The Board

Non Executive Directors

Neil Roxburgh Balfour, Non-Executive Chairman

Mr Balfour is an Oxford MA, Barrister at Law and a former member of the European Parliament. His early career was in merchant banking with Baring Brothers and European Banking Company. Since 1990 Mr Balfour has been active in Poland and central Europe in the fields of private equity and real estate. He has served on the Boards of several public companies in the UK and Poland. Mr Balfour speaks fluent Polish. 

Tom Morrison, Non-Executive Director

Mr Morrison holds an MA in Agriculture from Cambridge University and has over 35 years experience working in agriculture, food security and rural development economics. He also has significant investment experience in Eastern European farming. 

John Mapplebeck, Non-Executive Director

Mr Mapplebeck has extensive financial and banking experience both in the UK and internationally. He was previously Global Head of Project Finance at NatWest Group and was also non-executive director of JKX Oil & Gas Plc (with principal assets in Ukraine), as well as Chairman of two private energy companies. 

Executive Directors

Vitaliy Skotsyk, Chief Executive Officer

Mr Skotsyk, a Ukrainian citizen, has valuable local and international experience in the agricultural sector, having built up and led AMACO, one of the largest agricultural equipment and input suppliers in the CIS over the past 12 years. He has a PhD in Agriculture from the Ukraine State Agriculture University, a Doctorate of Economics in Strategic Management from the International Management University, Kiev and has worked in key positions in agricultural businesses in the UK and USA.  

Stephen Michael Pickup, Chief Financial Officer

Mr Pickup is a Russian speaker who has 10 years of experience in investment banking and company management, including five years in mergers and acquisitions at Deutsche Bank in London and Hong Kong. He has lived and worked in emerging markets for much of the last 15 years and splits his time between the UK and Ukraine. He holds an MBA from INSEAD. Stephen also has responsibility for Investor Relations and the Company Secretarial function.