The National Farmers Union, Scotland, has appointed Teresa Dougall as their first director of regions.

The newly-created post has been set up to oversee various regional managers at NFU Scotland, who the authority decided would benefit from a coordinator to direct their activities.

Teresa is currently a regional manager herself for Dumfries and Galloway, and will continue in that role in addition to her new duties.

Following a review of how our hugely important regional team at NFU Scotland is managed, it was decided that it would benefit from a dedicated manager who would also become a member of the NFU Scotland management team.

NFU Scotland’s chief executive Scott Walker said: “Over the past three-and-a-half years, Teresa has been hugely influential in servicing the needs of members in one of our biggest regions.

“Teresa has also had an important role in working with stakeholders to deliver new and fresh initiatives locally, such as the Dairy Women’s Network; the Health and Wellbeing in the Farming Community Project; and the region’s Retired Farming Social Group,” he continued.

Teresa was quick to point out that her new responsibilities wouldn’t get in the way of her current job, saying: “However, this will not detract from my original role as a Dumfries & Galloway regional manager and should, over time, allow us to improve our engagement and service to members across all regions.

“In providing a voice on the management team, I will be looking to develop the very important role of our regional managers, both as team-members and individuals, to ensure our members receive the best possible service,” she added.