The Guild’s new chairman, Jane Craigie, is an avid enthusiast for what the Guild represents, and especially for the opportunities raised by the Guild’s hosting of IFAJ Congress 2014 in north-east Scotland next year.
Jane is well versed in the essential factors that make a successful event or campaign. As a PR and marketing communications specialist, she is involved with the Oxford Farming Conference, the Cereals Event and Go Rural, a new campaign to encourage rural tourism among the residents of Scotland’s cities.
She is well versed in the essential factors that go towards creating a successful event or campaign and over the past 18 months has applied her expertise and energies to helping make the forthcoming congress a success.
“This is not just a great opportunity for us to promote internationally the innovation we see in British agriculture while networking with like-minded journalists from around the World on home soil,” says Jane. “I think Members and Friends of the Guild who get involved will get a lot of personal satisfaction from contributing to the success of this unique, once-in-a-lifetime event.
“I cannot emphasise enough how much we need your support, energy and contacts to deliver a fabulous congress in 2014,” she adds. “Please don’t sit back and let others do it – get involved, however much or little you can.”
As far as her stewardship of the Guild is concerned, among Jane’s objectives for her two years in office are to successfully implement the Guild’s new legal status and associated administration; maintain the Guild’s status as a ‘must join’ organisation for journalists, communicators and supportive friends in the rural sector; and enhance opportunities for Guild members to participate in valuable professional training.
“And I shall also lead and support our strong, engaged council members who deliver so much to the running of the Guild and its activities,” says Jane.
For her day job, Jane Craigie works on marketing strategy, creative design, public affairs, visual communication and web/e-marketing for a number of corporate clients in agriculture, utilities, and food supply chain. She works from a home office at Netherdale near Turriff in Aberdeenshire with her husband Mike Whittall and escapes the hustle and bustle when she can to the cottage they renovated (and rent out) at Sandend on the north Aberdeenshire coast. They also produce beef and (soon) pork from their 12 acres of land.
After receiving the medal of office from Guild president, Lord Cameron, Jane thanked Members for entrusting her with the role and welcomed Ewen Cameron to his second term of office “as someone whose guidance, experience and commitment we value greatly”.
Guild presidents usually serve for just two years but Lord Cameron (right), who has taken an active interest in the Guild and its activities, is staying on to provide continuity through the build up to the congress and its completion.
Note: Find out more about what needs to be done and how Members and Friends of the Guild can contribute ideas, contacts and practical help for such things as catering, hospitality and entertainment; member and external communications, including social media; personal development training, and so on here.
