It is with great pleasure that the LSA trustees can announce that a record 8 new Fellows have been selected for the 2023 Fellowship Charitable Trust Scheme.
The Fellowship aims to develop the future leaders of the commercial horticulture industry; assisting developing professionals in the industry to become more engaged with its strategic leadership.
Throughout the 2 year scheme the new Fellows will take part in meetings, conferences and study tours, which will broaden their exposure to the horticulture industry. This will enable them to see first-hand the role played by trade bodies and their associated committees in the development of industry strategies and communications with government. This will also increase their knowledge of current research and increase their ability to evaluate the possible impact this will have on the industry.
Martin Emmett, LSA Trustee, Susan Nicholas, CIH President and Libby Rowland, LSA CT Trustee, interviewed the applicants in November, with Liam Booles, APS Group, giving feedback after escorting candidates on packhouse tours, and selected the 8 Fellows for the 2023 cohort.
The 8 fellows joining the scheme in January 2023 are:
Eliot Barden, Majestic Trees
Emma Smith, Lower Hope Fruit
Felipe Becerra, Vertical Fruit Ltd
Kym Smith, Hazera Seeds UK Ltd
Laura Pearson, The Greenhouses Sussex Ltd
Phoebe Sutton, Vertically Urban
Rebecca Firth, H L Hutchinson Ltd
Robert Sayer, Yorkshire Botanicals Ltd
This year the panel proposed increasing the size of the cohort to 8, due to the exceptionally high level of talent.
The new Fellows join their colleagues to create a strong ongoing Fellowship network. The new Fellows will be meeting each other and the other cohorts, current and past, in January over a video meeting. The scheme continues to use a hybrid approach to enable all Fellows access to online meetings from the stakeholders, and organising webinars with key industry leaders.
Libby Rowland a Trustee for the Scheme, said: “I’m delighted to welcome our latest, and to date, largest, cohort to the LSA CT Fellowship in 2023. The new Fellows are a dynamic group full of infectious enthusiasm and I’m sure have lots to contribute to the Fellowship. Nearly 5 years have passed since I joined the first cohort and it’s really exciting to see the momentum continue as a new LSA CT Trustee. It’s reassuring to see so many capable young people snapping up the opportunity to develop themselves in the horticultural industry by joining the LSA Fellowship, and I encourage each one to make the most of the bursary awarded to them. Congratulations all, and welcome!”
The Fellowship is supported by the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board, National Farmers Union, British Growers Association, The Horticultural Trades Association, and the Chartered Institute of Horticulture.
For more information on the scheme please visit the website www.lsactfellowship.org or contact Lisa Stannard at British Growers on Lisa.Stannard@britishgrowers.org or 01507 602427.