Farming expert returns to Easter Ross roots with new job posting
A MEMBER of a prominent Easter Ross farming family is going back to his roots with his latest posting.
Stephen Whiteford is returning with his wife and three children to his native Tain and Easter Ross stomping ground after four years working in property consultant Strutt & Parker's Perth office.
The farming consultant's new office base will be in Inverness while he also plans to take an active role managing the family business.
He said: "I am delighted to be returning to the north of Scotland with my family and am very excited about further developing the strong rural team in Strutt & Parker’s Inverness office.
“I will work with our forestry, land management and farm sales teams in Inverness to provide a comprehensive service to rural businesses in the north of Scotland.
“It is a challenging time for agriculture and for businesses across the rural sector. The ability to streamline business efficiency, control costs and maximise economies of scale will become more important than ever before.
"I look forward to using my experience to help farmers and landowners strengthen their businesses and protect their assets as well as providing a full farm management service from grant applications to strategic business plans.”
Andrew Aitchison, head of rural consultancy for Strutt & Parker in Scotland, said: “Stephen is a well-known figure in the north of Scotland farming community and he takes to Inverness a wealth of knowledge and wide-ranging expertise. He will be a valuable addition to the team, developing a farms consultancy business, extending the reach of our rural services in the north of Scotland and marking a new period of growth."
Kevin Maley, head of the firm’s Inverness office, said: “We are pleased to welcome Stephen, well-known both within Strutt & Parker and throughout the north of Scotland, to our successful team. It is 10 years since we opened the Inverness office and this is a great way to celebrate that milestone.”
The past two years have been particularly busy for land sales in the north of Scotland, with Strutt & Parker either placing under offer or selling 14 farms, comprising more than ,000 acres, in the Highland region.
