Stephen Whiteford is moving from the firm’s Perth office where he has worked for the past four years. He has helped develop Strutt & Parker’s Scottish farming department, under the leadership of Mary Munro, since its inception in 2015.

His farming expertise and understanding of rural businesses complements the services already offered by the Inverness office which provides land management and estates and farms sales in addition to forestry management and consultancy through Strutt & Parker’s forestry arm John Clegg & Co, as well as residential agency.

Stephen has a rich north Scotland agricultural heritage. He is part of the prominent Whiteford farming family from Tain in Easter Ross and is now returning to his roots with his wife and three young children.

Stephen, who also will be taking an active role in managing the family farming business, 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 Strutt & Parker’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.”

Stephen’s appointment comes after a two-year period in which an exceptional amount of land came to the market in the north of Scotland. Farms agent Euan MacCrimmon said that during this time, the firm either placed under offer or sold 14 farms, comprising more than 5,000 acres, in the Highland region. Ten of those farms were over 100 acres; within this bracket Strutt & Parker had a 70% share which demonstrates a significant growth in the firm’s market share and the holistic rural property services provided by the Inverness office.

For any land or property advice, please call the Inverness office on 01463 719171.