Richard Charles joins the panel of judges at the British Farming Awards 2020
16th October 2020
This year’s British Farming Awards will be held on Wednesday 21st October at 7:30pm in a brand new virtual format bringing together and celebrating the amazing work of the UK’s most outstanding farmers and food producers. This year we’re excited and extremely proud that Richard Charles, Manager, Aftersales Customer Care and Training here at AGCO, is one of the judges for the Agri-tech Innovator of the Year category.
Richard was selected to be a judge at The British Farming Awards 2020 to share his learning and expertise within agri-technology, as well as for his daily responsibility to resolve problems and inspire change.
We caught up with Richard to learn a little more about the Agri-tech Innovator Award and his role as one of the judges.
Tell us a little more about your role at AGCO and your previous experience which makes you an ideal judge on the panel?
I am currently the Aftersales Customer Care and Training Manager for the UK and Ireland. I have worked at AGCO for nearly eight years, predominately in or around our Technical Service department as a Manager, Field Service. Previously to joining AGCO I was an Agricultural engineer for nearly 16 years which involved working in various roles within dealerships, including as an Apprentice Technician, fully trained Agricultural Engineer, Workshop Foreman, Service Manager and a proprietor of a Small Business.
Tell us about the Agri-tech Innovator of the Year award and what does the judging process involve?
The Agri-tech Innovator of the Year Award category supports new practical innovations and improves evolving technologies for farmers and food producers. The judging process involves a telephone interview for all the shortlisted entries. As a panel of judges we then discuss the material submitted and then score each entry against each of the judging criteria, ranking the top five entries for each criteria.
What will you be looking for when reviewing the entries for this award and what factors would make an outstanding entry for you?
I will be looking for an individual or company that has the potential or has already made a significant difference to the Agricultural Industry as a whole, whether it’s a significant financial impact or just focuses on improving certain processes or safety of the people that work with in the industry.
Thank you Richard, we wish all the outstanding entry finalists the very best of luck and enjoy the fantastic night of celebrations!