Kubota (UK) has appointed Will Barker as agricultural and groundcare dealer manager for the East Midlands and Eastern Counties.

Will Barker

Will is described by the manufacturer as passionate about farming and machinery, and 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,” explains Will. “And this is a great opportunity to introduce more customers to the ambitions and capabilities of Kubota agricultural and groundcare machinery.”

As part of his university education, Will 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.

Returning to the family farm for a two-year period, Will realised that his future in the industry 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 earlier this year as a regional dealer manager.

“Agriculture is where my heart is, and I really enjoyed my placement period with Kubota,” adds Will. “I just needed to wait for the right opening to present itself."

Speaking about Will’s appointment as a dealer manager, Kubota’s agricultural and groundcare sales manager Tim Yates said, “Will’s youthful energy provides us with a great opportunity to continue supporting dealers as they continue to build on the growth already achieved in agricultural and groundcare markets across the East Midlands and Eastern Counties.”