She is an influential voice on the subject of digital leadership in agriculture and building dialogues between disparate groups in industry. “There are relatively few people who can speak the languages of both agriculture and digital technology,” she argues. “We need to shape the conversation about digital technology and data with input from grassroots farming in order to create trust and facilitate take-up.”
She also speaks on the subject of social outreach: one of her career highlights at Openfield was a project with The Country Trust facilitating farm visits for schools in disadvantaged urban areas. “Underprivileged children face a poverty of experience and culture alongside poverty in the conventional sense. It’s no exaggeration to say our initiative changed horizons.”
While Sarah can adopt a strident view where the situation requires it – for example, in a debate or panel event – her real talents lie in capturing the nuance of more complicated pictures and helping audiences translate her experiences in the supply chain to their own business context. Her wealth of practical and commercial experience combined with her engaging style give her credibility in front of a range of audiences.
