Riverford Founder's Journey: From Gender Pay Gap to Business Transformation
Guy Singh-Watson, the 65-year-old founder of Riverford organic farm in Devon, has made a startling confession about his decades in business. As both an entrepreneur and a man, he deeply regrets the years spent confined by traditional masculinity. His journey toward gender equality and emotional intelligence has not only been morally right but has delivered significant commercial benefits to his farming enterprise.
The Turning Point: Confronting Unconscious Bias
When Riverford first measured its gender pay gap in 2017, the results were sobering. Women earned just 91 pence for every pound their male colleagues made. Initially, the company made weak excuses and half-hearted efforts at change. Most male leaders were unwilling to challenge their unspoken prejudices, including Singh-Watson himself.
The real transformation began with employee ownership in 2018, which forced deep introspection about decision-making processes and leadership structures. With guidance from a business change coach and the head of HR over three years, Riverford patiently built a genuinely inclusive culture that started with the founder himself.
Commercial Success Through Diversity
The results have been remarkable. Singh-Watson's own farm, Baddaford, became happier, more productive, and more profitable after he and his male head grower appointed their best picker—a woman half their age—to manage picking operations and personnel. Today, the farm has a waiting list for pickers, a rare achievement in vegetable farming, attributed directly to farm manager Maddie's leadership in creating a fun, emotionally safe, and fulfilling work environment.
By 2025, Riverford achieved a negative gender pay gap, with women earning 1.56% more per hour than men on average. This shift occurred largely because women now fill many senior positions that were historically dominated by men.
The Emotional Revolution in Business
Singh-Watson argues that emotional literacy—including kindness, openness, empathy, and compassion—represents strength rather than weakness in business. He notes that the most successful companies increasingly acknowledge and harness emotional intelligence to build stronger relationships with customers, colleagues, and suppliers.
The founder reflects on why it often takes women or newcomers to male-dominated industries to drive meaningful change. He observes that in many situations requiring sensitive discussion or conflict resolution, people naturally turn to women. This pattern extends beyond business to family dynamics, where fathers frequently hand phones to their wives during difficult conversations with adult children.
A Broader Social Challenge
Singh-Watson connects his business experience to wider social issues, particularly the loneliness epidemic among older men. Statistics show that 75% of older men without partners report feeling lonely, yet they're less likely to seek help or connection. He attributes this to outdated masculine ideals that emphasize physical protection and provision while neglecting emotional connection and vulnerability.
The traditional role of men as "protector and provider" no longer serves individuals or society adequately, according to Singh-Watson. He describes living within these narrow constraints as "living only half a life" and calls on men to broaden their perspectives, learn new emotional languages, and support both each other and the women in their lives.
The Path Forward
Riverford's ongoing equality work is now led by the company's co-owner council, which advocates for diversity and inclusion throughout the organization. Singh-Watson emphasizes that men must actively challenge sexist behavior rather than standing by awkwardly, and he believes current generations can significantly improve upon their fathers' approaches to gender and emotion.
At 65, the founder refuses to continue living within restrictive male stereotypes or impose them on his children and coworkers. His journey demonstrates that inclusivity benefits everyone—personally, professionally, and commercially—and represents a necessary evolution for businesses and individuals alike in modern society.
