William, 53, who previously served as the CLA's Deputy President, Vice-President, Chairman of the Board and Chairman of Policy Committee, starts his role as President immediately.

He said: "It is a great honour to be elected President of the CLA. I am keen to build on the hard work and great successes of past presidents, leading a most active and able CLA membership and staff.

"It is a really exciting time to be at the helm of the CLA. We will have a general election within the first six months of the presidency and will be ready for whatever comes from the result of that election.

"The CLA has always been a forward-thinking organisation. It is one of our great strengths."

William is a businessman, farmer and forester. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and lives at Hovingham, North Yorkshire, where he runs a family business involving farming, forestry and residential and commercial property.

He said: "I feel passionately about the countryside and the rural economy. During my presidency, the CLA will be a courageous campaigning organisation fighting vigorously for the good of the countryside."

William was elected at the CLA Council meeting today, held at Kensington Town Hall, London. He succeeds Henry Aubrey-Fletcher who has completed his two-year term as President. A full biography of William Worsley is below in Notes to Editors.

Harry Cotterell was elected CLA Deputy President and Henry Robinson elected Vice-President.

Biography of William Worsley

William Worsley is a businessman, farmer and forester. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and lives at Hovingham, North Yorkshire, where he runs a family business involving farming, forestry and residential and commercial property. He is also a non-executive director of the Skipton Building Society and The Brunner Investment Trust plc.

After attending the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, William qualified as a Rural Chartered Surveyor, practised as a land agent and ran his own property development business, before taking over the management of the family business.

He is a former chairman of the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Joint Advisory Committee and is a former member of the North York Moors National Park Authority and the Forestry Commission's Advisory Panel.

William feels passionately about the countryside and the rural economy. His determination that the rural voice should be heard led to his involvement with the CLA. He has been actively involved in the CLA for around 20 years and previously served as the Association's Deputy President and Vice-President and has chaired the Board and the Policy Committee.

He is passionate about forestry, and his woods at Hovingham have won many awards for forestry and conservation. William's other interests are art and architecture and he is a keen collector of pictures.