Mr Tim J Smith CBE
Chair of the Board of Governors
Summary
Tim is the non-executive independent Chairman of Cranswick plc, a leading innovative supplier of premium, fresh and added value food products.
In October 2024 Tim was invited to become a member of the Government’s Food Strategy Advisory Board joining senior leaders and ministers in setting the future direction of the sector.
Prior to that, in July 2022, Tim was appointed Co-Chair of the Food and Drink Sector Council.
In July 2020 Tim was chosen to be Chair of the UK government’s Trade and Agriculture Commission which made recommendations to government on its policy for establishing trade with countries and trading blocks following Brexit.
Tim has been a Non-Executive Director of Pret A Manger since June 2019, where he is a member of the Board and the Audit and Risk Committee.
Previously Tim was a member of the University of Leeds Council. He was a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, the Strategy and Investment Committee and chaired other Council committees.
Tim was appointed as a Trustee of the Natasha Allergy Foundation in April 2019, where he provides advice on food sector and policy matters.
From 2012 to 2017, Tim was Group Quality Director at Tesco, leading teams responsible for product development, responsible sourcing, standards, quality and food policy.
Prior to that he was the Chief Executive of the UK’s Food Standards Agency for five years.
Tim holds a degree in Microbiology and Zoology from the University of Leeds. Tim was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to agriculture, food, and drink trade policy
