Meet the Consultant - Kerry Hammond
Hi,听I鈥檓听Kerry Hammond, a Principal Consultant in the Food & Enterprise Team at SAC Consulting, where听I鈥檝e听been working for听almost a听decade.听
I grew up in rural Scotland, in the Highlands. While I was not raised on a farm, I was surrounded by them, many of my school friends came from farming families. My parents worked in heritage and tourism and were deeply involved in promoting Gaelic on the mainland. This听perspective shaped听my outlook early on, giving me听a real appreciation听for Scotland鈥檚 natural capital, whether that鈥檚 our amazing world-class food systems, our landscapes, or the stories and culture we share through tourism.听
My early career, post-education (psychology听and听marketing) was dominated by senior roles in the Scottish drinks industry, working my way through roles in distilleries across marketing, sales, and operations. I went on to become Operations Manager, and later Global Brand, Marketing and Sales Manager for Scotland鈥檚 largest start-up craft brewery. Over 15 years, I gained a solid understanding of how these industries grow, succeed, and sometimes fail.听
I joined SAC Consulting whilst living in Berlin, Germany, where I was working as a Global Brand Manager for a large drinks company. I wanted to bring the experience I had gained around the world, back to Scotland and take what听I鈥檇听learned to support our businesses and economy. Starting as a Senior Consultant in听what used to be known as听the Food & Drink team, I spent several years working closely with hundreds of businesses across the country.听
No two days ever look the same. I have worked both strategically and hands-on, supporting projects like developing food trails in places such as Mull and the Uists, as well as helping local food groups build long-term growth strategies. I also worked directly with founders of food and drink businesses, on everything from branding and packaging to sales, digital strategy, and routes to market听
Alongside my consulting work, my family and I have built and continue to run rural tourism businesses, including a private driver-guiding company offering historical, heritage, clan, and food听and听drink tours across Scotland, as well as two accommodation businesses. Having that hands-on experience of running businesses myself gives me even more practical perspective that I bring into work with clients.听
In 2020, as much of our work understandably moved online, I noticed conversations with clients becoming broader听-听often touching on leadership, pressure, and work/life balance as well as strategy.听This led me to train and certify as a professional coach with the ICF.听
For me, consultancy and coaching go hand in hand. Consultancy is about solving problems and delivering outcomes; coaching is about helping people find their听own solutions with the right support. Combining the two allows me to offer a more rounded service to clients.听
Today, I听support businesses across听food and drink,听tourism, retail, hospitality, accommodation, leisure,听recreation听and more. Whether it is improving occupancy rates, increasing average spend, refining customer experience, developing leadership skills, improving team cohesion, or strengthening sales and marketing, I tailor my approach to the needs of each business to ensure they are thriving.听
A common thread across all my work is the rural economy. Many of my clients are agricultural businesses looking to diversify, or rural enterprises facing challenges like isolation, labour shortages, or infrastructure limitations. I also work with urban businesses that rely on the rural sector.听My goal is to help all of them build businesses that are sustainable 鈥� commercially, environmentally, and most importantly for the people behind them.听
People have always been a big focus for me.听I have been an accredited Insights Discovery Practitioner for over 16听years听and听I鈥檝e听continued to build my professional qualifications including, leadership and management, coaching, NLP, mediation, family mediation, neurodivergent coaching听and听support, and counselling.听
Today, I describe myself as a 鈥淭riple C鈥� 鈥� Consultant, Coach, and Counsellor. I can support the technical side of a business, growth plans, sales, marketing, but also support the development of the people within it.听听My training as a counsellor听has been听really helpful听when working with clients, who听either听for themselves, their colleagues,听or听their children, need help in navigating neurodivergence (Autism,听ADHD, Dyslexia etc.).听听
Alongside my听SAC Consulting work, I am also in my fifth year of executive producing听Scotland鈥檚听Farm Advisory Service鈥檚 FAS Sounds听podcasts, which includes eight different shows. Alongside this, I stay hands-on and co-create 鈥楾he Agri Culture Podcast鈥� with host Mary-Jane Lawrie, where we share inspirational stories about people and culture in agriculture, covering everything from diversification and innovation to resilience, overcoming hardship and personal journeys. This is the perfect blend of my own interests, and I love to share it with our listeners.听
Over the past ten years, I have seen the rural business landscape change significantly, and听I鈥檝e听evolved alongside it. What听hasn鈥檛听changed is my focus: helping people and businesses move forward, one step at a time.听That鈥檚听what makes the work worthwhile for me.听
Kerry Hammond, Principal Consultant,听Kerry.Hammond@sac.co.uk
Posted by SAC Consulting on 18/05/2026
