Meet the Team
CHRIS BIDDLE
Founder and Podcast Host
Chris started his industry career 60 years ago with Ford Motor Company Tractor division (now New Holland) before joining the family owned farm and turfcare machinery dealership operating four branches from Wiltshire to Devon. When the business was sold he decided to follow his dream to become a journalist - and in 1988 launched Service Dealer magazine, followed by Turf Professional which he published and edited before selling titles to Duncan Murray-Clarke's Landpower Publications.. He edited Landwards, the professional journal of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) for 12 years.
Chris launched his current podcast, Inside Agri-Turf for the land-based engineering industry in 2020
He is a Fellow of IAgrE and a member of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists
EMMA FOYLE
Emma Foyle is to join the team to assist with admin and planning of the podcasts schedule. Emma lives in Bournemouth with husband Gary and Ruby, a Fox Red Labrador.
She has worked in education all her career, has been an Acting Head and Deputy Head - and featured in a past episode of Inside Agri-Turf (No 44) discussing the teaching of STEM subjects in Primary schools with Josh Payne of the NFU
Associates
We are extremely grateful for the help and support of the following in the planning and curating of content for the Agri-Turf Academy. As each episode can only provide a 'bite-size' overview of specific issues facing businesses, we encourage listeners to contact our Associates directly to discuss the provision of services to your company of organisation
ST JOHN CRANER
Founder: RURAL SALES SUCCESS
Specialising in sales and marketing training for rural businesses
St John is a Brit now living and working in New Zealand. Originally from Essex, he took a degree course in Advertising, Marketing and Media at Bournemouth University before moving to New Zealand. and worked for agencies such as McCann Erickson and Young & Rubicam in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. He is the founder of Agrarian, a company that specialise exclusively in training and teaching rural sales and marketing teams. Over the years has worked with the likes of John Deere, Case IH, Vodafone, Bayer, DLF seeds to name a few.
DAN PRATT
Founder: DAP CONSULTANCY
Specialising in enhancing customer experiences and providing digital solutions
Dan has worked in customer relations roles most of his career, before starting his own company, DAP Consultancy. The company provide the expertise and tools that help you figure out what matters most to your customers, and equip you and your team to deliver world class experiences, while simplifying processes and eliminating costs. The aim is to provide happy customers, happy employees and happy shareholders. DAP Consultancy offers a range of solutions in order to achieve this.
WESLEY BAKER
Founder: Canterbury AI and Blue Strawberry
Specialising in providing management tools through AI tools and content.
With over 35+years of experience in launching and leading ventures across diverse sectors, Wesley is an AI and SaaS expert and the Founder and CEO of Canterbury AI and Blue Strawberry, a generative Ai Software that provides creative content and management tool for social media posts allowing business growth and transformation.
He got his start in 1986 at Thomson Corporation, where he was first introduced to the challenges and possibilities of business and industry through his roles and over his career he has worked in many roles up to Director and CEO.
Wesley has successfully launched and managed a number of high profile start-up businesses.