Tim Bonner took over as chief executive of Britain's largest rural campaigning organisation, the Countryside Alliance, at its annual meeting today (15 September).
He succeeds Sir Barney White-Spunner, who spent three and a half years at the head of the 100,000-member organisation.
Countryside Alliance chairman, Lord Mancroft, told the meeting at Saddlers Hall in the City of London: "We offer our enormous thanks to Barney for all he has done for our organisation over the past few years. It's been a busy, and in parts quite difficult time, for the Alliance, but he has carried on with great humour and we thank him for being a tremendous support to our cause.
"We welcome Tim Bonner, who was chosen to succeed Barney by the Board and will take us forward into a very challenging time."
After outlining the Alliance's successes over the past year, Sir Barney said: "The last near four years have been an interesting and very rewarding time."
Three members were voted onto the board of the Alliance.
They were: