High Sheriff in Nomination for 2025/26
Sir Richard FitzHerbert Bt
Sir Richard FitzHerbert is an independent rural affairs specialist and small business chief executive who lives with his wife Fiona live at the Grade II listed Tissington Hall near Ashbourne in Derbyshire’s Peak District. Richard inherited the Hall and 2000-acre Estate at the age of 25 from his late uncle in 1989 and has been working to restore it ever since. He also writes a monthly column on Derbyshire issues for the local magazine 'Derbyshire Life’.
In addition to running Herbert’s Fine English Tearooms, the Estate businesses also include a wedding venue, several holiday cottages, B&Bs, an Estate shoot and miscellaneous lets. They have four children, six dogs, and one cat, with whom they try and keep the house warm.
Alongside his stately home opening operations, Sir Richard is also the Chair of the Peak District & Derbyshire DMP (Destination Management Partnership) more commonly known as the local Tourist Board; a former Board Member of EMT (East Midlands Tourism) and a former Board member of Historic Houses Association (the HHA being the Union of the Larger Country Houses independently owned in the country). Sir Richard is also a past President of Derbyshire Scouts and past President of Foundation Derbyshire.
In 2006, Sir Richard won the Bledisloe Gold Medal for Landowners from the RASE (Royal Agricultural Society of England). This was an award given to him in recognition of:
"A Landowner who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the successful land management and development of an agricultural Estate in England."
Six of Sir Richard‘s forebearers have attained the role of High Sheriff, with five representing Derbyshire and Sir Hugo (the sixth Baronet) as Nottinghamshire High Sheriff in 1920.
Born in Derby in 1963, Sir Richard delights in championing the people, the countryside, the welcome, and the delights of the county of which he is so proud.
High Sheriff in Nomination for 2026/27
Syed Iftikhar (known as Ifti)
At a ceremony held at the Royal Courts of Justice on the 13 November 2023 Syed Iftikhar (Ifti) was named as High Sheriff in Nomination for Derbyshire for the year 2026 – 2027.
Ifti lives in Derby and is well known as a Consultant General/Gastrointestinal/Endoscopic Surgeon based at the Royal Derby Hospital, having been a Consultant there since 1994.
As well as being well known for his work in the medical professional in the Derby area Ifti has also been recognised for the huge amount of work he has done for the people of Pakistan especially following on from the devastating earthquake in Kashmir in north Pakistan in 2005 and the floods in the Sindh province of Pakistan in 2010.
Ifti spends gives a huge amount of his own time providing medical assistance and surgery to people in Pakistan where in conjunction with colleagues from the Midlands Doctors Association he was responsible for the foundation of the Midland Doctor Medical Institute in Muzaffarabad.
For many years Ifti has been a prominent member of the Rotary Club and was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship in 2006 for his work and contributions and was further honoured in 2014 for service above and beyond