Michael Upton

Mr Upton, along with Angus Cheape and Alastair Orr Ewing, were appointed following the rural business organisation’s AGM on Monday evening.

The directors join Scottish Land & Estates following a newly introduced recruitment process which sought to identify those with particular knowledge, skills and experience, both inside and outside of SLE’s existing membership, that could complement and add to the board’s existing diversity and expertise.

SLE board member Lucy Laidlaw, who chaired the nomination committee, said: “The appointment of Angus, Alastair and Michael marks the culmination of a rigorous appointment procedure which we believe will benefit Scottish Land & Estates for years to come.

“Significant challenges and opportunities face Scotland’s rural businesses and as an organisation, we saw a chance to revisit how we engaged potential new board members so that SLE is as well equipped as possible to represent our members.

“We wanted to ensure we had the widest possible pool of talent available to us and Angus, Alastair and Michael will provide valuable input to the board. Importantly, we have also identified potential candidates for future appointments and this will hopefully help in addressing any skills gaps we may find in future as well as supporting succession planning.”

Dee Ward, chairman of Scottish Land & Estates, welcomed the new appointments to SLE’s board and also paid tribute to Mark Tennant, former chair of SLE, who concludes his term as a director.

Mr Ward said: “Angus, Alastair and Michael are excellent appointments for Scottish Land & Estates and I am delighted to welcome them to our board.

“They bring with them a wealth of experience and new ideas that will positively contribute to how we represent Scotland’s rural businesses. We are currently in a period of substantial change on matters such as land reform, agricultural support, addressing the twin climate and nature emergencies as well as issues on housing, tourism and rural depopulation.”