Belinda is driven by the belief that innovation is a vital driver for agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability and economic growth. Starting her career in research (let’s talk crop diseases, and starch production in peas and potatoes), she then developed experience at the interface between industry, innovation and government, and became determined to bring farmers, researchers and technology developers closer together to improve the efficiency of communication and understanding between them, and to accelerate the adoption of new innovations on farms. Over the last 8 years she has led the development and creation of the award-winning membership network which is Agri-TechE. With members from across the UK and internationally, Agri-TechE is one of the largest and longest-established agri-tech innovation ecosystems in Europe.

Belinda is also a Non-Executive Director of Agrimetrics, one of the UK’s Agri-Tech Centres, and was a member of the Council of BBSRC-UKRI (2015-2021). In 2021 she was awarded the Sir Timothy Colman Prize from the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association for “outstanding leadership in the agri-tech sector.” She is a Nuffield Scholar and a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies and also the Royal Society of Biology.