Ruth Sutherland
Board Member/Scottish Borders
Ruth Sutherland is a Partner at Hillhouse Farm, a fourth-generation family farming enterprise in the Scottish Borders, where she leads business development and diversification across the farm’s portfolio of agritourism ventures.
Before returning to the Borders in 2017, Ruth spent over a decade as an economist and banker at RBS – one of the UK’s largest financial institutions – gaining deep experience in debt and equity finance, risk analysis, and asset sales and disposals. Since returning to the farm, she has brought these skills directly to bear on Hillhouse’s own development, most notably in negotiating and managing the farm’s renewable energy interests (biomass, solar and wind power).
Ruth has played a central role in building a diverse and growing agritourism business. She has been part of the team that has developed nine holiday accommodation units across two separate sites, alongside longer-term involvement in hospitality operations including hotel and café businesses. She is currently focused on two significant areas of development. The first is growing the farm café as a destination in its own right, deepening its connection to the farm’s own produce and the story behind it. The second is the launch of Wild Hill – Hillhouse Farm’s newest venture – which will offer landscape-scale visitor experiences showcasing regenerative farming, diverse livestock, wildflower meadows, and rich natural habitats.
Ruth brings a strong interest in the application of technology and AI to rural business – exploring how tools such as AI-powered platforms can support financial analysis, streamline business documentation, and open up new creative possibilities for agritourism enterprises. She is currently trialling emerging AI tools, including Chirrup.ai, to better understand their potential for the sector.
Ruth is a keen advocate for the economic and environmental opportunities that agritourism represents for Scotland’s farming future, and is committed to the role that well-managed rural enterprises can play in building resilient, sustainable communities.