Dominic arrives with a wealth of experience in environmental and forestry organizations and has had a close working relationship with Soil Association Certification since 2018. As an independent member of the review committee, Dominic was responsible for auditing decision-making to ensure impartiality and the integrity of the standards delivered. This has given him a great familiarity with the organization and its people, along with an understanding of its purpose, challenges and opportunities.
He hails from Severn Trent Water, where he spent five years as Head of Visitor Experience responsible for managing the public, land and assets of 30 reservoirs. He previously worked at Forestry England, where he was responsible for the certification of 250,000 hectares of public woodland.
Dominic: “The demand for sustainable products and the need for labels that can be trusted has never been greater and will only increase. I am proud to be part of such a valued organization and to work with a passionate team to realize the opportunities ahead.”
“The core of my approach is to create connections, nurture relationships and build partnerships to achieve more together – for the benefit of people and the environment. I will try to bring this into the CEO position, where I will seek to work with producers, customers, retailers, certification bodies and consumers to increase the market share of organic and sustainable forest products, as well as the continued growth of carbon markets and ecosystem services.”
Dominic lives in Solihull with his wife and two young children. He studied geography at Cambridge University and collaborated with Ryton Garden Organic on research into nitrogen-fixing organic agricultural rotations. He then studied environmental technology at Imperial College London.
Martin Sawyer is retiring from Soil Association Certification after seven years at the helm, overseeing many key developments and milestones, including the phenomenal performance and resilience of the organic market, which will reach the £3 billion mark by 2021. has exceeded.
Helen Browning, CEO of the Soil Association Group, said: “I will miss Martin immensely. He has led Soil Association Certification admirably for the past seven years and I have been delighted with his wise advice and constructive approach, his calmness and his ability to put things into perspective, especially in recent years when we faced the rigors of Brexit and Covid. We wish him all the best for the future.”
“It is a great welcome for Dominic. I look forward to working with him and I know he will bring tremendous energy, new perspectives and enthusiasm for the twists and turns.”