How did you get started in the industry? My career began in horticulture at the age of 18, when in 2005 I started working alongside my father who is an agricultural engineer. My father started his own plant nursery and landscaping business in Argentina in the year 2000. I grew up sharing my father’s passion for horticulture and, as a result, started managing the business from 2008 onwards. I relocated to England in 2012 and continued to pursue my passion here.
What advice would you give to others starting out? My personal experience since being in the UK is that work experience, teamwork and communication skills are particularly important. I have enjoyed spending my own time exploring e-learning opportunities on job-specific topics such as pesticides and plants (care, specification, etc).
What has been your biggest achievement at work? I can proudly say that Beckworth Emporium, one of the most successful garden centres, approached me personally and after a very successful interview I was offered the nursery supervisor role and have thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of my job since starting in June 2015. This followed two years in a couple of other related roles that provided me with the experience and proven track record in the UK.
What is the best aspect of your job? The best things are that I work in the industry I am most passionate about, I am proud of the company and the team that I’m part of and I get to see the entire spectrum — from growing plants to seeing the end product while being customer-facing.
What are your career ambitions? I would like to continue to work my way up through the management structure within leading and sizeable organisations. From this I aspire to eventually reach general manager or equivalent level at the minimum.
