MRS Managing Director awarded MBE

The award came at the end of a remarkable year for me personally and for the company: MRS had a record turnover, we won major new contracts and won the 2013 Courier Agriculture Business of the Year.

Dr Nigel Kerby, Managing Director of Mylnefield Research Services (MRS), a commercial affiliate of the James Hutton Institute, has been recognised in the 2014 New Year Honours list.

Dr Kerby has been honoured with an MBE for services to business and science. Since 1992, he has pioneered the commercialisation of scientific intellectual assets and resources of the James Hutton Institute and one of its predecessor organisations, the Scottish Crop Research Institute, and helped develop MRS into a significant contributor to the UK economy.  

Dr Kerby said: “I am absolutely delighted to receive an MBE in the New Year Honours.

“The award came at the end of a remarkable year for me personally and for the company: MRS had a record turnover, we won major new contracts and won the 2013 Courier Agriculture Business of the Year.

“This honour wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment and support of my many colleagues at MRS and the James Hutton Institute.”

MRS develops potato, soft fruit and brassica varieties, mainly through collaborative plant breeding, many of which are commonly found on supermarket shelves in the UK and are market leaders in their respective categories. MRS has made charitable donations through Gift Aid of over £2 million in the last 10 years mainly to support scientific research and education.

As well as his position with MRS, Dr Kerby is also a Director of the China-Britain Business Council and chairs their Innovation and Technology Forum. He conceived the “China Tomorrow” initiative for developing UK/China innovations.

He is a founding Trustee of the Mylnefield Trust; a Fellow of the Society of Biology; a member of the Institute of Directors (and former Chairman of the Tayside branch) and the UK Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. During Dr Kerby’s academic career he worked with Sir William Stewart (former UK Government Chief Scientist) and was a lecturer in microbiology at the University of Dundee and authored over 60 scientific articles.

Notes to editors:

Mylnefield Research Services is a commercial affiliate of the James Hutton Institute. It specialises in crop research, analytical services and plant breeding. From its Dundee base it licenses plant varieties worldwide. Around 50% of blackcurrants and around 15% of the raspberries grown worldwide are varieties bred by MRS at the James Hutton Institute. The company is also a leading breeder of potatoes, with varieties accounting for approximately 5% of the UK seed potato production. MRS started life in 1989 and its ownership transferred to the James Hutton Institute in 2011. The customer base of MRS ranges from local to multinational companies.