Meet The Team
Grace Nugent; Managing Director
Grace Nugent, Managing Director of De Lacy Executive, combines a lifelong passion for agriculture with extensive industry experience. Raised on a farm and holding a degree in Agricultural Business Management, Grace has worked on farms in the UK and New Zealand, giving her a deep understanding of agricultural operations.
Joining De Lacy Executive in 2011 as a Trainee Recruitment Consultant, Grace quickly advanced through roles such as Recruitment Consultant, Senior Recruitment Consultant, Recruitment Team Manager, and General Manager. Now, as Managing Director, she focuses on business development, strategy, growth, building partnerships, and enhancing client and candidate experiences.
Grace is committed to helping clients with developing strong recruitment processes. She works closely with key clients to support them with their recruitment year planning and advice on succession future proofing their businesses.
Her comprehensive insight into the agricultural sector ensures that De Lacy Executive continues to excel in connecting top talent with leading agricultural businesses.
Telephone: 01885 485521
Mobile: 07436808024
Jon Handley; Recruitment Operations Manager
Jon began his career in secondary education eventually progressing to Head of Geography. It was a difficult decision to leave teaching, but his passion for agriculture led him to De Lacy Executive.
At De Lacy, Jon focuses on supporting the company's growth in the UK and expanding its international portfolio. He also leads a professional and knowledgeable team of consultants from varying agricultural backgrounds, all individually committed to delivering excellent standards of service and doing right by you.
Jon is known for building genuine, long-term relationships within the industry. He takes the time to truly understand each role and business, recognising that De Lacy’s work can significantly impact people’s lives and organisations. He strongly believes in De Lacy’s ethos that successful recruitment is about trust, communication, thoroughness, and finding compatibility, not just simply filling a position.
With his roots in rural Leicestershire and having married into a sheep and arable farming family, Jon maintains a strong connection to agriculture and a vested interest in its people and future.
Telephone: 01885 485522
Mobile: 07946 008667
Ollie O'Driscoll; Client Partnership Manager
With over a decade of experience in recruitment, Ollie brings a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm to his role. For the past five years, he has specialised in agricultural recruitment, developing an in-depth understanding of the industry and building an extensive network of contacts.
As a Client Partnership Manager at De Lacy Executive, Ollie delivers a comprehensive, end-to-end recruitment service, supporting both candidates and clients from initial contact through to successful placement. Oliver’s primary areas of expertise include arable/agronomy, pest control, anaerobic digestion, professional services, and biodiversity.
Committed to “recruitment done right,” Ollie prioritises genuine care and a personal touch. His dedication ensures that both candidates and clients find the perfect match, fostering mutual growth and long-term success.
Telephone: 01885 485526
Mobile: 07730 218 934
Harry Porter; Key Account Consultant
Harry grew up on a smallholding in rural Shropshire, where he bred and sold chickens and ducks to local back garden poultry keepers. With many friends and family involved in farming, agriculture has always been close to his heart. After completing a marketing apprenticeship, Harry spent five years working in the medical industry. However, he soon realised his passion lay in agriculture, and he jumped at the opportunity to join De Lacy Executive, a company deeply rooted in the sector.
Starting as a recruitment consultant, Harry now holds a dual role within the business, drawing on his marketing experience to promote the company. He has had success in filling a wide range of roles and particularly enjoys working on positions in sales, marketing, poultry, livestock, and farm management.
His blend of recruitment and industry knowledge has contributed to his success in helping agricultural businesses find the right talent.
Telephone: 01885 485524
Mobile: 07875197231
George Clayton; Recruitment Consultant
George brings a strong and varied background in recruitment to his role at De Lacy Executive, with experience across both the trades and IT sectors. Before joining the team, he specialised in placing electricians, gas engineers, and IT/software professionals, building a solid understanding of technical roles and what clients need to succeed.
Having grown up in the countryside, George has a natural curiosity for agriculture – particularly the ways in which technology and machinery are transforming the future of the industry.
At De Lacy, George delivers a full 360 recruitment service, from lead generation and business development through to matching talented individuals with like-minded businesses. He’s driven by the opportunity to make a real impact – helping organisations grow their teams and supporting people as they take the next step in their careers.
Telephone: 01885 485525
Mobile: 07506 296301
Rupert Kettle; Recruitment Consultant
Rupert grew up on a family livestock farm in Warwickshire, where he developed a passion for agriculture. After earning a degree in languages, he pursued various roles in Tree Surgery, Arable Farming, and Contract Fencing. With a background in livestock, he also gained experience in combinable crops, foraging, and haymaking.
Rupert is particularly interested in the future of Agri-tech and sustainable farming, and how innovation will shape food production. His own experience navigating different roles in farming led him to recruitment, where he helps others find the right fit in the industry.
Fluent in French and Italian, Rupert brings strong skills in communication and problem solving to his work.
Telephone: 01885 485523
Mobile: 07498 665961
Edward Clift; Data and Accounts Manager
Edward comes from a strong farming background, spanning three generations in the Worcestershire and Herefordshire borders.
After graduating with a degree in Analytical Sciences, he went on to enjoy a career in hospitality where he has worked with local producers and suppliers, eventually managing his own bakery business. He has now returned to his roots in the agricultural industry, joining the De Lacy Executive Recruitment team in 2023.
Chelsea Edwards; Recruitment Consultant
Chelsea grew up in rural North Wales, where her family own a stud farm breeding Welsh Cobs and Arab horses, and her parents were heavily involved in agriculture, particularly within the feed and dairy sectors. This background gave Chelsea a strong appreciation for livestock, pedigrees and the importance of breeding decisions from an early age.
Chelsea spent a significant part of her career working for National Milk Records, where she developed a solid understanding of the dairy industry and built long-standing relationships within the sector. Alongside her agricultural experience, she has also worked outside the industry in both legal and estate agency roles, giving her a broad skill set and a strong commercial perspective.
Chelsea was drawn to recruitment through her enjoyment of working with people and helping them find roles that suit both their skills and long-term ambitions. She has a particular interest in equine and dairy positions, where her knowledge and personal experience allow her to add real value.
Outside of work, Chelsea enjoys attending agricultural shows, as well as training gundogs and taking part in country sports. She is also an active committee member of her local Sheepdog Society, which organises sheepdog trials in the valley.
Telephone: 01885 485528
Mobile: 07506 297071
Lisa Williams; Associate Director
Lisa joined our team as Associate Director to build on and lead our senior appointments offering. With extensive experience operating at a senior level herself, she brings a clear understanding of what organisations need from executive recruitment and how the right leadership appointment can influence long term success. Her focus is on strengthening De Lacy Executive’s support to clients recruiting at a senior and strategic level across agriculture and the wider supply chain.
Lisa brings over 30 years’ experience across the UK and international agri food sector. She began her career in the food industry, progressing steadily through the ranks and gaining broad commercial experience across a variety of roles. This background gives her a strong understanding of how businesses operate, the challenges leaders face, and the importance of aligning people, strategy and culture.
She spent a significant part of her career in senior roles, working closely with SMEs, start ups and established businesses alike. Throughout this time, Lisa has been involved in driving growth, supporting strategy and helping organisations navigate change, developing a people focused and commercially grounded approach.
Alongside her commercial career, Lisa co founded Women in Dairy and holds a non executive director position outside of De Lacy Executive. She is relationship-driven, thoughtful in her approach and passionate about delivering well matched, senior level recruitment.
Telephone: 01885 485527
Mobile: 07946 008083
John Davies; Non-Executive Director
John Davies founded De Lacy Executive in 2000, setting up the business to provide a specialist recruitment service to the agricultural and food sectors. With a background in agriculture and rural enterprise, he built the consultancy around a clear understanding of the industry, its people and the practical realities faced by agricultural businesses.
During his time leading the business, De Lacy Executive established a strong reputation within agricultural recruitment, working with clients and candidates across the UK and internationally. Following the successful growth of the consultancy, De Lacy Executive was sold to Farms.com. After the sale, John retired and stepped away from the business entirely for a number of years.
John has since returned to De Lacy Executive as a Non-Executive Director. In this role, he supports the senior leadership team with experience and perspective gained from founding and growing the business, contributing to long term planning and decision making while maintaining the principles on which the company was built.
He works closely with Managing Director Grace Nugent, whom he mentored and trained earlier in her career. Their longstanding professional relationship reflects a shared approach to recruitment and a focus on developing people and businesses within the agricultural sector.
John remains closely connected to agriculture and continues to take an active interest in the recruitment industry, bringing practical insight and continuity to De Lacy Executive in his non-executive role.
