Our Team

Øistein Thorsen

CEO

Øistein is a passionate advocate for resilient, ethical and regenerative food systems, with a focus on animal-based production. Raised in East Africa, he witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of food system failures, inspiring a career dedicated to sustainability. As FAI’s CEO, Øistein advises some the world’s largest brands, leveraging science and expertise to drive meaningful impact for people, animals and the planet.

In his role he has supported the regenerative transition of FAI’s beef grazing farm, developed and delivered regenerative training courses and field visits for executives, and designed regenerative initiatives focused on beef, dairy and leather supply chains.

Øistein is a University of London graduate in Development and African Studies and holds a master’s in international political economics from the London School of Economics (LSE), both undertaken to better understand the root causes of poverty, conflict and famine.

He began to gain a deeper and more specific appreciation of food’s potential power to heal and connect us with each other, our cultures and our planet in the early 2000s. This led to his vision of helping solve interconnected social and environmental crises through the promotion of inner and outer regeneration; a vision he has been pursuing at FAI since 2012.

Øistein is a Norwegian and US citizen who has lived, worked and studied in Kenya, Sudan, Norway, Ethiopia, the UK and USA, and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Kelly Watson

Director

A director at FAI, Kelly has a passion for developing sustainable production systems grounded in science and commercially relevant. She works closely with FAI’s clients to increase transparency and support continual improvement through a combination of strategic advice and practical solutions, supported by robust data collection, analysis reporting and knowledge sharing.

A poultry farmer’s daughter, Kelly held a variety of poultry and egg focused roles within different parts of the supply chain before joining FAI Farms in 2018. Her work as the chief poultry adviser for the National Farmers Union of England and Wales saw her lobbying on behalf of farmer members within both the UK and Europe. Kelly then worked as the agriculture manager for poultry for UK supermarket Sainsbury’s, before joining one of the UK’s largest chicken processors, 2Sisters Food Group.

In her spare time, you will find Kelly hiking with her dog in the Erzgebirge region of Germany where she has been living since July 2020.

Murilo Quintiliano

COO

FAI’s Chief Operating Officer, Murilo works with clients on the development of farm welfare and sustainability projects with FAI clients. With a passion for animal welfare, and the benefits it brings to the economics, ethics and environment of livestock production, he is a sought-after speaker at conferences worldwide, sharing his experiences, knowledge and understanding of applying science to the farming environment moving towards sustainability.

Brazilian-born and based in his homeland, Murilo joined FAI in 2008 to implement its singular view of how to tackle the challenges of food production in Brazilian conditions for beef cattle, broilers, laying hens and tilapia.

Murilo graduated in animal science from São Paulo State University (UNESP) and has since been working with universities, research centres, private companies and individuals towards a better farming environment, integrating activities along the food supply chain.

Carly Scott

Director

Carly’s interest lies in the use of technology and data to better understand our food systems and scale solutions to improve practice. An FAI Director, Carly has held diverse roles, supporting research in commercial and trials settings, managing strategic programmes with FAI’s industry partners and driving the development of FAI’s data platforms to support farming and supply chain insight.

Carly’s current role provides focus to FAI’s main data platforms, including BirdBox, an integrated system for managing poultry farms and supply chains. It is spearheading the development of technology for welfare-led farming, integrating novel, real-time indicators of laying hen health and behaviour to improve performance and sustainability of egg production.

Carly has a background in genetics, gaining experience in medical science before joining FAI in 2013 to follow a passion to explore the connection between human, animal and ecosystem health.

Like much of the FAI team, Carly enjoys spending time outdoors. Her current fascination involves exploring the UK coastline.

Karl Williams

Director

Karl has been with FAI since 2007, working with clients both nationally and internationally to help formulate and deliver against their sustainability commitments. He also oversees operations and manages projects on their 1,000-acre tenanted organic farm in Oxfordshire, with current projects focused on regenerative grazing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Coming from a farming family, Karl has almost 40 years of agricultural experience. He has worked on and managed livestock operations across the UK and has spent several years auditing livestock production systems globally for a large UK retailer.

James Banfield

Director

Having joined FAI as Chief Operating Officer in 2020, James now serves as a Director and Executive Chairman. He is an accomplished business executive with more than 30 years’ experience, building, managing and growing data analytics, education and publishing businesses across financial, aquaculture, agriculture and veterinary industries.

Prior to joining FAI, James oversaw the growth and development of Benchmark PLC’s Knowledge Services Division from a small web business to a division with £20m plus turnover and double-digit growth and profitability. James also spent 12 years at Financial Times Group and six years at Pearson as a managing director, editor and publisher.

Reflecting FAI’s global presence, James has worked in London, Boston, Hong Kong, Manila and Bangkok.

Jane Yeadon

Management Accountant

FAI’s management accountant, Jane is keen to combine her accounting expertise with supporting the company’s mission to encourage their clients to adopt sustainable and ethical farming and food production methods, by ensuring finances are put to the greatest use to meet these aims.

Jane trained as an accountant with UK auditors Grant Thornton, managing the statutory audits of corporate and charitable organisations, before becoming training manager at a practice on the south coast. She used her accountancy experience in the running, and subsequent merger with FAI, of Ambrose Fox Ltd, now FAI’s software development department.

In her spare time, Jane is renovating a 19^th century cottage in the Cranborne Chase conservation area of Wiltshire, enjoying the area’s stunning landscape.

Adam Yeadon

Head of Software Development

As FAI’s Head of Software Development, Adam’s extensive experience across multiple business sectors, combined with founding a successful software development company, now informs and drives his passion for solving problems and empowering users through intuitive custom-built software.

Adam has more than 30 years’ experience in software development for major multinationals including 3M, FedEx, Zoetis and various European Veterinary Colleges, as well as being lead architect of the DEFRA (APHA) OV/AHP databases over the last eight years.

Mitchell Swaffield

IT Support Manager

Mitchell is responsible for making sure FAI’s day-to-day operations are not hindered by its IT infrastructure, protecting its integrity through data compliance and security certification. He identifies how FAI’s IT services can be improved to serve clients better and also involves software development.

Mitchell’s IT career started in a multi-disciplinary role covering audio & visual, web development, content creation and user support. A software developer since 2018, his work has involved developing and managing both in-house digital services and client data solutions.

Away from work, Mitchell is keen on sharpening up his DIY skills or heads outside to cycle or walk and even enjoys a bit of bouldering.

Morgan Costantini

Technical Support Specialist

Morgan provides technical support to the FAI team and for FAI’s data applications, focusing on documenting early-stage tools and identifying recurring issues to help improve future iterations.

He holds diplomas in both Graphic Design and Art Mentoring and brings a creative approach to problem-solving and communication.

Outside work, Morgan enjoys drawing, gaming, powerlifting and the occasional loud gig.

Emily Bull

Head of Consultancy

Head of Consultancy at FAI, Emily has a passion for providing scientifically backed advice to progress agricultural systems. Emily works with the Consultancy team to provide clients with up-to-date research and meaningful data to improve supply chains.

Emily grew up on a mixed farm in Devon before studying agriculture at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU). Funded by the Moredun Research Institute, her subsequent master’s studied the possibilities of breeding for genetic immunity against Johnes disease in dairy cows, with data collection and study at the University of Guelph in Canada. Returning to the RAU, she became Commercial Research Development Manager while undertaking a PhD investigating health issues within dairy beef calves due to system complexity.

As a result, Emily is a multidisciplinary scientist, running health data and behaviour monitoring alongside social science methodologies such as the development of personas to better understand mindsets and approaches to support the design of effective intervention programmes.

In her spare time, Emily is found walking on Dartmoor with her dog, sea kayaking or playing Tag rugby.

Ben Shreeves

Senior Client Account Manager

Ben is an experienced client account manager, bringing strategic planning, project management, business development, corporate social responsibility and sustainability skills to the FAI team.

Focused on building relationships which create better food supply chains and mindful every company is different, Ben works hard to understand each client’s unique context, ambitions and goals, before applying FAI’s expertise to create tailored programmes which meet business needs.

With a BSc in Human Psychology, Ben has been involved with sustainability in agricultural supply chains for many years, working with the Fairtrade Foundation and Oxfam GB before joining FAI.

Away from work, Ben coaches his daughter’s football team.

Emilie Wix

Senior Client Account Manager

Emilie is dedicated to advancing animal welfare and strengthening supply chains. With an honours degree in Animal Science and Welfare and an SQP qualification, her career encompasses both commercial and charity environments, covering animal health and welfare sectors.

Before joining FAI, Emilie worked at RSPCA Assured. She led a technical team, guiding on farm standards improvements and assisting farmers with adoption. She was instrumental in engaging members, retailers and stakeholders on technical standards for all species, ensuring commercial feasibility while championing enhanced farm animal welfare. Emilie’s broad, multi-species experience includes many projects aimed at elevating farm animal welfare and optimising supply chain performance.

Outside work, Emilie enjoys cycling, running and more recently wing foiling, loving a challenge and the opportunity to experience something new.

Amanda Deakin

Science & Technical Lead

Amanda heads up FAI’s Science & Technical team. She works across the R&D and consultancy programmes, translating scientific evidence into practical solutions to drive improvements in agricultural supply chains.

Amanda is particularly passionate about the potential for regenerative food systems to provide holistic benefits for people, animals and planet. Since 2022, she has led the FAI farm regenerative grazing transition project and co-led a pilot programme with a group of beef farmers to extend the positive learnings from FAI’s farm transition into the UK beef supply chain.

Before joining FAI, Amanda obtained a PhD from the University of Bristol where she conducted trials with chickens and fruit flies exploring the evolutionary basis of emotion in non-human animals. Amanda also holds a BSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare and an MSc in Evolutionary Anthropology.

Outside work, Amanda continues her passion for animals and the natural world, spending time horse riding, walking up hills and attempting to grow veg in her back garden.

Hannah Shepherd

Data Programme Process Lead

As the Data Programme Process Lead, Hannah works with FAI’s Insite consultants improving efficiencies and data accuracy across the organisation’s data collection programmes. She combines her commitment to impactful storytelling with complex data analysis to help FAI’s clients explore the nuances of food sustainability challenges.

Having spent a few years working in communications for international NGOs, Hannah graduated from the University of Southampton with a Masters in Sustainability, where her dissertation critically assessed agricultural development interventions and food access in Ethiopia.

Away from work, Hannah writes about local food system initiatives in her hometown of Bristol.

Zoe Partridge

Client Reporting Lead

Zoe works within FAI’s Insite team as the Client Reporting Lead, ensuring a standardised approach to data reporting across our clients, helping us to increase our impact and influence to support positive change within food supply chains. She also works closely with several retailer clients on supply chain mapping, policy reviews, data collection and reporting.

Prior to joining FAI in 2019, Zoe completed an MSc in Biology at the University of Bristol, where her research dissertation focused on alternative proteins, specifically insects, and their environmental sustainability and acceptance as a food source. During her degree, she also worked with an urban, vertical farm start up, growing microgreens from a shipping container.

Outside work, Zoe enjoys spending time outdoors, particularly rowing or hiking, and cooking seasonally.

Laura Higham

Veterinary Consultant

FAI’s veterinary consultant, Laura delivers animal welfare and antimicrobial stewardship consultancy and research within farmed animal supply chains. During her recent PhD studies with the University of Edinburgh, she focused on integrating concepts of animal welfare and antimicrobial stewardship into the sustainability agenda.

Laura has worked with FAI for over 10 years, while also gaining an MSc in international animal health and founding the not-for-profit social enterprise Vet Sustain to champion sustainability in the veterinary professions.

Laura attained her veterinary degree from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in 2008. She worked in mixed practice in the UK and New Zealand, before joining an animal welfare NGO to manage projects in disaster preparedness and response across Africa, the Middle East and central Asia.

Laura lives in Sheffield with her partner Dave, their two young kids and menagerie of badly trained pets. She enjoys good coffee, real ale, baking, music festivals, running and being outdoors.

Clare Langrish

Science and Technology Consultant

A Science and Technical Consultant, Clare is looking for ways to work with nature and restore degraded ecosystems while producing healthy nutritious food, with a particular interest in the connections between soil, plant, animal and human health.

She considers collaboration across the food supply chain, including farmer engagement, critical to creating positive food systems for people, planet and animals.

With a background in biological sciences, Clare’s work draws on the latest scientific research, and she is involved with collecting and analysing ecosystem process data within FAI’s regenerative farming programmes for clients across the UK and Europe.

Clare enjoys hiking, camping and learning about ecosystems, plants and animals.

Jon Walton

Senior Programme Consultant

Jon has a keen interest in promoting evidence-based sustainable farming practices. With experience in standards development and implementation, he is responsible for reviewing and revising major retailer agricultural and animal welfare sourcing standards.

Jon works closely with FAI clients to provide technical and policy consultancy advice on farm animal welfare and sustainability issues. He is focused on delivering practical solutions supported by scientific evidence and real-world experience.

Jon graduated from Durham University with a degree in Zoology, later earning an MSc in ecology from the University of Bristol. In the university’s Animal Welfare and Behaviour department, he worked on applied farm animal welfare projects, particularly in poultry welfare, before joining at ADAS, to provide animal welfare and livestock production consultancy to a range of commercial clients and government bodies.

Jon is a keen cyclist, often found tackling the Mendip Hills around Bristol.

Kate Norman

Client Account Manager

Kate is a Client Account Manager, with a passion for improving the welfare of commercially farmed animals. The role involves working closely with clients and supporting FAI’s science-based work to provide advice and solutions to clients.

Having always been passionate about animal welfare, Kate completed a degree at the University of Bristol in Animal Behaviour and Welfare. This led to a particular interest in poultry welfare and in 2020 Kate completed her PhD research looking at improvements in rearing systems for farmed laying hens.

Continuing to work in poultry welfare as a post-doctoral researcher at Bristol and the Royal Veterinary College, Kate gained more experience in the commercial sector, before joining the RSPCA as the Senior Scientific Officer for poultry.

Kate spends her spare time exploring the South Downs and going to agility classes to entertain her border collie, Callie.

Rebekah Price

Client Account Manager

A 2024 recruit to FAI, Rebekah is focused on programme delivery.

She joined FAI after seven years at the UK beef and lamb processor ABP, where she was responsible for delivery of customer agriculture programmes and strategies, working with major retailers. She also sat on the UK Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and managed the Agri-IT strategy, rolling out software to integrated farmers and supporting projects trialling and testing new technologies on farm.

Previous experience saw her spend two years in Canada with Telus Agriculture responsible for delivering the product roadmap for beef software and consultancy services, gaining valuable expertise in the North American beef supply chain.

Rebekah lives on a beef and sheep farm on the west coast of Scotland. She spends her spare time hiking and camping with family and dogs, looking for wildlife or shed antlers.

Franciele Bolfe

Animal Scientist, Brazil

Franciele’s work at FAI began in broiler welfare audits and has expanded to include wider sustainability consultancy for several major food brands across multiple species.

Based in Brazil, Franciele graduated in animal science and has a master’s in animal production with an emphasis on meat quality. Prior to joining FAI, her experience was largely in beef cattle and pigs meat quality projects.

Franciele’s interest in becoming an animal scientist began as a child in Brazil spending the school holidays enjoying and looking after her grandparents’ many animals.

Kirstin Restarick

Data Analyst

Kirstin is a Data Analyst, where she applies her background in epidemiology to develop interactive, data-driven reports for a diverse range of clients. Her work supports evidence-based decision-making across multiple sectors.

Kirstin’s passion for science was inspired early on by her father, a specialist in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats. This foundation led her to pursue a degree in Biomedical Science, where she developed a keen interest in zoonotic diseases and the ways in which human activity influence their spread in the environment.

She deepened her expertise with a master’s in the control of infectious diseases from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. During her postgraduate studies, the research projects she led included an investigation into the effectiveness of ecologically based rodent control in smallholder farms in rural Tanzania, aimed at reducing the transmission of rodent-borne diseases.

Kirstin enjoys PC gaming and staying up to date on global health topics through infectious disease podcasts.

Marius Nicolini

Head of Insite Platforms & Applications

Marius is head of Insite, FAI’s platform hosting the applications used to inform and measure positive food system impact to FAI clients.

Marius completed a master’s in environmental sciences, specialising in coastal ecosystems, and an MSc in aquaculture from Ghent University. After working in several fish and oyster farms, he moved to Asia as a technical support officer to help implement sustainable aquaculture practices, such as using nursery systems and zero water exchange. Marius joined FAI in 2022 to assist in developing the FAI Tilapia Welfare App and to coordinate FAI’s fish welfare initiatives across Southeast Asia. Now based in France, he works closely with FAI’s development team to advance the Insite platform.

Marius is a freediver who enthusiastically jumps into warm… or cold…. water.

Bethany Lintern

Reporting & Insite Products Consultant

Beth’s role at FAI revolves around outcome measures, data reporting and technical support together with supporting users of FAI’s farm auditing app, providing consultancy services and technical expertise across all FAI’s client programmes.

Her interest in agriculture and the environment came from growing up on the edge of Exmoor National Park in southern England. This expanded into food security during her undergraduate degree in geography, leading to a research-based MSc in Environmental Management.

Despite not having a garden, Beth is a keen gardener of fruit and vegetables around her apartment. She is also enjoying exploring more of the UK, feeding her other hobbies of fitness and hiking, and in her down time, enjoys board games and trying to become fluent in French.

James Wyatt

Lead Developer

James is a lead developer with over 14 years of professional experience in full-stack software development for various industries, joining FAI at the beginning of 2023. He is a Linux enthusiast and proficient in Web Technologies such as React, Node.JS and PHP, APIs, database design and backend cloud infrastructure. He works closely with the product and consultancy teams to ensure smooth platform development and make sure solutions align with customer requirements.

Aleksandra Khennouf

Developer

Aleksandra is a full-stack developer with more than five years’ experience turning complex problems into clean, elegant solutions. A former linguist with a master’s in Persian Studies, she swapped ancient texts for modern code.

Since joining FAI in 2023, Aleksandra has worked across the stack to support the development of digital tools promoting sustainable farming and animal welfare. Her work spans frontend and backend technologies, including React, Laravel and Inertia.js, always with a focus on usability and long-term impact.

Away from work, Aleksandra recharges by tracking wildlife and nurturing her garden.

Katie Gaffney

Consultant

As a consultant, Katie bridges the Science and Technical and the Client Reporting teams to support regenerative agriculture programmes and improved animal welfare across a wide variety of livestock production systems.

Her work helps ensure data-driven insights are communicated effectively and translated into meaningful impact across agricultural programmes.

Katie holds a master’s in aquaculture, environment and society, with hands-on aquaculture experience from Scotland, Greece, France and Norway.

She moved on from this to design and manage regulatory laboratory and field studies for evaluating new aquaculture veterinary pharmaceuticals at Benchmark Animal Health before undertaking a joint PhD at the University of Stirling and Ghent University in the SAIC-funded Ballan+ project.

Katie spends her spare time rock climbing and playing board games (as well as recruiting more people to both).

Sara Barrento

Head of e-Learning

Sara is a marine biologist from Portugal passionate about communication, training and making complex topics accessible to all audiences in the supply chain. She is FAI’s Head of Training managing FAI Academy and the training management system Wyllow. She also co-creates and delivers free online and blended training events available in many languages to aquaculture farmers globally.

Sara completed her PhD on the nutritional quality and physiological responses to transport and storage of live crustaceans traded in Portugal in 2010 at Porto University. Since then, she has worked as a post-doc in Portugal, Chile and the UK on international collaborative projects related to the live trade of farmed mussels, kelp farming and the welfare of fish and shrimp. She started lecturing at Swansea University in 2015, where she maintains an honorary role.

Sara lives in Wales where you’ll find her mountain biking wherever there are trails, surfing off the Gower or sweating at hot yoga.

Lloyd Adams

Developer

Coming from a background in e-commerce development, Lloyd joined the FAI team in 2021 as a software developer. With more than 5 years’ experience and a degree in Software Engineering, he used his skills and experience to improve FAI’s web applications.

Since 2023, Lloyd’s primary focus has been on FAI’s e-learning and training system, Wyllow, where he works closely with the FAI Academy team to continue evolving the platform.

In his free time, you’ll find Lloyd at the gym, playing squash and video games or developing a plethora of unfinished games and apps.

Imogen Towler

Data Scientist

As a data scientist at FAI, Imogen works on BirdBox for egg laying hens. She uses machine learning and other statistical methods to indicate when farmer interventions could be used to help improve the welfare and productivity of hens. Imogen works closely with a team of researchers from Newcastle University to help incorporate the latest research in animal behaviour and computing into BirdBox.

Imogen’s background lies outside agriculture. She holds a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Manchester working on simulations of galaxy clusters and has also worked as a data scientist working on traffic problems.

Away from work, Imogen is an avid potter and knitter, and you often find her making something, be it ceramic or woollen.

Steven Kyffin

Product Manager

As Birdbox Product Manager, Steven brings a blend of product and technical expertise to help drive the implementation of FAI’s farm management system for laying hens.

His career began with a degree in Agriculture, which sparked a passion for solving real-world problems through science and innovation. He went on to hold product management roles in several industries before focusing on the Internet of Things (IoT), where he now specialises in creating connected products to turn real-world data into useful insights.

When not completing his master’s in AI computer science, you’ll probably find Steven on the tennis court, working on an oil painting or running through the Norfolk countryside.

Rob Holloway

Lead Developer

Rob is Lead Developer on BirdBox, FAI’s industry leading management system for laying hens. His career as a web developer began 10 years ago, working on diverse projects including life insurance and aviation recruitment.

Prior to this, Rob worked in film and TV. Nine years at Bloomberg TV saw him manage the EMEA traffic team and spend time in broadcast operations. This led onto content management roles at LOVEFiLM and Amazon Prime Video. While at LOVEFiLM, he presented an edition of the company’s Instant Presents show entirely in Spanish, despite not being a Spanish speaker!

In his spare time, Rob runs an online football, Formula 1 and NFL prediction game.

Jonathan Clegg

Developer

A software developer on FAI’s Birdbox, Jonathan has a strong interest in building digital technologies in the fields of science, biodiversity and sustainability. He is particularly interested in conservation technology and the emerging field of nature tech, continuing to study the development of these areas outside work.

With a background in animal science, Jonathan has a master’s in herpetology and specialised knowledge in reptile ecology. After studying reptile collections in a museum setting, he gained a Winston Churchill Fellowship and led an expedition to Papua New Guinea which discovered a new giant species of gecko. He also once received funding from a palm oil company study the role of snakes as a biological pest control in oil palm plantations.

Jonathan has family connections with Thailand and is often found looking for frogs to photograph while on holiday there!

Matt Crayton

Senior Developer

A senior software developer, Matt has over 23 years professional experience delivering tailored web-based software solutions. He works with FAI’s clients in a range of veterinary and agricultural sectors providing problem-solving development, primarily to support the training and certification of Residents and Diplomates at the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in Zurich, Switzerland.

Showing an interest in art and his father’s home computers from an early age, Matt learned how to design and code games before he was a teenager. Formerly a contract developer, Matt worked with brands such as BBC Eurovision, L’Oréal and La Roche-Posay, as well as on smaller contracts directly with the National Health Service, the Ministry of Defence and Siemens.

He spends much of his spare time thoroughly enjoying the company of his five nieces (and soon a great niece!), art and entertainment in the sunny seaside town of Bournemouth on England’s south coast.