Membership of the AFBI Board

Part of: AFBI Board

Board Members

Members have been appointed by the Minister for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) NI Code of Practice. The Chair receives an annual remuneration of £28,049 and is expected to commit approximately 40 days per annum to the post.  The Deputy Chair receives £11,703 and has a commitment in the region of 20 days per annum.  Board Members receive a Per Diem Rate of £415 and their time commitment is unlikely to exceed 20 days per annum.

Mr. Colin Coffey (AFBI Chairperson)

Mr Colin Coffey

Mr. Colin Coffey lives in Bangor. He is a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors with extensive experience in Corporate Governance.
Mr. Coffey has held a number of senior management posts within the Northern Ireland Food Industry including Chief Executive of United Feeds and Manufacturing Director at Pritchitt Foods. 

He is currently non-Executive Chairman of Natural World Products, non-Executive Chairman at the Public Health Agency, non-Executive Director at InvestNI and is Corporate Services Director of the RDA Group a specialist Property Development company.

Register of Interests/Gifts & Hospitality - Mr Colin Coffey

Mrs. Roberta Brownlee (AFBI Deputy Chairperson)

Mrs. Roberta Brownlee has had a distinguished professional career in Health & Social Care in the Private, Public & Voluntary Sectors and was recognised for this with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. 

Roberta owns and operates a Nursing Home in Castlederg, Co Tyrone. Roberta has completed an MSc in Executive Leadership which afforded her the opportunity to study in Boston and Lusanne Business Schools.

Roberta is a member of the Courts & Tribunals Service - Care Tribunal (NI) Department of Justice. 

Roberta has a strong commitment to education and is a past member of the Education Board (SELB) and a past member of the Board of Governors in Primary and Post Primary Schools. She is also a past member of the Prison Service Pay Review Body (NI Member).

Roberta has three grown up children, two daughters and a son and has four grandchildren.  Roberta enjoys fundraising and has spent many years raising money for a variety of charities in NI.  Roberta was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List 2019 for services to Charity and to the Southern Health and Social Services.

Gifts & hospitality register & Register of interests - Roberta Brownlee

Mr. Tom Tynan

Mr Tom Tynan
Tom Tynan has a distinguished career in agriculture. He was educated at University College Galway (UCG), University College Dublin (UCD) and Harper Adams University College, Shropshire, and was the 2015 UCD Alumni Award winner from the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science. Tom worked across a range of agri-business and policy areas where he held a variety of senior management roles. He was Commercial Director for IAWS Agri-business and subsequently Chief Operating Officer of Welcon AS (Norway). He is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Irish Marine Institute and previously held posts on the Board of Teagasc (Ireland’s Agriculture & Food Development Authority), Agri-Aware and the Scientific Advisory Board of Alltech. He recently completed his tenure as a Member of Cabinet to the European Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development and Trade, where his portfolio responsibilities included agricultural markets, research, development & innovation, bioeconomy and biotechnology.

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests

Prof. Sally Shortall

Prof. Sally Shortall
Sally Shortall is the Duke of Northumberland Professor of Rural Economy in Newcastle University, UK. She is also an Honorary Professor at Queen’s University Belfast where she worked for over twenty years. Sally was twice elected President of the European Society for Rural Sociology (2015-17; 2017-19). She was elected First Vice-President of the International Rural Sociology Association (2016-2020) and is currently President-Elect of the International Rural Sociology Association. Sally was formerly on the Council of the Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin, and a Rural Commissioner with the North Yorkshire Rural Commission. She is currently chairing an Enquiry into the Future of Farming in Northumberland.

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests 

Mr. Tom Wright

Mr Tom Wright
Tom Wright retired as Acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer from the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service in 2011 after 33 years’ service. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers and also a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management. Tom graduated from the University of Ulster in 2000 with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and in 2010 successfully completed the Executive Critical Leadership Development Programme at Queens University Belfast. He is a former Board Member of the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service and a former Governor of Oakwood Integrated Primary School. Tom is also a former Board member and Audit & Risk Committee Chair of the Health & Safety Executive NI.

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests

Mr. Tim McClelland

Mr Tim McClelland
Tim McClelland owns and manages an award winning arable farm outside Tandragee, County Armagh, having achieved LEAF Marque accreditation improving environmental performance is key within the business. A former Ulster Farmers’ Union Board member, Tim is also a past Chairman of the Cereal Committee. Tim was previously a member of the CAFRE College Advisory Group. He is a 2012 UK Nuffield Farming Scholar and holds an MSc. in Agri-food and Business Development from Ulster University. Tim is a Board Member of the NI Drainage Council for which expenses are paid.  Since 2019 Tim has been an elected Councillor on the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council.

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests

Mr. Ian Murphy

Mr Ian Murphy
Ian Murphy is a Chartered Accountant and is now working as a self-employed Marketing consultant. Ian previously worked in Invest Northern Ireland for over 20 years, serving as a Director of Food and Biosciences and Managing Director of Clients and Entrepreneurship. Ian has worked in a range of sectors and has managed specialist teams within Invest Northern Ireland helping digital media, software and global start organizations. He has contributed to a number of Boards and Committees within the Northern Ireland business community for many years. A graduate of Queens’ University Belfast, Ian is a qualified Chartered Marketer and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. Ian has completed the Entrepreneurship Development Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management. Ian is a governor at the Northern Regional College.

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests

Mr. Alan Moore

Mr Alan Moore
Alan Moore was Director of Strategic Capital Development in the Western Health & Social Care Trust until his retirement in September 2021. He was the Senior Responsible Officer, for the delivery of all major capital schemes including the redevelopment of Altnagelvin Area Hospital. He also chaired the Western Trust’s International Medical Recruitment Group. Since retirement, Alan has been appointed as an associate of the HSC Leadership Centre and undertakes periodic advisory assignments supporting the health services and Government Departments within Northern Ireland on a limited and part time basis. Alan is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Alan is also a Lay Member of the Council for Ulster University and in September 2024 was appointed as a Member of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board in Dublin.

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests

Mrs. Daphne Johnston

Mrs. Daphne Johnston
Daphne Johnston has recently retired following 36 years’ experience as a social worker working mainly within the public sector and for a period within the voluntary sector in a variety of roles from social worker to senior manager within community services, clinical and social care governance and workforce development and training. Daphne is an Executive Coach and has a Master’s Degree in Strategy and Leadership. She has extensive experience in her working life, having chaired and been a member of a range of Boards and Committees, experience of multi-discipline and multi- agency working, corporate governance, strategic and financial planning. Daphne is currently a Non-Executive Board Member with the Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland and Chair of the Legal Services Agency Audit and Risk Committee.

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests

Mr. David Campbell

Mr David Campbell
David Campbell graduated with Honours in General Agriculture from Queen’s University Belfast in 1987. Over the past thirty years he has helped to run and develop the family farm over 250 acres in East Antrim with dairy, beef, and sheep enterprises. He was an Ulster Unionist Party negotiator in the peace talks and Special Advisor to First Minister David Trimble, and was awarded CBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours, 2005. David has chaired and served on public sector Boards (Strategic Investment, Maze/Long Kesh, and NI Memorial Committee) and Private Sector (Somme Association, Northern Renewables Ltd, and Omers Strategic Investments). David is the Honorary Consul for Turkey in NI and Chairman of the Loyalist Communities Council.

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests

Mr. Martyn Blair

Mr Martyn Blair
Martyn Blair owns and operates a commercial egg production business and a medium dairy calf to store beef enterprise.  He is a member of the Ulster Farmers’ Union Executive committee, held a position as UFU Board member for four years and also sat on the Board of the Northern Ireland Agricultural Research and Development Council.  He was a member of the expert working group on Sustainable Land Management. He is a past president of the YFCU, a past chairman of the UFU Poultry committee, currently sits on their environment committee and was a member of their inaugural next generation committee.

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests

Mr. Bill Montgomery

Mr Bill Montgomery

Bill Montgomery has 34 years’ experience in economic development working for the Industrial Development Board and Invest Northern Ireland. An engineering graduate of Queen’s University Belfast he also later attained an MBA in International Business & Industrial Development from the University of Ulster. Bill had a variety of roles in economic development, including leading the sales and marketing teams in North America for 11 years promoting Northern Ireland as an investment location to many major US corporations. Director roles in Northern Ireland have included leading the International Investment Division, negotiating and securing high value global projects, and more recently encouraging export growth and innovation with the advanced manufacturing sectors.

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests

Ms. Thérèse Rafferty

Ms Thérèse Rafferty

Thérèse Rafferty has 35 years’ experience working in the public sector in roles in local government and higher education. Previously Head of Regeneration in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, she was lead officer on the delivery of Strategic programmes including Rural Development initiatives funded by DAERA and had a financial management role for capital and revenue budgets. She has held a number of previous Board positions in rural development.  

Gifts and hospitality register & Register of interests

AFBI BOARD MEMBERS TERMS OF OFFICE

AFBI Board Members Terms of Office