Rod spent 20 years in the trade press, cutting his teeth as an award-winning journalist helping to launch The Grocer online in the midst of the 2001 foot and mouth crisis. Over his writing career, he covered all aspects of the supply chain, from the Horsemeat Scandal to the impact of Brexit and the pandemic. He became editor first of Meat Trades Journal, then of Food Manufacture. Becoming director general of the PTF in 2022, he vaulted the fence to bring his skills to bear on supporting the industry, advising it on political and regulatory issues and lobbying government on its behalf. He is also now currently the chairman of the Dairy Export Taskforce, which aims to promote sales of UK dairy products internationally.