Mike Hall has been elected chairman of the first committee of SCI’s Horticulture Group, with Steve Davies as his new vice-chairman, Joanna Wood as secretary and Peter Grimbly as treasurer.
The 24-strong committee was elected at an interim committee and members meeting at SCI’s headquarters in Belgrave Square on September 9, 2008.
Hall said: “I would like to issue a warm welcome to all the new committee members. We have a lot of work ahead of us and are eager to carry on growing the group. It has already proved it is here to stay, having firmly established itself as a key player in the sector - I believe we now have the right mix of people who all bring with them a wide range of experience from all backgrounds in science, business, education and industry to build on the successes already achieved and help guide and steer the Group in the right direction for the future.”
The group, formed earlier this year, was invited and has accepted to become a member of the National Horticulture Forum and is developing close links to the International Society of Horticultural Science, with which it hopes to put together a significant event in October 2009.
It has signed up its first academic and corporate partnerships, providing an opportunity to establish formal link between SCI and colleges and businesses as well as organising numerous events.
The next group event, “Growing Success: Horticultural Business Perspectives”, will be held on November 21, at SCI’s headquarters in Belgrave Square. Former fresh produce and horticulture director at Tesco, Peter Durose, will address the audience on the direction of the fresh food market. Also participating will be Jon Poole, SCI deputy chief executive. He said: “The programme demonstrates that SCI Horticulture Group is already tackling key issues affecting the horticulture sector by bringing together the business world with that of research and academia to share current knowledge and experience.”
