As we celebrate another International Women’s Day (8 March 2023), HortWeek is honouring some of the incredible women in our industry with its fourth annual 100+ Leading Women in Horticulture 2024 listing.
HortWeek has also published a series of interviews with some leading women in the industry to champion them, explore different roles in the industry, and reveal their experiences of being a woman in the industry.
Clare Matterson, director general of the RHS
Mel Asker, managing director at Greenwood Plants
Jill Kerr group relationship manager at Blue Diamond
Jennifer Pheasey, director of public affairs at HTA
Michelle de Lavis-Trafford chief executive officer at Choice Marketing
Pamela Smith, senior national consultant gardens and parklands National Trust
Georgie Logan, senior urban forest manager at Trees for Cities
Andrea Marshall head of professional growing media at Sinclair/Westland
HortWeek has updated its 100 Leading Women in Horticulture (listed alphabetically):
- Rosemary Alexander, English Garden School
- Sue Allen, Greenfingers chair and Millbrook founder
- Arit Anderson, TV gardener
- Kate Ashbrook, Open Spaces Society
- Melanie Asker, Greenwood Plants managing director
- Claire Austin, Claire Austin Plants
- Jane Barker, Dalefoot
- Fran Barnes, HTA chief executive officer
- Heather Barrett-Mold, horticulture education consultant
- Mandy Barrie, Caulders Garden Centres
- Sue Beasley, RHS council
- Claire Belderbos, Belderbos Landscapes sales and marketing director
- Baroness Natalie Bennett, member of House of Lords
- Jinny Blom, designer
- Mariam Boswell, landscape architect and garden designer
- Sandra Botterell, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew director of marketing and commercial
- Val Bourne, writer
- Christine Burton, Bransford Webbs
- Ali Capper, British Apples & Pears
- Rosemary Coldstream, landscape designer
- Gill Corless, Sakata
- Kate Cotterill, She Grows Veg
- Sally Cullimore, HTA
- Sarah Daniel, Pengelly, HTA Council Devon/Cornwall
- Hannah Darby, Darby Nursery Stock
- Catherine Dawson, Melcourt
- Fiona Davison, head of RHS libraries & exhibitions
- Rachel de Thame, TV gardener
- Charlie Dimmock, TV gardener
- Stephanie Dunn-James, director Frank P Matthews
- Sally Drury, HortWeek technical editor
- Sarah Eberle, garden designer/RHS Council
- Helen Elks-Smith, garden designer
- Jill England, ADAS
- Tazim Essani, RHS council member
- Madeleine Evans, Plants at Work chair
- Jodie Fedorko, The Leicestershire Garden Design/BALI Go Landscape ambassador
- Jane Findlay, Landscape Institute past president
- Tamara Finkelstein, Defra permanent secretary
- Sharon Fisher, BBC Gardeners’ World/RHS Chelsea Flower Show series producer
- Catherine FitzGerald, garden designer
- Baroness Janet Fookes, member of the House of Lords
- Alys Fowler, garden writer
- Penny Fryer, Boningale
- Beverley Glover, Cambridge University Botanic Garden director
- Carolin Gohler, LI president-elect
- Kay Green, Stihl GB managing director
- Pippa Greenwood, HTA horticulture manager
- Rebecca Grant, Rochfords and HTA Council Home Counties
- Bunny Guinness, garden designer/writer
- Rosy Hardy, Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants
- Charlotte Harris, garden designer
- Stephanie Hafferty, garden writer, organic gardener, edible garden designer, food writer and educator.
- Flo Headlam, garden designer
- Jo Hedger, World Tree Climbing Champion
- Mollie Higginson, New Leaf and HTA Council West Midlands
- Nicole Higginson, New Leaf Plants director
- Gwen Hines, CEO of Plant Heritage
- Penelope Hobhouse, garden writer
- Sharon Hockenhull, garden designer
- Catherine Horwood, writer
- Charlotte Howard, gardener, garden designer and horticultural adviser
- Christine Howard, Howard Nurseries
- Lucy Hutchings, She Grows Veg
- Ji-hae Hwang, garden designer and environmental artist
- Laura Jackson, (Swarkestone) HTA Council East Midlands
- Yvonne Jarman, Hayloft director/founder
- Dr Gemma Jerome, Building with Nature director
- Tessa Johnstone, Johnstone Landscapes/BALI diversity director
- Carol Klein, TV gardener
- Jill Kerr group relationship manager at Blue Diamond
- Joy Larkcom, writer
- Jane Lawler, HTA board
- Michelle de Lavis-Trafford, chief executive officer at Choice Marketing
- Arabella Lennox Boyd, garden designer
- Georgie Logan, senior urban forest manager at Trees for Cities
- Sharon Lowndes, Fairweathers
- Lilidh Matthews, YPHA accounts and bursary manager
- Lynne Marcus, Society of Garden Designers council
- Fiona Marley, Whetman Plants International
- Andrea Marshall, head of professional growing media at Sinclair/Westland
- Clare Matterson, RHS director general
- Michelle Maybury, Continental Landscapes executive director
- Hilary McGrady, National Trust director general
- Jekka McVicar, grower/writer
- Sarah Millington, Hillview Hardy Plants
- Sue Minter, horticultural consultant
- Sirekit Moi, Beekenkamp
- Sarah Morgan, Society of Garden Designers past chair
- Kim Morrish, Ground Control director
- Suzanne Moss, RHS education and learning head
- Vicky Nuttall, Garden Industry Manufacturers Association director
- Duchess of Northumberland, The Alnwick Garden founder
- Caroline Owen, Scotsdale managing director
- Anna Pavord, writer
- Sue Payne, Q&S Commercial Landscaping co-managing director
- Linda Petrons, Greenfingers
- Helena Pettit, RHS gardens and shows director
- Jennifer Pheasey, HTA public affairs director
- Rachel Poletti-Gadd, River Street Events (Gardeners’ World Live)
- Nat Porter, Young People in Horticulture Association/Happy Plants
- Rebecca Pow, Defra minister
- Ann-Marie Powell, garden designer
- Clare Preston- Pollitt, events and marketing manager
- Sarah Price, garden designer
- Charmay Prout, Flavourfresh
- Nicola Pugh, HTA Council Wales
- Sarah Raven, garden broadcaster/businesswoman/RHS Council
- Marion Regan, Hugh Lowe Farms
- Advolly Richmond, garden historian
- Michelle Ryan, Arboricultural Association
- Juliet Sargeant, garden designer, author, garden broadcaster, Society of Garden Designers former chair
- Becky Searle, freelance gardening writer and kitchen gardener
- Barbara Segall, writer
- Amanda Sizer Barrett, Gardenex
- Lady Christine Skelmersdale, Broadleigh Gardens
- Helen MacDonald (Merryhatton), HTA Council Scotland
- Kate Sheldon, Trees for Cities CEO
- Pam Smith, National Trust
- Tracy Snell, garden manager at RHS Garden Bridgewater
- Marian Spain, Natural England chief executive
- Nicola Spence, chief plant health officer
- Carolyn Spray, Pentland Plants
- Sarah Squire, Squire’s
- Amy Stubbs, project and development manager at British garden Centres, HTA council member for Yorkshire and the Northeast
- Phillippa Stubbs, British Garden Centres
- Anne Swithinbank, broadcaster
- Gill Tacchi, HTA Council East Anglia
- Fiona Taylor, Garden Organic
- Jo Thompson, garden designer
- Xa Tollemache, garden designer/RHS Council
- Frances Tophill, horticulturist and author
- Alice Vincent, horticulture author
- Christine Walkden, TV gardener
- Megan Warren-Davis, content creator at Forest Interior
- Tamsin Westhorpe, author/writer
- Pollyanna Wilkinson, garden designer
- Ruth Willmott, garden designer/RHS Council
- Sarah Wilson, Roots and All
- Melanie Wood, Fargro and founder of Women in Horticulture UK
- Tammy Woodhouse, Garden Centre Association immediate past chair/Millbrook managing director
- Holly Youde, Association of Professional Landscapers chair
