Kubota (UK) has appointed Will Barker as agricultural and groundscare dealer manager for the East Midlands and Eastern Counties.
Passionate about farming and machinery, he comes from a family-owned dairy farm in Buckinghamshire, which operates two Kubota tractors and a utility vehicle, supplied by local dealer George Browns.
“Coming into the tractor business as a former end-user, I have an appreciation of what customers expect from their relationships with dealers,” Mr Barker said. “And this is a great opportunity to introduce more customers to the ambitions and capabilities of Kubota agricultural and groundscare machinery.”
As part of his university education, Mr Barker joined Kubota’s marketing department as a placement student, providing him with a taste of the tractor manufacturing business. On graduating from Harper Adam University with a degree in business management and marketing, he headed to New Zealand to widen his practical experience by working with an agricultural contractor.
After returning to the family farm for a two-year period, he realised that his future in the sector was beyond the farm gates. He joined the marketing department of an industrial lighting company to gain supply chain and distribution experience, before returning to Kubota as a regional dealer manager.
“Agriculture is where my heart is, and I really enjoyed my placement period with Kubota,” Mr Barker said. “I just needed to wait for the right opening to present itself. And I now have a huge opportunity to chip away at the farming industry’s existing brand loyalties, to help introduce the next generation of farmers to Kubota’s M-series tractors and R0 pivot steer loaders.”
