Andrew Whyte

Director, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Andrew Whyte

Andrew Whyte, joined the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as the Director of Communications in June 2009. 

During his career in campaigning and communication roles, Andrew has worked across a range of sectors including the UK voluntary sector, public sector and in industry.

Following positions at the British Youth Council and at children’s charity Barnardo’s, Andrew joined Rupert Murdoch’s News International in 1991 and two years later became Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs. In 1996 he left to join Shell International as an external affairs adviser. Andrew then went on to work for the BBC, as the Head of Public Relations in May 1998 and the Head of Corporate and Public Relations in August 2000, a post he held until leaving the corporation in September 2005 to join the Arts Council England, where he was Director of Advocacy and Communications until taking up his post with DEFRA.

A former Vice-President of the National Union of Students, Andrew began his professional career in the mid-80s working in campaigning and communications roles in the UK voluntary sector, first as Youth Rights Officer at the British Youth Council and then as Media and Parliamentary Liaison Manager at children's charity Barnardo's.

A member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Andrew is also a member of the Council of the Royal Television Society and a Fellow of the RSA.

Andrew lives in Redbridge where he was a local councillor between 1990 and 1994. Andrew is also a trustee and director of the Media Trust and a member of the board of the housing charity Thames Reach Bondway.