About R&BS

From a farming family in Kent, Rob graduated in Rural Estate Management and qualified as a Rural Practice Chartered Surveyor.

He has a breadth of knowledge developed in a career spanning land agency and farm consultancy, as well as agricultural and rural finance.

Rob spent 3 years at NatWest Agriculture head office and 4 years as Regional Manager with Farming & Agricultural Finance (FAF) before launching R&BS with Jim in 2004.

Being of farming stock with hands-on business management experience, Rob can approach each situation with empathy and vision. His clients’ needs are at the heart of every proposition.

Jim is an agriculture graduate and has an extensive rural education.

Early in his career he specialised in agricultural and rural finance working for some of the leading lenders including The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (AMC), ING (the Dutch banking group) and the Royal Bank of Scotland Group before joining forces with Rob in 2004 to form R&BS.

He’s a successful consultant with specialist rural and banking knowledge, tenacity and a determination to succeed on behalf of clients.

North Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and West Oxfordshire

With nearly 39 years at NatWest/Royal Bank of Scotland Group, John brings extensive banking expertise from front-line relationship and credit risk roles in the commercial and agricultural sectors.

Most recently, he was Relationship Director for Commercial Banking in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, supporting businesses with turnovers up to £50 million across multiple sectors, including agriculture. Previously, he worked as a Lending Director, helping colleagues accelerate lending deals.

Earlier in his career, John worked in rural Wales with a high concentration of agricultural clients. His strong analytical and credit skills led to roles in credit sanctioning and debt structuring.

John’s deep knowledge of agriculture, relationship management, and credit assessment ensures clients receive tailored, effective funding solutions.

North & Scotland

Charlie has an equestrian background and is an award-winning graduate from University Centre Askham Bryan near York. She holds both an MSC in Applied Animal Behaviour & Welfare and a First Class BSc (Hons) in Equine Science.

With her combined academic qualifications and a lifetime of equestrian engagement, Charlie brings an excellent blend of practical experience and leading edge equestrian knowledge to R&BS.

Welsh Marches and Wales

Russell brings over 45 years of farming experience, including more than three decades specialising in dairy farming. His career has spanned a wide range of roles on and off the farm, giving him a deep understanding of the realities and demands of modern agriculture.

For the past decade, Russell has worked with a national dairy consulting firm where he has maintained a strong and close practical association with the agricultural industry.

Now part of the R&BS team, Russell is eager to apply his extensive knowledge and experience to guide farming and rural business clients through the funding process, empowering them to make confident, informed decisions and build resilient and robust business operations.

East Yorkshire

Born into a farming family, Laura is a graduate of BSc Hons degree in Animal Management and Science.

With a keen interest in agriculture throughout her life, Laura is presently helping a local and progressive farmer, gaining a wealth of hands-on practical and technical farming experience. 

Her can-do attitude, caring nature and efficient approach will ensure that our clients are well supported throughout their journey with R&BS.

North Yorkshire, The Borders and Scotland

Stewart brings a wealth of experience as a rural surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer, developed through senior positions at leading land agency firms Bell Ingram, Stephensons Rural, and George F. White. This extensive background led to the 2024 launch of his own consultancy, The Land, Farm and Property Consultancy Ltd, which specialises in farm sales, valuations, estate management and rural business strategy.

As a farmer’s son actively involved in his family’s Scottish farm, Stewart offers a practical, hands-on understanding of rural life. He is also a former AMC Agent with an established network across the banking and rural sectors and has a proven track record of delivering funding solutions to agricultural and rural businesses. Stewart’s combined expertise in land agency, hands-on farming, and rural finance makes him a strong asset to the R&BS Team.

North & Scotland · Specialist in Equestrian & Leisure Funding

Seamus joined R&BS in 2007 and is our longest serving consultant. Over this time, he has seen every possible customer circumstance or borrowing scenario and always goes that extra mile to deliver appropriate funding solutions.

He has developed a specialism in equestrian and leisure businesses and is the go-to consultant in the North for kennels and catteries. 

Seamus guides and assists our clients with his gentle and efficient approach.  His depth of knowledge of the market and our lending partners ensures that our clients get the very best support from beginning to end. 

North & Scotland

Kim is a client of R&BS. She liked us so much she decided to work for us!

Having been brought up working closely with her farming family in Yorkshire, Kim has been immersed in practical farming all her life – she now farms in her own right running a mixed livestock enterprise.

Kim is a graduate in Animal Science and combined with her extensive practical farming experience, she brings technical expertise and first-hand farming knowledge to the R&BS team, which will be invaluable for understanding our clients’ requirements and translating that into credible lending proposals. 

Kent, Sussex & Surrey

Graham has a total of 44 years of experience in banking. Working his way up through various commercial banking roles in Lloyds Bank, he spent 16 years as a Regional Agricultural Manager for agricultural and rural businesses in Sussex and Surrey before joining R&BS in 2014.

His huge amount of business and agricultural banking knowledge and experience helps Graham ensure his clients are structuring their business plans and lending applications in exactly the right way for the right lenders to get positive lending responses.

Graham epitomises the R&BS ethos of putting clients first. He knows when and where there is room to negotiate with lenders and finds clients the best and most suitable lending rates and terms to enable them to take their businesses forwards.

Midlands

Paul brings a wealth of experience in banking and farming to the team. He has spent over 40 years with Lloyds Bank in Commercial Banking, with the last 16 years as an Agricultural Relationship Manager covering the Central Midlands.

In this role, Paul looked after a large portfolio of high net worth farming businesses. He understands that farming isn’t just a business – it’s personal, and therefore any business decisions also have a deep impact on a whole way of life.

Through his excellent customer relationship skills, agricultural knowledge and banking expertise, he’ll be delivering clients a choice of the best lending options from across the whole finance market – which in turn will enable them to live the lives of which they dream.

West & South Yorkshire

Nic is a progressive farmer running a mixed livestock enterprise. She manages a flock of 300 ewes, including a Maedi Visna (MV) accredited pedigree Texel flock alongside a commercial flock of mules. Nic also runs a small suckler herd with a Hereford bull and bucket-rears around 100 calves annually.

Prior to her successful farming career, Nic graduated with First-Class Honours in Pharmaceutical Science and gained valuable experience in the healthcare sector. Nic now applies her scientific knowledge, analytical skills, and industry experience to continuously advance her farming operation by embracing modern technical practices.

This unique blend of skills and expertise positions Nic perfectly to support R&BS clients in achieving their ambitions, combining insights from both a farming and farm finance perspective.

East Anglia

David has over 40 years’ experience with Lloyds Bank in a variety of roles. He spent 15 years as Regional Agricultural Director in East Anglia looking after a diverse range of agricultural and rural businesses.

David joined us in 2016, after he’d been with Robinson and Hall Land and Property Professionals, where he was a consultant looking after their Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (AMC) clients.

He has a huge amount of experience from the agricultural banking industry and provides clients in East Anglia with independent access to the most suitable lending products, rates and terms.

As the daughter of the director, Jim Richards, Evelyn was raised with R&BS in her life, learning about its work and the dedicated service it delivers.

Inspired by the meaningful difference R&BS has made to a wide range of clients and their diverse agricultural and rural needs, Evelyn is passionate about continuing its legacy as the next generation.

Employing her youthful energy and Generation Z technological acumen, Evelyn is well-positioned to support R&BS in strengthening its digital communications and enhancing its social media presence.

Farmers’ daughter and now a partner in her family farm, Polly not only understands our audience, she is our audience. A graduate of Seale-Hayne, she’s been fully immersed in farming all her life, and in marketing and communications to farmers for over 25 years.

Crucially for R&BS, 15 of those years were in the marketing team of The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (AMC) and Lloyds Bank Agriculture.

Polly brings tremendous experience of communicating financial services to our farming and rural professional audience, and applies that through our website, social media, newsletters, events and local marketing support.