appointed to the Board in 2019. He is Chairman of the Audit Committee. 

He graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Music and subsequently trained as an accountant before joining PwC in 1990. He rose through that organisation to become a Director and then a Partner specialising in the financial services sector, working in London, Manchester and Birmingham. He is on the board of Atom Bank and is also Deputy Chairman of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Northern College of Music and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

Nick was appointed to the Board in 2021 as Sales and Agency Director. He brings 30 years of financial services experience; 24 of which have been in insurance – spanning both life and general insurance. 

Nick joined from AXA, where he was Commercial Distribution and Trading Director, leading their broker distribution and trading strategy in the UK Commercial market - responsible for intermediary marketing, broker development, and the branch network trading performance. Prior to AXA Nick also spent 13 years with Aviva in both UK and Europe, leading distribution and operations functions within GI and Life divisions. Nick also has experience of the UK broking market having previously led part of the Towergate MGA business and an online wholesale broking business.