Press Release

THE CROWN ESTATE APPOINTS GARETH BAIRD AS SCOTTISH COMMISSIONER AND NON EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER

27 August 2009

The Crown Estate has announced today the appointment of well known Scottish Borders’ farmer Gareth Baird as the next Crown Estate Scottish Commissioner and non executive board member.

He will be appointed as a commissioner (non-executive director) from 1 October 2009, replacing Hugh Duberly CBE, who will be retiring from The Crown Estate Board after eight years. Upon the retirement of Ian Grant CBE, the current Chairman and Scottish Commissioner on December 31 2009, Gareth Baird will then become The Crown Estate’s Scottish Commissioner.

He is a third generation tenant farmer involved in arable and beef production near Kelso in the Borders and is a leading figure in Scotland’s agricultural and food and drink sectors. He is chairman of Scott Country Potato Growers Ltd, vice chairman of Grainco Ltd, and a director of Scotland Food and Drink and of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. He has been involved with farming cooperatives for many years and it was this commitment to co-operation that led to his chairmanship of the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) for two separate three-year terms. He also chairs the South of Scotland regional advisory board of Scottish Enterprise.

He is a fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies and Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale.

The Commissioners together form The Crown Estate’s Main Board which comprises seven non-executive members and one full-time executive member.

In welcoming the appointment, Ian Grant CBE, Chairman and Scottish Commissioner of The Crown Estate, said: “I am delighted that Gareth Baird is to join the board of The Crown Estate as our Scottish Commissioner. With the retirement of Hugh Duberly at the end of September and myself at the end of the year there was a need to attract someone with a strong knowledge of agriculture and rural issues at this time. A tenant farmer, Gareth has wide experience gained both through the running of his own farming enterprise and through building up a number of successful farmer controlled businesses, and I am confident that his energy and experience will be of great benefit to The Crown Estate and the Board.”

On his new appointment, Gareth Baird said: “I am delighted to be joining The Crown Estate, an organisation which is recognised to be playing a key role in the rural economy as well as being a progressive landlord. I feel very strongly that sound governance and good teamwork are key to strong performance and The Crown Estate’s values of commercialism, integrity and stewardship resonate very powerfully with me.

“I am particularly looking forward to building on the partnerships The Crown Estate has created with the Scottish Government and industry to develop renewable energy, and I am keen to play my part in ensuring that Scotland benefits from these opportunities both in terms of economic development and tackling climate change.

“In terms of the marine and rural sectors, I am committed to sustainable development amongst Scotland’s communities, bringing people together to work collaboratively. In this respect I am strongly supportive of local enterprise and production which I believe can benefit Scotland as a whole.”