Bill joined the Plant Breeding Institute (PBI), Cambridge, Wheat Breeding Programme after graduating in Genetics from the University of Liverpool. At PBI he specialised in spring wheat breeding where he introduced the concept of autumn sown spring wheat – now an established strategy for UK wheat growers. He also introduced high-yielding breadmaking spring wheats, such as Highbury and Wembley, into the UK market. He later joined the highly successful PBI winter wheat programme.

He then joined the Nickerson Seed Company and gained exposure to hybrid wheat breeding as well as developing the winter wheat programme in the UK. He was promoted to Head of Wheat Breeding and during this period, leading varieties such as Buster (the first variety specifically for use in animal feed), Zodiac, Spark, Claire, Einstein, Alchemy, Istabraq, Nijinsky and Invicta were brought to the UK market. In 2012, Crusoe – a nabim Group 1 breadmaking variety – was added to the UK Recommended List.

With the transition to Limagrain, Bill integrated the Advanta and Innoseeds wheat breeding activities to form the plant breeding activity known in the UK as ‘Limagrain UK Ltd’

He completed his career with the group as International Wheat R&D Manager and Senior Wheat Breeder. This involved the development of hybrid wheat and evaluation of opportunities for genetically modified wheat, as well as integrating new technologies such as single seed descent, double haploids and marker assisted selection into the international programmes.

In 2012  AWC Ltd was established as a global consultancy business and he became involved with a number of national and international initiatives. He was instrumental in developing the Breeding Programme Assessment Tool (BPAT) for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill sat on the Board of CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre www.cimmyt.org) from 2017 to 2023, which is the largest publicly funded global wheat programme.

Bill has an advisory role within the Delivering Genetic Gain in Wheat (DGGW) project within the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative. This activity, which is part funded by the UK Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has real impact in helping to mitigate global hunger.

He served on the BCPC Strategy Board from 2004 – 2007 and was awarded a BCPC medal in 2011 for ‘outstanding service to the crop production industry’; he was awarded the RASE Technology Award in 2007 and appointed to the BBSRC Strategy Advisory Board in Feb 2010; he chaired the BBSRC Horticulture and Potato Initiative (HAPI) from 2012 to 2015; and co-edited the authoritative World Wheat Books, with the first volume published in 2001, Volume 2 in 2011 and the final Volume 3 in 2016.

In 2016 he established F1 Seed Ltd and Global Oats (UK) Ltd - 100% UK owned wheat and oat breeding programmes. Both programmes have now reached maturity with a number of varieties coming through AHDB trials.