ROXBURGHE ESTATES has appointed Jaap Röell as its new managing director.

Mr Röell, who until earlier this year had been employed by Goodwood Estate in Sussex, has joined Roxburghe in preparation for the phased retirement of factor Roddy Jackson, after 34 years on the estate.

Announcing the appointment, the Duke of Roxburghe said: “I am delighted to welcome Jaap to the Roxburghe Estates. With the mix of commercial and property interests at Roxburghe, Jaap’s experience at Goodwood and previously in his property management roles brings valuable skills to the management team and will help us grow the business successfully in the years ahead and I have no doubt he will be an able successor to Roddy who has made an outstanding and much valued contribution to the estate."

Mr Röell commented: “It has been a rather strange, extremely quiet and yet challenging time to start at Roxburghe Estates, but it is such a pleasure to see the whole business come back to life since the end of lock-down. It is a great privilege to join the Duke’s team and work with the talented people across our businesses.”

The Roxburghe Estates covers approximately 52,000 acres of the Borders countryside, ranging from the grassy slopes of the Cheviot Hills and the heather clad moorland of the Lammermuirs to the fertile land of the Tweed valley. With such a variety of topography, the type of farming carried out over the estate’s land is equally diverse resulting in a variety of produce, be it prime Scottish beef and lamb, malting barley for the whisky distilleries or oats which form the basis of some of Scotland’s most famous culinary dishes.