RSABI Announce New Chair and Vice-Chair

Scottish agricultural charity RSABI has announced the appointment of Jane Mitchell and Stephen Young as its new Chair and Vice-Chair.

Ms Mitchell takes over the reins as chair from Jimmy McLean who has completed his two-year term at the helm and remains a trustee for a further year.

Having been a member of the RSABI board since 2018, serving as Vice-Chair since 2022, Ms Mitchell brings a wealth of experience in agriculture and finance. Brought up on her family’s farm near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, she graduated with a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Aberdeen before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1993.

She is a director with Johnston Carmichael Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, where she specialises in working with agricultural clients.  With over 30 years’ experience in the finance sector, Ms Mitchell spent 19 years with Clydesdale Bank earlier in her career, holding several senior positions, including Senior Partner Agribusiness and Head of Customer Banking Centre at the Thainstone Centre, near Inverurie.

In addition, she has been a non-executive director on the board of ANM Group since 2016 and a member of the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) board since 2020, after being on the SAOS council.

Stephen Young has been a member of RSABI’s board since 2021 and has now stepped into the role of Vice-Chair. Stephen is the Director of Policy at Scottish Land & Estates, where he represents and advises land managers throughout Scotland on rural business and policy matters.

Stephen grew up on his family’s dairy and arable farm in Kinross-shire, and after studying Rural Business Management at Aberdeen University, went on to gain a Master’s in Management from St Mary’s University, Nova Scotia.

Stephen brings valuable expertise to the RSABI board in governance, strategy, and rural development, honed through his work with SAOS, where he provided training and facilitated various monitor farms and benchmarking groups across Scotland.

"It’s a privilege to take on the role of Chair of RSABI. I look forward to working with the board and staff team to ensure we continue to provide vital support to individuals and families in Scottish agriculture, especially during these challenging times,” said Ms Mitchell.

Stephen Young added: "Having served on the board for a number of years now, I am delighted to take on the role of Vice-Chair and committed to supporting RSABI’s work in helping those in the agricultural community who are facing hardship. Agriculture is at the heart of everything I do, and I’m looking forward to continuing to use my experience to benefit the charity’s invaluable services."

Carol McLaren, Chief Executive of RSABI, welcomed the new board appointments and extended heartfelt thanks to Mr McLean.

“RSABI is very fortunate to benefit from a very high calibre of trustees with a great balance of skills and experience. These individuals kindly give their time and expertise freely and make a huge contribution in terms of the governance and strategic focus of the charity,” said Ms McLaren.

“Sincere thanks to Jimmy for his exceptional service to the board. His valuable contributions and commitment have left a lasting impact on the charity.”

RSABI offers free practical, financial, and emotional support including counselling services, delivered quickly after receiving the initial enquiry. Its free confidential support service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, by calling 0808 1234 555 (calls won’t show up on phone bills) or through a confidential webchat service, available on RSABI’s website www.rsabi.org.uk.

Image: RSABI Vice-Chair Stephen Young and Chair Jane Mitchell