PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Sarah Millar Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) has appointed Sarah Millar as its new Chief Executive. Sarah is currently Director of Market Intelligence and External Affairs at QMS and with immediate effect becomes Chief Executive Designate and will take over the reins as Chief Executive from Alan Clarke who will step down in April 2022 after five years in the role. Sarah joined QMS in 2018 and was Director of Industry Development before taking on her current role in 2021. Widely known in farming circles, Sarah was brought up on the family hill farm in Lanarkshire, and how lives in Angus on her husband’s family farm in Angus. Graduating with an honours degree in Green Technology from SAC Auchincruive, Sarah’s career has spanned multiple parts of the Scottish farming supply chain, including working for multinational businesses, and as a rural business consultant. Chloe Poolman Following a period of business acceleration, Chloe Poolman has become the latest recruit to join the pet team at Premier Nutrition, the specialist nutrition consultancy and premix division of AB Agri. Miss Poolman initially joined Premier Nutrition’s technical team as a support nutritionist, working across all the species, following the completion of a degree in Bioveterinary Science at Harper Adams University. “As part of my new role I will be providing tailored support and advice to our customers in the pet food industry. I will be analysing the latest research and looking into developing premix formulations for a variety of diet formats, including treats, while working closely with our customers,” she says. Andrew Chandler National property consultancy Carter Jonas has appointed Andrew Chandler as head of its Rural Agency Team. He takes over from Andrew Fallows, who held the position for a number of years. Fallows remains with the business as a Partner coordinating its rural offering across Yorkshire and its surrounding regions. Chandler joined Carter Jonas as a partner in 2018 and is based in the south east out of Carter Jonas’ Oxford, Newbury and Winchester offices. With nearly 20 years of experience advising on farm agency matters, he has exceptional knowledge of the rural market. Since joining Carter Jonas, he has worked closely with its teams across the UK, advising on the disposal and acquisition of rural assets, including country houses, equestrian property, farms and estates. Gavin Smith and James Knight Merlo UK are pleased to announce two new appointments to the UK team. Gavin Smith joins as Merlo UK’s new Regional Sales Manager for Scotland, North East England and Northern Ireland whilst James Knight steps into the role of Marketing Coordinator. Gavin Smith joins Merlo following a nearly two decades working in the agricultural machinery retail sector in Scotland. Based near Glasgow, Gavin is well placed to support the Merlo dealer network across his territory which extends to Scotland, North East England and Northern Ireland. James Knight is a recent Masters Graduate of Multimedia Journalism at The University of the West of England with a strong background in social media content creation and copy writing. “The appointment of these two industry professionals is a further sign of the Merlo commitment to the UK market” says Shaun Groom, General Manager of Merlo UK.
Rose Moggath Jane Craigie Marketing (JCM) has strengthened its team and continued a commitment to support young people in rural areas, with the appointment of Rose Moggach (23), whose skills and interest in the rural economy will complement the existing team. Joining JCM as an Account Executive, Rose, who trained as part of the Scottish Ballet Associate Scheme for eight years, graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of International Business and Marketing, with honours, from the University of Strathclyde. Her final year dissertation uncovered the forces driving consumers to interact with brands online, and the varying ways in which they do it, accounting for an individual’s cultural background - a factor that must be considered in the development of global marketing strategies. Dr Gregor Welsh SoilEssentials has recently appointed Dr Gregor Welsh to the pivotal role. Gregor, a farmer’s son who is still actively farming in Ayrshire, comes with a breadth of experience and knowledge of the agricultural industry. Already with a firm grounding and experience with SoilEssentials since July 2018 in Hardware Development, Gregor will continue to lead in this area as well as undertaking additional aspects of the prominent GM position. Gregor’s passion for precision farming is clear and he wishes to grow the established company’s reputation in the precision farming arena as well as aspiring to further develop SoilEssentials’ portfolio, bring new innovations to the marketplace and continue working with like-minded businesses and academic institutions to assist in this vision. Alice Swift Alice Swift has joined NMR as agricultural services director. Starting her new role in January, she is responsible for the company’s field operations, including milk recording and disease testing, customer services and marketing. Mrs Swift has experience in developing and maintaining strong working relationships with livestock farmers, particularly in the dairy sector. She has 16 years as agriculture manager for retailers Tesco and Sainsbury’s, and for milk buyer Arla, where she progressed to director of members and agri commercial. From a farming background in Northumberland, Mrs Swift has a particular interest in forging close relationships with farmers to ensure a clear understanding of the demands relating to sustainable production and the value of data led decisions Martin Hall Martin Hall, Senior Director of Davidson and Robertson, Scotland’s oldest firm of Valuers and Rural Consultants, has been appointed as a Recognised European Valuer (REV) by TEGOVA – the European Group of Valuers’ Association. Martin Hall has over 30 years’ experience as a Rural Surveyor and is ideally placed to provide valuations in Scotland and Northern England. He is a past President of the Scottish Agricultural Arbiters’ and Valuers’ Association (SAAVA), an examiner for the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) and Honorary Vice President of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS). He is also a member of the Agricultural Law Association, the Compulsory Purchase Association and was appointed to the CAAV President’s Panel of Arbitrators in 2021.
