Life has turned full circle for new Guild member Bob Dow thanks to a career move that has seen him return to his family roots in agriculture.
“Thirty years ago, I turned my back on farming to embark on a career as a daily and national newspaper journalist,” he says. “That turned out successfully, I’m glad to say, with a number of award wins being very welcome.
“More recently, I worked in crisis communications for the North Sea oil industry – but I was unable to resist the challenge of returning to the farming fold as group communications manager for the ANM Group.”
A rebranding exercise is already underway at the farmer-owned co-operative, which is headquartered at Thainstone near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire and has eight companies at sites from Caithness to West Yorkshire. They include Europe’s biggest livestock market and agricultural business centre at Thainstone.
“There’s a tremendous variety of work every day here,” says Bob. “It’s quite a challenge meeting the different demands of all the companies while, at the same time, ensuring they all feel part of the group.”
