A new director at a Norfolk farm machinery firm says he is keen to tackle industry challenges around recruitment, cost inflation and business growth.

Alex Child has joined the board at Norwich-based farm machinery dealership Ben Burgess, where he will work alongside David Fairman as a sales director.

The 41-year-old has more than 20 years of experience in the agricultural machine industry, having previously been group sales manager for JW Doubleday, before it was acquired in 2022 by fellow John Deere dealer Ben Burgess. 

He said it was a "big responsibility" to step up within a successful long-running business - and there are both opportunities and challenges ahead.

"One big issue we have is about people," he said. "A good business is built on good people and part of my remit will be to continue to bring the right talent into the business.

"That is a big focus. Resilience is another.

"We have been through a pretty challenging four years if you think back to Covid and all the supply chain issues that brought. On the back of that, we have had quite rapid inflation in the price of machinery and that has brought supply chain challenges and pricing challenges.

"These are things we are trying to increase our resilience to at the moment. 

"One thing I would say is that it is our aspiration to continue to grow, and all the work that I am doing with the other directors and the management team is around positioning ourselves to be ready for the next opportunity."

Mr Child, who described himself as a "Norfolk boy from the Fens", lives in West Walton near King's Lynn, but does not come from a farming background.

"I found agriculture pretty much by accident, but I love it," he said. "I love working with farmers, and I love the country way of life.

"People can sometimes think of farming as a closed door, but we are really keen to smash that way of thinking apart. The door is open to the right people, regardless of background."