Food & Agribusiness Executive Search
You're not hiring a firm. You're hiring me, Oliver Cassels — a specialist in senior executive and board appointments across the global food and agribusiness sector. Every search I take on gets my full attention.
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I'm a specialist executive search adviser focused exclusively on the global food and agribusiness sector. With a career spent at the intersection of food, agriculture and business, I work with boards and leadership teams to identify and appoint senior executives and non-executive directors who can genuinely move things forward.
The value chain I cover runs from farm inputs, primary production and agri-technology through to food manufacturing, ingredients, foodservice and investment. Most of my work is at C-suite, VP and board level, where the right appointment matters enormously and the margin for error is low.
I work with a small number of clients at any one time, by design. That means you'll have my direct attention throughout — not a junior associate who's never met your leadership team.
I am currently an Associate Managing Director at Kincannon & Reed, a leading global food and agribusiness search firm, through which client mandates are managed.
My clients tend to share a common need: they're looking for someone who already knows the sector deeply, can move quickly, and will handle the process with discretion.
Portfolio companies needing senior leadership that can operate at pace and deliver against an investment thesis.
Owner-managed businesses bringing in professional leadership, often for the first time, at a critical point of transition.
Early to growth-stage businesses building out leadership teams in precision agriculture, food tech and sustainability.
Larger businesses with complex governance requirements, including board-level NED and committee appointments.
Funds seeking sector-specialist talent at the fund level, or placing executives into portfolio companies.
Businesses operating across the supply chain where deep sector networks are essential to finding the right person.
Membership organisations and sector bodies seeking leaders who can represent diverse stakeholder interests and drive the agenda forward.
Primary production businesses — from arable and livestock enterprises to integrated farming estates — building professional leadership for the next stage of growth.
I grew up on a farm in Wiltshire and have spent my career moving across the food and agribusiness world — in operations, technology, investment and now executive search. That breadth isn't accidental: it means I understand what leadership looks like from the inside, not just from the outside.
Before joining Kincannon & Reed, I worked in agricultural software and data platforms at Map of Agriculture and Origin Digital, built agricultural ventures in East Africa as a Business Development Manager in Kigali, and held a talent partner role at a venture-backed fintech. The thread running through all of it is genuine interest in the sector and the people who shape it.
My academic background includes an MSc in Agricultural Economics from the University of Reading, an MA in Political Science and Geography from Trinity College Dublin, and more recently a Cambridge Certificate in Sustainable Food Production and Processing. I'm a fellow of the New Entrepreneurs Foundation.
I'm based in Wiltshire, and I work globally.
Retained search, done properly. No junior hand-offs, no knowledge gaps mid-process.
We talk through what you're looking for — the role, the context, the culture, and what good actually looks like. That brief is mine to own.
I build the target universe across my networks and beyond. Given my sector depth, most of the right people are already known to me.
I make personal contact with the right candidates. These are conversations, not mail-outs. Every approach is considered and specific.
I manage the full process — interviews, assessment, offer, and onboarding — and stay involved to make sure it sticks.
If you're thinking about a senior appointment in food or agribusiness, I'm always happy to have a straightforward conversation about what you're looking for and whether I'm the right person to help.
No commitment, no sales pitch. If it's a good fit, we'll know quickly.
You can also find me on LinkedIn.