Remembering Neil Manchester
Neil Manchester | 1964 - 2023
Neil first came to Kames as a student in 1985. When he finished his course at Harper Adams university, he returned to work for us and stayed for over 10 years. He took to the aquaculture world immediately; he was fizzing with enthusiasm and incredibly hard-working. He became our hatchery manager and was part of many pioneering projects such as developing the pressure vessel for triploidising eggs. He excelled at getting things done and always being planned and conscientious. He took to life in Argyll like a duck to water, becoming Chairman of the Community Council, organising popular Hogmanay parties in the village hall, and loving the country sports, particularly fishing and shooting. He stood out for his drive to achieve, exuberant company, and natural enjoyment in the life he had chosen.
Neil then left to forge an ambitious career in aquaculture by working at Landcatch in 1998 and then becoming Managing Director of Aquaculture at Hendrix Genetics in 2011, where he was instrumental in developing the business as a global leading player in the aquaculture breeding sector. He travelled all over the world, to Chile, Hawaii, Malaysia and more, seeing some amazing sites and achieving many successes, as well as gaining a great regard in the industry and of course creating friendships wherever he went – as clearly seen by the overwhelming tributes that have poured in since the sad news of his death.
Our founder Stuart Cannon kept in touch with Neil over the decades and felt sure he was a natural choice to replace him as MD when he retired to the Chairman position in 2021. Neil was delighted to return to Kames and Argyll, and his impact on the company has been tremendous. He fully understood Kames’ values and he was passionate about driving Stuart’s family ethos and the business forward, whilst understanding that a company of Kames’ size needed to become more structured and corporate. His management and communication skills have allowed us to execute a forward-thinking vision for Kames. He has helped to drive our innovative brood stock programme with his genetics expertise, as well as a ‘Future50’ initiative, cementing the values of quality, sustainability and community that Kames was built on with more transparency and long-term strategy. Leading, championing and empowering our teams particularly motivated Neil, and it is a devastating blow to our staff to lose such a passionate, encouraging man, with his gently teasing sense of humour. However, the strength and responsibility he has instilled in his teams will remain, and he has given us real confidence in our route forward. On a wider industry level, Neil was renowned for being enthusiastic, collaborative and helpful to everyone doing good things in the aquaculture sphere. He knew how much the industry had to offer – on both a personal and global impact level, and he loved communicating that.
The move back to the West Coast also marked a change of pace for Neil. He had clearly thought about what he wanted from life, about what was important – and was living it. He relished spending more time with his beloved wife and two children as together they immersed themselves back in the outdoor Argyll lifestyle. It is to them that we offer our greatest sympathy, and hope that they can glean some comfort in the great and far-reaching impact that Neil had, and in the truly exceptional man that he was.