Christopher Cooper,
product marketing manager of popular lawn care brands, Hayter and Toro, was
recently named President of the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA).
In his new role,
Christopher hopes to focus on encouraging more young people to pursue career
opportunities in the industry and helping to further promote and advance the
interests of AEA members.
Christopher started
out in the industry at Ransomes Jacobsen Ltd, after graduating from college as
a design engineer in 2002. A year later, he joined Hayter as a design engineer
and assumed the role as product manager in 2006 when Toro acquired Hayter. Christopher
is now responsible for product management and marketing of the Hayter and Toro
consumer brands in the UK.
“The AEA is all
about diversification and making sure member companies have a voice from within
the association,” said Christopher. “As incoming President, I will be helping
with the development of the AEA, and continuing the great work that has been
done. With the Board and Director General, Ruth Bailey, and through the member
companies, we will also be looking at ways to help future proof our industry.
“At the moment,
there is a lot of discussion around how we can get young people into our
industry. However, I believe the bigger challenge is not how we recruit these
young people, but how we retain them and continue to advance their professional
development. For myself, I never thought I would follow the path I have taken;
however, once I got more familiar with the industry and started working with
the likes of Real Madrid CF and Arsenal FC, I realised it was completely
different to what I first thought.
“This industry can
give young people a great chance to get out and talk to people from all
different backgrounds, experiences and cultures around the world. There is
great scope to make a difference in this industry.”
Christopher will be
the second youngest president in the association’s history. He hopes to use his
recent experiences and career journey to help younger people develop and have a
voice within the industry.
