Sean Kane has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Sean previously served as Operations Manager and has played a central role in the growth and development of AgriSearch. As CEO, he will provide strategic leadership for the organisation and oversee the delivery of AgriSearch's long-term priorities on behalf of levy payers and the wider livestock sector.
Jason Rankin has been appointed Senior Industry Advisor. Drawing on his extensive experience and long-standing involvement within Northern Ireland's livestock industry, Jason will provide strategic advice and support to AgriSearch, helping the organisation identify emerging opportunities and challenges, strengthen industry engagement and ensure its work remains aligned with the needs of beef, sheep and dairy farmers.
To further strengthen the organisation's capability, AgriSearch is recruiting for two new senior positions:
- Senior Scientific Lead – providing scientific leadership, independent evidence review and helping shape future research and innovation priorities.
- Communications Lead – strengthening farmer engagement, stakeholder communications and the translation of research and innovation into practical on-farm outcomes.
These appointments reflect AgriSearch's commitment to ensuring farmers and industry have access to trusted evidence, practical innovation and effective knowledge exchange as they respond to challenges including productivity, profitability, environmental regulation, climate change, biodiversity and water quality.
Commenting on the changes, AgriSearch Chair Norman McMordie said:
"Northern Ireland's livestock sector is operating in an increasingly complex environment. Farmers need access to robust evidence, practical innovation and trusted information to help them make informed decisions for the future.
These changes strengthen AgriSearch's ability to deliver for levy payers, support industry priorities and ensure the organisation remains focused on generating practical impact for beef, sheep and dairy farmers."
Chief Executive Sean Kane said:
"AgriSearch has a strong track record of delivering research and innovation that benefits farmers. As we look ahead, our focus will be on delivering high impact projects, strengthening knowledge exchange and ensuring that scientific evidence is translated into practical outcomes for the livestock sector.
The appointment of a Senior Scientific Lead and Communications Lead will further strengthen our ability to identify emerging opportunities and challenges, communicate effectively with stakeholders and maximise the value delivered from levy and project investment."
The appointments form part of AgriSearch's wider commitment to supporting a productive, profitable and sustainable livestock industry through research, innovation and knowledge exchange.