Geoff Burgess

Telephone: 01908 312511 Email: gma@thegma.org.uk

Geoff is an Independent Director of the Board.

After qualifying in agriculture and mechanisation from Merrist Wood college, his early career included tropical agricultural management and six years with Massey Ferguson.

Involvement with the ground care industry began in 1978 with Wright Rain as MD of the irrigation engineering group.  The business included a large turnkey contracting division installing irrigation systems in golf and sports grounds in the UK and overseas.

In 1988 he joined the Wolseley Group, first as MD of the grass machinery company Kidd, then at Parmiter with its range of chain harrowsand mats for the turf industry.

In 1992 as President of the AEA, he led the creation of the outdoor power division within the association, in recognition of the growing importance of the development of this sector.

Since 1993 he has been a director of Charterhouse Turf Machinery and in 1997 became a director of the parent group of Charterhouse, the Dutch turf machinery manufacturer Redexim - the leading producer of specialist equipment for the maintenance of both natural and synthetic turf.

He has also undertaken product work within the industry for a number of companies including Autoguide Equipment with their cricket rollers, Allen Power Equipment, The Frank Moore Mower and Soil Harmony, the specialist turf nutrient business.

Within both the agricultural and turf industries Geoff has had considerable involvement in the industry's shows, including three years as Chairman of the Earls Court Royal Smithfield Show, deputy director of the Royal Show at Stoneleigh, an industry representative on the board of the South West Grassland and more recently as a member of the SALTEX advisory board.

Living in west Wiltshire, Geoff is married to Ann, with two "grown up" children and two energetic grandchildren.