Rural Consultancy team hires Proprietary Partner and leading Consultant as part of continued growth
Global property consultancy Knight Frank has today announced the appointments of James Farrell and Tom Richardson – two of the leading names in Rural Consultancy – a strategic move and part of the firm’s wider growth plans across its existing Consultancy offering.
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Farrell, who was formerly Head of Rural at Strutt & Parker, will join the firm as a Proprietary Partner responsible for overseeing and expanding Knight Frank’s Rural Asset Management and Agricultural Consultancy businesses. He will assume the title of Head of Rural Consultancy later this year when he joins the firm.
Richardson, who was formerly Deputy Senior Partner at Strutt & Parker, will act as a Consultant at Knight Frank; advising rural clients on strategic reviews and providing thought leadership in the rural arena.
The two senior hires form part of the firm’s continued rural expansion plan, bolstering its Consultancy sub-division, led by James Thompson, and driving market share across: Rural Asset Management, Agricultural Consultancy, Forestry, Energy & Natural Resources and many more specialist areas.
The appointments of Farrell and Richardson are Knight Frank’s latest move in a three year growth programme, which has seen the business scale its offering in this space and move into new rural markets.
Tim Hyatt, Head of Residential at Knight Frank, said: “I am delighted that James and Tom are joining the firm at such an exciting time. Their arrival forms part of our ongoing strategy to greatly bolster this part of the business.
"Both James and Tom are true industry leaders and will bring new depth to our existing high performance offering. We are fully committed to providing the very best service for our clients and this will further help Knight Frank widen its advisory services across all touchpoints.”
In their new roles, Farrell and Richardson will join Knight Frank’s existing and well-established team who provide a full range of strategic, land management and advisory services to the firm’s rural clients.
They join at an exciting time with the UK’s food, farming and rural sector in its greatest period of change since the Second World War which will create opportunities within the emerging natural capital markets of ESG, Bio-diversity and climate change.
Alistair Elliott, Senior Partner & Group Chairman at Knight Frank, said: “Despite last year being a challenging time for real estate, Knight Frank has outperformed all expectations and delivered a robust performance. This has enabled the firm to continue to hire the best people in the market and retain our exceptional talent - a key business priority.
"James and Tom’s arrival later this year is the latest in a host of strategic growth initiatives and I am delighted that two of the best known advisers in their field are joining the firm.”
With over 30 years of experience working within the rural and land management sectors, Farrell has an impressive track record. He brings with him expertise in providing estate management and strategic advisory services to rural clients, and has significant experience across the rural sector having led Strutt & Parker’s rural business for the past 10 years.
Richardson – who too has spent 40 years working with rural estates in Southern England and the Midlands, latterly specialising in strategic business reviews, succession and tax planning for landed families.
Find out more about Knight Frank's Rural Consultancy services.