Aviagen UK has announced the appointment of Alan Thomson as the company’s new General Manager with effect from 1 May 2018, succeeding Graeme Dear, who is retiring. Spanning a more-than-20-year career with Aviagen, Alan has occupied a number of production, customer support and commercial roles within the company, both in the UK and overseas.
“Alan has gathered an impressively wide-ranging knowledge of our business, as well as the UK, European and global poultry industry as a whole,” said Aviagen’s Patrick Claeys, president of the company’s European operations. “He has an exceptional business and customer focus, which will bring out the best in our organisation and our people.”
Alan studied Poultry Management at the Scottish Agricultural College, and previously worked in farm and breeder operations management with poultry-integrated businesses in the UK and Eire. Joining Aviagen in 1997, he has since held senior production and quality assurance positions within the company’s chicken and turkey operations in the UK and USA, as well as taking on a customer support assignment in Australia and New Zealand.
In his most recent position as Regional Commercial & Technical Manager, Alan was responsible for coordinating the support for Aviagen’s customers across Western Europe, whilst also managing commercial input in the UK. “These roles have helped to establish Alan as a respected Aviagen team member in the UK and European poultry industry,” said Patrick Claeys. “I know Alan is committed to driving the business and the poultry industry as a whole forward.”
“I’m honoured to have the opportunity to lead the Aviagen UK business,” said Thomson. “I hold a strong confidence in the quality of our products, our people and our infrastructure, and stay focused on ensuring that we remain an integral part of the poultry industry – both in the UK and worldwide. In my most recent role the crucial importance of quality-driven customer service has been fundamental and I’m determined to make sure that we continue to deliver the very best in product quality and support to all of our valued customers.”
Aviagen is a global poultry breeding company that develops pedigree lines for the production of commercial broiler chickens under the Arbor Acres, Indian River and Ross brand names.