Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones

Biography 

Appointed as an Independent Governor in February 2022

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones was born in Jamaica and, after his parents came to the UK in the 50s as part of the Windrush generation, he was raised in inner city Birmingham. He worked as a chef before pursuing a career in television becoming a producer/director for the BBC. In 1994 he founded a food and drink marketing agency in London which went on to run successful marketing campaigns for many well-known brands. In 2000, Wilfred fulfilled a lifelong ambition when he bought a small farm in Devon which inspired him to develop and launch his own food brand The Black Farmer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Marketing by Plymouth University in 2012 and, in 2021, an Honorary Degree for Distinction in the Farming Industry by Writtle University College. He has published two books and, in 2019, set up The Hatchery, an incubator scheme for fledgling brands. Wilfred was awarded an MBE for services to farming in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List.