Dr Tom MacMillan has been appointed as director of innovation at the Bristol-based Soil Association.
Tom has been director of the Food Ethics Council since 2003 and has helped to establish the think tank as a leading and respected voice on food policy.
He edited Food Ethics, a quarterly magazine published by the council and worked on projects including the organisation’s recent Food and Fairness Inquiry.
He was in the team that conducted the Defra research project on environmental labelling of food products and was a member of the expert advisory panel for the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit’s 2008 Food Matters report.
He also sits on the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council’s science and society strategy panel.
Soil Association director Helen Browning said: “I believe Tom has the right blend of research credibility and academic rigour to support our work in developing innovation in practice, as well as powerful links with the research community.”
Tom added: “I’m really excited to taking on a new role that will allow me to use so much of what I’ve learned at the Food Ethics Council. My brief will be to strengthen the Soil Association’s approach to scientific research, the use of evidence and developing best practice, within a bold new strategy that refocuses on promoting innovation and social justice.”
