A key strength of Cumulus Consultants is its well-developed network of associates; highly skilled people from a range of disciplines, such as agriculture, agri-food, forestry, fisheries, agri-environment, conservation, land management, rural surveying, economics and policy. It means that our clients get the best team of people for each assignment.
Our associates have a range of technical skills, good interpersonal skills and experience in working in bespoke multi-disciplinary teams; we select them carefully based on their ‘fit’ for each job. For our associates, the benefits include being part of interesting projects and working with high profile clients and others who are leading in their field. For example, Esther Kieboom has been working with Cumulus for over 8 years on a range of strategy and policy projects. She values working with Cumulus, as she feels she is working at the cutting edge of natural capital thinking, and has an opportunity to work with other individuals who are leading in their field, such as the economist Matt Rayment and organisations such as AECOM (leading in sustainable development and ecosystem markets). It also provides her with an opportunity to work with clients across the UK, as she collaborates with others who have local knowledge ‘on the ground’, such as in Scotland and the Lake District.
For example, for a recent project for Scottish Natural Heritage on managing wildlife conflict, we brought together a small multi-disciplinary team which combined a unique set of skills and expertise. The team included detailed knowledge of agri-environmental advice in Scotland, agri-environment schemes in UK and Europe, research skills, strong economic analysis, and superb interviewing and interpersonal skills to deal with the sensitivity of the project.
Our Associates Network provides us with the flexibility to respond to needs of our clients. The land-based sector is going through a period of major change – flexibility is key to respond to the opportunities that arise.
If you’re interested to find out more, please do get in touch.