Richard Lewis
Biography
Richard Lewis joined the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) as chief executive on 16 June 2025.
Before joining APHA, Richard served as Chief Constable of 2 police forces: Cleveland Police and Dyfed Powys Police.
At Cleveland, Richard chaired the Strategic Coordinating Group that was established to provide a multi-agency response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the north-east of England.
During his time at Dyfed Powys, Richard led on rural affairs for the police service in Wales such as habitat protection, rural crime and mental health in聽the agricultural community.
Richard has held several national portfolios for the National Police Chiefs鈥� Council (NPCC) and was awarded a NPCC commendation for distinguished service.聽
He has also served as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and has a PhD in change management which he studied at Bath Spa University.
Chief Executive
The chief executive is the chair of APHA鈥檚 Executive Board, responsible for the delivery of APHA鈥檚 services, and is the accounting officer for the agency鈥檚 budget.