Meet Peter Williams, director and head of our rural team, based in our Shipston-on-Stour office. Although he comes from a farming background, Peter’s route to his current role took him via the USA, the Caribbean and Middle East and on operational tours in Afghanistan thanks to his early career as an officer in the army. Now firmly back on Warwickshire soil he manages an estate of more than 4,000 acres alongside the day job.

What is your role and what does your job entail? 

There is no typical day. My day-to-day management of the team can cover all manner of tasks and projects from tenancy renewals to preparing schedules of works for large capital projects. Other days can include meetings with clients and advising on a variety of ways to optimise their assets and generate additional income. There is currently a great deal of change happening for landowners, with a shift away from basic payment schemes to one which better incentivises sustainable land management. I am looking forward to working with clients to advise on how they can best align their practices with these exciting developments. The rural team truly has a diverse range of responsibilities and we have a footprint across the whole company with a great deal of crossover and information sharing which is of considerable benefit to our large client base.

What did you do before joining Sheldon Bosley Knight?

My first career was as an army officer. I spent 11 years in a variety of roles and countries, in the USA, Caribbean, Middle East and with operational tours in Afghanistan. However, as I am from a farming family, I have always been involved in agriculture and left the armed forces in 2018 to undertake estate management. For the past six years I have managed a diverse and fast paced portfolio of estates totalling over 4,000 acres.

How did you get into the property industry and how long have you worked within it?

Having identified rural estate management as my next goal, I applied for a role that had been managed by a traditional land agents. The client at the time was looking for someone to progress the various estate development strategies quickly and efficiently and felt my background suited this task. I was in that role for six years and oversaw its transition from a small 400-acre estate which had had little or no investment in decades, to one which spread over 4,000 acres, employed 50 staff and hundreds of contractors. It also now has operational departments covering in hand and contract farming, forestry, leisure, woodland, golf club and an extensive residential and commercial property portfolio.

What attracted you to working for Sheldon Bosley Knight?

Sheldon Bosley Knight is deeply rooted in Warwickshire and the Midlands with a rich history. As a fourth generation farmer now living locally I feel part of this community, as my family have done for generations. I regularly meet clients, local farmers who knew my grandparents, so I feel at home for the first time in my career and feel I can carry on the tradition my grandparents started back in the 1940s.

What’s the best bit about your job?

The people, the variety of the role and the ethos of the company

What qualifications or training do you need to do this job?

I have an undergraduate degree in international politics and a masters in strategic leadership and management, as well as some construction management qualifications, so my focus is operations. My team is extremely well qualified, so my role is to ensure they have the resource and support to do their jobs effectively.  

What motivates you to work hard?

I am output driven, seeing a task from conception through to completion is what motivates me.

Who or what inspires you?

I am inspired by people who know their job and work hard to achieve their goals, but also know how to achieve a work life balance.

What are your career goals?

I want to be the chief operating officer or chief executive of a company with a diverse portfolio within the next five years.

What do you do when you are not at work?  

I spend time with my young family, outdoors, long walks, barbeques, watching rugby. I love the countryside and I’m passionate about conservation.

What is the best piece of career advice you have ever been given?

Understand your worth and go with your instinct.