Darbyshire and Cumming to lead SSF's expanded operations in Shetland
Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) has announced key appointments in Shetland following its £164 million purchase of Grieg Seafood Hjaltland in December.
Northern Isles manager Richard Darbyshire will become Shetland regional manager, focusing exclusively on the region’s newly expanded farming estate.
He will be supported by former Grieg Scotland managing director Grant Cumming, who becomes operations manager for Shetland.
‘The best team’
SSF managing director Jim Gallagher said: “Over his 21-year career with the company, Richard has gone from strength to strength, proving time and again his talent for bringing out the best in his teams.
“During his last 18 months as Northern Isles regional manager, he has also amassed an extensive working knowledge of our Shetland activities, quickly gaining the respect of our local farmers.
“Add to this Grant’s in-depth experience of the former Grieg Seafood Hjaltland UK team, farms and facilities, and I firmly believe we have the best team at the helm to take our combined estate on to even bigger and better things.”
Cohesive farming strategy
SSF said the men’s first priorities include shaping a new, blended organisational structure bringing together the best of both companies’ cultures, finalising and implementing one cohesive farming strategy, and setting clear and measurable targets for each farm.
Darbyshire said: “Across the region we have a great marine team who care deeply about doing the right thing by their fish and the environment and are keen to develop and improve further. That’s a great starting point for any regional manager and I’m looking forward to playing my part in helping the team deliver.”
Cumming said he and Darbyshire “go back many years and are aligned in our belief in the fuller potential of Shetland. I’m thrilled to be a part of the next chapter and I’m excited to see what more we can achieve as one team”.
Darbyshire’s exclusive focus on Shetland means that the company is now looking for a new Orkney regional manager. Anyone interested in the job should contact the company’s human resources chief, Tracy Bryant-Shaw, at tracy.bryant-shaw@scottishseafarms.com, said SSF.
