Hayley spent more than 10 years as a Chief Policy Adviser (Dairy & Horticulture) at the National Farmers' Union and served as a Non-Executive Board Member at AHDB. She is currently a Non-Executive Board Member at the Food Standard Agency.

"Climate action is at the forefront of everyone's minds, and agriculture has an important role to play in meeting the growing demand for food globally, whilst delivering on environment like never before," says Hayley. "The UK dairy industry is tackling sustainability challenges head on through the use of more targeted genetics, increased feed conversion efficiencies, improving use of nitrogen and other farm inputs and reducing emissions at all parts of the supply chain. There is also a suite of innovative technologies coming on board that will help the sector reach its goals," she adds.

"This is an exciting time to take on the role of Head of Sustainability at Kite. As an industry we have the data to help us prioritise those actions that will have the biggest impact on our emissions. The challenge is to get them used widely on farm and across the industry to make that lasting impact."

Commenting on Hayley's appointment, Kite Consulting's John Allen adds: "Our sustainability team sits at the heart of the Kite business. We're bringing a range of skills together that will benefit our clients and the wider dairy industry. Sustainability is about achieving the industry's drive to produce a much-loved, valuable, nutritious product in the most environmentally friendly way.

"It is crucial that individual farmers, processors and retailers continue to understand the policy and global initiatives driving climate action, develop their sustainability credentials in line with this and communicate to the ever-more-conscious consumer. Hayley, with her wide knowledge of the industry, policy and her insight into government strategy, will be a huge asset to the team."