New vice-chairman appointed to Land and Estates

Scottish Land and Estates has appointed a new vice chairman to develop its public affairs and policy capabilities.

Mark Tennant, proprietor of Innes Estate near Elgin, has taken up the newly created position of Vice Chairman (Policy) at the rural business organisation. Part of his role will be to chair Scottish Land and Estates’ internal National Policy Group.

David Johnstone, chairman of Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) said the position will help SLE continue to engage positively on behalf of its members on issues such as Brexit, land reform, agriculture, planning, housing and connectivity.

Mr Tennant comes to the role with experience from a financial services career spanning Edinburgh, London, New York and Hong Kong.

Mark was a senior adviser to JP Morgan until he retired in 2018 after 26 years and is currently a member of the Advisory Board of T Rowe Price Global Investor Services.

He previously spent seven years in the Scots Guards and his interests include field sports and playing the bagpipes.

At Innes Estate, a 4500 acre property, Mark developed the historic Innes House into a thriving commercial wedding business. The estate has recently received planning permission to host the largest solar farm in Scotland covering 450 acres and containing 333,000 solar panels.

Mark joins the Scottish Land & Estates senior management team alongside David Johnstone (Chairman), Dee Ward (Vice Chairman – Operations) and Sarah-Jane Laing (Executive Director).

Mark said: ‘As I know from my own estate, there is no shortage of challenges which need to be addressed by rural businesses and those who own historic houses in the coming years.

‘I am delighted to say that Scottish Land and Estates has always provided significant help on the issues which we have faced.

‘At both a national and local level, it is important that rural businesses can share guidance, expertise and representation in order to flourish to their full potential.

‘The opportunity to help Scottish Land and Estates and its members by using some of my experience is an exciting one and I’m looking forward to working with the board and staff in the months and years ahead.’

David Johnstone added: ‘We are pleased to welcome Mark to the board and he brings with him a vast range of experience from blue chip organisations as well his own estate near Elgin.

‘Scottish Land and Estates made various changes to its structure last year and Mark’s appointment will allow us to continue improving the representative work we carry out on behalf of our members who are contributing so much to the economy.’