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FROM ACORNS GROW
“Prior to setting up the Grays part of GSC Grays, I worked for a national firm of Land Agents in the south of England and then Edinburgh, before joining Smiths Gore, a firm that has since been taken over by Savills. At Smiths Gore, I was involved in all aspects of rural estate management, focussing mainly on Estate Management for institutional and private clients, together with valuations and sales.
My current role at GSC Grays as Chairman is to be involved with a number of Estate Management clients in the north of England and helping to drive the business forward.”
“After graduating I worked for a small firm of Rural Practice Chartered Surveyors for two years. In 2004 I set up my own business, GSC Chartered Surveyors, which later merged with Grays Rural Property Services to form GSC Grays. As an experienced Chartered Surveyor who has lived and worked in North Yorkshire for over 17 years, I am the Managing Director of GSC Grays and am responsible for the strategic growth and development of the business.
My background is in land agency and rural estate management. At the start of my career I was responsible for providing professional advice on agri environmental schemes; rural grants; compulsory purchase and compensation schemes; land letting; landlord and tenant issues including agricultural tenancies and contract farming agreements. Now, as well as my role running the business, I work with a number of private clients covering a diverse range of property types and specialise in providing rural consultancy advice to estates and owner occupiers across the north east of England.”
CALUM GILLHESPY Director – Head Of General Practice Harper Adams - Rural Enterprise and Land Management (1996)
“I started my career with Smiths Gore, with whom I spent my placement year in their Lichfield office. On graduation, I joined them at Peterborough and on becoming chartered, I moved up to Darlington where I later became an Associate Partner. I left Smiths Gore in 2005 to help establish Grays Chartered Surveyors and in 2011 was instrumental in the merger which created GSC Grays.
Coming from a background of estate management for private and institutional clients, my current role involves dealing with strategic housing sites along with commercial, tourism and farm development schemes. In addition, I also deal with contentious landlord and tenant matters, valuations and dispute resolution work, be that in the spheres of mediation, arbitration or expert witness evidence.” .
PHIL SCOTT-PRIESTLEY Director - Head of Sporting Harper Adams - Rural Enterprise and Land Management (2001)
“I trained and qualified at JM Osborne & Co, based in Oxfordshire, undertaking a wide range of professional work and estate management. After four years, I moved to Buckinghamshire to become Resident Agent on the West Wycombe Estate, whilst also managing the client’s grouse moor in Scotland. In 2008, I moved back to my native North Yorkshire, joining Gray’s Chartered Surveyors.
Initially my professional work was varied and spread across England, Scotland and Wales, with a particular focus on upland estate management and sporting matters, specialising in grouse moor rejuvenation and management.
Now, my core work is for private and trustee clients, undertaking estate and sporting management & consultancy across the North East. The rural estate businesses that I am involved with have a diverse range of enterprises in addition to the more traditional estate activities based around residential, commercial and agricultural property. I manage a number of upland estates with a sporting focus and have developed the sporting advice and management department within the Company, expanding the client base and geographical spread of the business.”
ROBERT SULLIVAN Director - Head of Farm Business Services University of Newcastle Upon Tyne – BSc (Hons) Agriculture – specialising in Farm Business Management (1989)
“After graduating I joined ADAS as a Farm Consultant initially in Alnwick in Northumberland and then moving to County Durham. I left ADAS in 2002 to join Strutt & Parker and became a National Partner in the Farm Management Team based in Morpeth, Northumberland. I joined GSC Grays in 2017 to establish the Farm Business Services team which has grown to 10 dedicated Farm Business Consultants across the region.
Initially my work involved providing advice to mixed farms across the region, but soon specialised in providing technical agronomic and business consultancy advice to farmers and growers across Northern England.
My current role now involves running the Farm Business Services department, along with providing business consultancy advice to farmers across the region including undertaking business appraisals and implementing restructuring programmes; managing Contract Farming Agreements and Share Farming Agreements; along with actively managing in-hand farms extending up to 3,000 acres for retained clients.
“I joined Smiths Gore, Newmarket as a Trainee Surveyor upon graduating, passing my APC and CAAV exams in December 2003. I then joined Carter Jonas in Cambridge in order to broaden my experience. I joined GSC Chartered Surveyors in October 2007 pre-merger and became a Director of GSC Grays in 2016.
My role is now focused on estate management and general professional work having previously been heavily involved with Basic Payment and agri-environment schemes, residential management and farm sales. I am an APC Assessor and CAAV Examiner and support our Placement Students and Graduates through the process of obtaining their professional qualifications..”
JOHN COLEMAN Director - Head of Farms and Country House Agency Royal Agricultural College – Diploma in Rural Estate Management – 1986
“Having completed work experience with a small firm of rural practice Chartered Surveyors in the summer preceding graduation, I started my career working part-time in the office and part-time at the Glamis Estate as Assistant to the Resident Factor covering a wide range of general land management work.
I qualified some 2 years later and moved to Edinburgh where I focussed on rural property valuation and estate agency with a leading firm of Chartered Surveyors. In 1999 I joined Knight Frank as an Associate Partner and specialised in the purchase and sale of rural property throughout Scotland.
Three years later I took over responsibility for the Edinburgh office and became Head of Residential in Scotland until I left to help develop the estate agency services of Smiths Gore in 2010. Our business was subsequently merged with Savills at which point I moved to develop Savills farm agency business in Northumberland and County Durham.
I joined GSC Grays in the summer of 2017 to lead a new specialist Farms and Country House Agency department and currently chair the firm’s Agency division.”
DAVID COOPER Director - Head of Valuations & Surveys Harper Adams - Rural Enterprise and Land Management (2002)
“My placement year was spent at Cheffins in Ely. Post-graduation, I was fortunate to secure a job in the Tyne Valley with Cluttons, before taking 8 months out to travel. On my return, I started as a Graduate Surveyor in the Tyne valley. After successfully gaining my APC, I had an opportunity for an internal move, relocating to Hampshire. In 2004, myself and Guy Coggrave decided to go into partnership and I joined Guy back up near home to open the Barnard Castle office, which we did in the New Year of 2005. From then, the business has grown to where we are today.
My career started covering a varied range of local land agency work, property agency, valuations and a large degree of rental management. I was also involved with the machinery sales / auctioneering side of the business, undertaking estate management, some agency work and a little project management. I subsequently became involved with a significant and diversified estate that was owned by a pension fund and operated on a very commercial basis.
My role now is predominantly concerned with the running of the department and undertaking valuations / surveys, across the North of England. This can involve looking at a small cottage for probate purposes or the acquisition of a £10m plus Estate, meaning the work load and property types we look at is both varied and interesting! In addition, I am involved with training for the APC graduates and wider professionals across the business.”
