Duchy Appoints Carol Hawkey As Head of Rural Investment

The Duchy of Lancaster has appointed a new Head of Rural Investment to support the management and growth of its rural estates across England and Wales.

Carol Hawkey joins the team after over 7 years as Head of Rural Asset Management at The Church Commissioners for England. As Team Head in the Investment Division there, Carol was responsible for a £900 million portfolio of diversified rural property, including 100,000 acres of tenanted farmland, 6,000 acres of strategic land and 500,000 acres of mineral assets in the UK, as well as overseas assets in renewable energy and forestry.

Born and brought up on a farm in Scotland, Carol graduated from the University of Aberdeen in Sociology and with a Masters in Land Economy, becoming a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS), RICS Registered Valuer and Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (FAAV) in 2002. Prior to her work at the Church Commissioners, Carol was a partner of Bidwells, and has chaired the Institutional Landowners Group of the CLA.

Commenting on the appointment, Duchy of Lancaster CEO Nathan Thompson said: “We are particularly delighted to welcome Carol to her new role.  Working with our Head of Rural Christopher Sparrow, her skills and experience will further strengthen our in-house teams and help us in our drive towards continuous improvement. We believe strongly that our people are our most  valuable asset and I am sure that Carol will make a positive contribution to the future development of the rural teams and management of the Duchy estates.”

In response, Carol said: “I am very much looking forward to working with the Duchy team and to familiarising myself with the estates at what is clearly a challenging time for tenants and their businesses.  Since it brought the estate management function back in house at the end of 2018, the Duchy has built up an excellent team and improved the quality of its rural Surveys overall.  I am thrilled by the prospect of adding my personal contribution to what is already an exciting, diverse and growing portfolio of land and property assets across England and Wales.”

A keen sportswoman, Carol enjoys running and hill-walking and is also an experienced horsewoman, having recently been accepted as a civilian support rider for the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. She is also an accomplished musician, playing both modern and baroque violin at a professional level with a variety of ensembles. Carol is married to The Reverend Dr Jamie Hawkey, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey and a Chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen.