Simon says it’s time to land role as rural chair
The owner of an Ayrshire estate famed for its ‘ muddy trials’ has been elected to serve as regional chairman for Scotland’s rural business organisation.
Simon Houison Craufurd, owner and operator of Craufurdland Estate near Kilmarnock, has become South West chairman of Scottish Land & Estates.
For the past 15 years, Simon has managed his estate, which has been in the family since 1245.
He also undertakes the running of the castle on the estate and during his management, the estate has increased its diversified businesses, concentrating mainly on leisure, and tourism, and welcomes more than 10,000 visitors each year – many of whom pay to wade through 10km of mud, rivers and bogs.
And Simon takes on the new SLE role at a busy time for the estate, with Craufurdland about to open its new venue, The Laird’s Table, a state- of- the- art restaurant and leisure space on the shore of its own loch.
Prior to managing the estate full- time, Simon worked as a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Naval Architecture, largely focused on ship safety management.
While working at Strathclyde, Simon also completed a part- time MBA at the Strathclyde Business School.
He is also active in the tourism group of the Ayrshire LEADER Local Action Group and in 2011 completed the Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership programme.
In his role, Simon will combine his day- to- day running of the estate with working alongside regional and headquarters staff to support members on a variety of issues such as Brexit, land reform and rural policy.
He said: “I’m really looking forward to taking up the role with Scottish Land & Estates and helping the organisation and its members in the south west to flourish.
“The rural economy has been undergoing a period of substantial change and with issues such as Brexit, the challenges and opportunities for estates and land- based businesses have never been greater.
“I hope my experiences developing my own business at Craufurdland can assist others and in turn contribute to growing the economy and employment in the local area.”
Sarah- Jane Laing, Executive Director of Scottish Land & Estates, added: “We’re delighted that Simon has agreed to take on the chairmanship of the region as we recognise the demands that placed upon business leaders such as Simon.
“His influence, knowledge and skill will be of huge benefit to the members and we look forward to working closely with him on the continued improvement of our regional activity.”