A New Director for the CLA in Wales

“We’re delighted to announce the appointment of a New Director to lead CLA Cymru,” says Ben Underwood, Director of Membership and the Regions. “Victoria Bond-Rees has over 20 years’ experience holding team leadership and senior management roles in the environmental and engineering sector. Her career has spanned the globe, initiating in the UK, followed by five years in Australia, and two years in the Middle East, before returning to Wales in 2017. She has held numerous board and advisory positions within governments (Australia and Wales), and was until recently a director of a windfarm community interest company, and has established interests in the hospitality sector in South Wales. In 2006, Victoria purchased a small hill farm in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and this has developed into a 350 acre holding producing lamb and beef for which Victoria has developed her own brand, Penderyn Farm Foods, marketing direct to the public. Victoria has been an active CLA Cymru member, serving as Vice-Chair on our Wales national policy committee, Polisi Cymru, and also on our South East branch committee

Ben Underwood says, “Taking up her appointment in December, Victoria takes on the role in Wales at a critical time. We have directly challenged the Welsh Government’s interim farm support scheme, Habitat Wales and we will continue to engage as a key stakeholder in the development of Wales’ Sustainable Farming Scheme. Equally, our work in Wales focuses on new regulation in the tourism, residential letting and game management sector. We have brought together many of the issues faced by the rural economy in our role in managing with Senedd Cross Party Group on Rural Productivity. Equally important,” Ben adds, “will be the part Victoria can play in engaging with our membership in Wales. I look forward very much to working with Victoria, and I welcome her to our management team.”