Tony Simons

Tony Simons has worked for 27 years on issues at the tropical agriculture/forestry interface in more than 40 developing countries. His work has spanned the private sector (Shell Forestry), academia (University of Oxford), official development assistance (FCDO) and research (CGIAR). He holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science from Massey University, NZ, and master’s and doctoral degrees from Cambridge University, UK.

In 2009, Tony was made an Honorary Professor in Tropical Forestry at the University of Copenhagen. He is a board member of the African Centre for Technology Studies, the Plant Resources of Tropical Africa programme, the Danone Livelihood Fund and DCM International Imaging. He also leads the IUFRO Forest and Water Task Force. He has published over 100 research papers and has sat on several journal editorial boards.

Tony’s interests encompass: tree germplasm; agroforestry systems; tree product marketing and extension; land health; climate change; environmental services and policies; and tropical forest margins. He is passionate about the transformative and profitable change that the private sector can bring to development.

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Adrian Dolby

As Head of Agriculture, Adrian has responsibility for strategy and investment across Buccleuch’s extensive portfolio of farms, representing one of the largest privately-owned land holdings in the UK, extending to some 80,000 hectares in Southern Scotland and England. A member of Buccleuch’s Executive Committee he advises the wider Buccleuch estates in policy and estate development planning. Previously Adrian led the Barrington Park Estate farms, overseeing their transition to conservation farming, is a former manager with Velcourt and consultant with Andersons. He studied at the Royal Agricultural College School of Business and is a Fellow of the Institute of Agricultural Management. Adrian is a former speaker at TED Global and the Sustainable Food Trust.