Kate Brunswick

As a small child, I spent all my time outside. My parents were farmers in Hampshire when I was born, as farm managers to Sir John Peel, the Queen’s gynaecologist, and then later for themselves. I felt that the land was my calling. When it came to a decision post A-levels, my parents assumed if I went to ag college, that any time, energy and money they had invested in me would result in me driving tractors, riding horses or milking cows. The plethora of alternative courses which were available, just didn’t seem to appear on the horizon. I found myself on the next best course- biology with a major in plant and animal physiology. A management trainee position at Vitacress Salads was the first port of call; moving from the technical side of the business to a more commercial focus when I realised that I had a lot of say and working in a lab was not my future. Skills learned took me from salad, to bulbs, cut flowers, fine foods and organic dairy – working with the multiples along the way.

This year I joined Innovation Agri Tech, pioneers of vertical farming, as Relationship Manager. This follows a career break, (loosely named) whilst raising three boys, starting a community magazine and assisting small local business start-ups, did I say it was a break?… I have two horses, two dogs and numerous chickens – I still strive to spend as much time outside as life allows