UK: FSA appoints Brown as chief executive

Jeff Rooker, Chair of the Food Standards Agency, has announced the appointment of Catherine Brown as the FSA's new Chief Executive. Catherine Brown is currently the Chief Executive of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Catherine Brown will take up the post in October. She will succeed Tim Smith, who has been Chief Executive since March 2008.

Catherine has been the Chief Executive at the AHVLA since April 2011 when the two organisations were merged. She had been the Chief Executive of Animal Health since 2008. Before joining Animal Health Catherine was a Managing Director at BUPA and she has also worked for the NHS and Unilever.

Commenting on the appointment, Jeff Rooker said: 'The Board and I are delighted to welcome Catherine to the FSA.

'Catherine's wide-ranging experience and background, in both the private and public sectors, complement our core principles and will be valuable to the FSA as we move forward. Her experience of working and delivering in a devolved environment will be a benefit to the organisation.

'The Board and I look forward to working with Catherine and ensuring the FSA continues protecting the consumer, regulating the food industry and enforcing the standards.

'The Board and I want to thank Tim Smith for his valuable and successful work at the FSA. Tim has seen the effective transfer of the Meat Hygiene Service into the FSA ensuring that the important meat hygiene work is at the core of what we do and he has given greater attention to our role as an enforcer of food law. Tim has made us a leaner and more efficient organisation, without compromising food safety and consumer confidence. We wish him every success.'

Catherine Brown added: 'I am delighted to be joining the Food Standards Agency. It is an organisation firmly committed to protecting the interests of consumers, and one which places science and evidence at the heart of what it does. I look forward to meeting the FSA's staff and stakeholders and helping to progress its important work.'

Original source: Food Standards Agency