Stephen is the Chief Executive Officer for the Devonshire Group, the Duke of Devonshire’s group of businesses, which includes estates at Chatsworth (including Chatsworth House), Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire, Eastbourne in Sussex and Lismore Castle in Ireland.

Brought up on a tenanted farm in Northumberland, Stephen graduated from Harper Adams University in 1996, and was a governor of that institution from 2009 until 2020, and Vice-Chair from 2015. He has previously worked for international property agents Knight Frank before spending 17 years in a number of senior roles for the Duke of Buccleuch. In 2013 Stephen took on the role of Managing Director of property company Buckminster before moving to The Devonshire Group early in 2019.

 Stephen is a Governor at Stamford Endowed Schools, a former UK Trustee for Lantra, and was Chair of the Estates Business Group between 2021 and 2024.