EMMA Smith, rural chartered surveyor with YoungsRPS, has been elected chairman of the Northumbria and Cumbria branch of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV).

She is only the second female chairman of the branch in its 100 year history.

A Fellow of the Association, Emma originally joined the CAAV as a student member in 2005. She has been a member of the local branch committee for the past three years, taking on committee roles as junior vice chairman, and she was vice chairman in 2018 during the branch’s centenary year.

Based in Northumberland, Emma grew up on the family farm near Alnwick, before studying at Harper Adams University for a BSc (Hons) in Rural Enterprise and Land Management. After spending her placement year working on the Duke of Buccleuch’s Langholm Estate in Dumfriesshire, and following seven months at Natural England in Newcastle, she joined YoungsRPS in Alnwick in 2010 to become a Rural Chartered Surveyor.

Speaking after her election at the AGM, Emma said: “For the agricultural industry especially, the next twelve months is going to be a time of uncertainty and change. In my role as Chairman of the Northumbria and Cumbria branch of this important representative organisation, it is going to be vital that our members are briefed on developments to ensure that we can continue to give our clients the most appropriate advice for their circumstances."