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Barclays bolsters Scottish agri-team in drive to support sector

Posted: 15th November 2017

Barclays has announced two key appointments to its Scotland agricultural team as it continues to extend its on-the-ground support for the Scottish agriculture sector and invest in the future of farming.

Donna Buchanan and Jennifer Adams have been recruited as dedicated Relationship Managers for Barclays Agriculture – working across the whole of Scotland.

Donna will join existing Relationship Directors Graeme McNaughton and Scot Howie to manage a portfolio of clients in agriculture, landed estates and agri-business with borrowing requirements of £1m and above. A graduate of the Scottish Agricultural College, she started her career with Barclays as a Business Manager in 2006, where she gained experience across a variety of sectors before beginning her specialism in agriculture in 2012. She has joined the Scotland agriculture team from her current Business Development Role.

Jennifer joined Barclays as a Business Manager in 2009, after more than 20 years in roles with a number of leading banks. Her new role will see her provide specialist support to agri-businesses, farmers and landowners with borrowing requirements up to £1m, alongside existing Agriculture Business Manager Steven Reid.

Stuart Brown, Head of SME Scotland, Barclays, who is leading the bank’s drive to expand its agri-business market share in Scotland, commented: “We’ve supported the agricultural industry for over 270 years, and we’re committed to helping the sector grow – evidenced through our decision to bolster our on-the-ground team and local representation, supported by our UK national team.

“We now have a six-strong specialist agri-team that has insight into the challenges facing the sector, from weather concerns to skilled labour shortages. We have the capabilities to support individual farm owners up to private estates, and will be showcasing our range of services at the upcoming AgriScot event in Edinburgh.”

The appointments form part of Barclays’ ongoing investment in servicing the agri-sector, and follow the launch of its first agriculture apprentice programme in banking and £100m dedicated UK agriculture loan fund.

Barclays supports over 20,000 UK farmers and, with a team of over 120 Agriculture Managers across the UK, has one of the biggest Agriculture banking team’s in the UK making it Britain’s leading agricultural bank. For more information on the Barclays Agriculture visit: www.barclays.co.uk/business-banking/sectors/agri-business/

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