Award: Best Ornamental Plant Introduction — Bedding
Comments: Neil Fishlock, retail account manager, lawn and garden
What are your key goals/priorities as a business for 2020?
Syngenta Flowers is all about growth. We have our very successful portfolio of products like Calliope/Moxie (interspecific geranium); Imara (pictured), our mildew-resistant Impatiens walleriana); Christmas Carol (Helleborous); Sunfinity (Helianthus); Goblet (Cyclamen) from the Varinova acquisition; and many others.
The opportunities are endless. We are working on building a portfolio that is innovative and relevant for our customers. Bringing success to the grower is key. Syngenta Flowers does not only deliver great genetics, we also take a lot of pride in supporting our growers on both a technical and commercial level. We want to be the preferred supplier for growers.
What do you regard as the biggest opportunity for you as a business (or for your sector) in 2020 and why?
We need a step change in the way we produce our products. The current system is under pressure in terms of reliability (fewer chemical means available) and sustainability. We need to find answers to the growing concerns of society to provide beautiful flowers in a sustainable way. If we succeed in that, we can significantly extend our licence to operate.
What do you feel will be the biggest challenge for you as a business (or for your sector) in 2020 and why?
Market dynamics and demands of society will give us the biggest challenge. We are relentlessly searching for opportunities to satisfy our customers. As a part of Syngenta, we are also very much committed to decreasing the carbon footprint, integrated pest management and developing a sustainable portfolio that brings answers to disease resistance and drought tolerance while still beautifying the world.
Our product is all about emotion and creates wellness to consumers. This should remain one of the biggest drivers. At the end of the day, that is our passion.
What was the best thing about winning a Horticulture Week Business Award for you as a business?
For us, this is an important recognition of the direction we are heading. Knowing that our efforts and commitments are being acknowledged by the industry gives us the confirmation that we are heading on the right path. After all, the industry and consumers are the judge of how good we really are. Winning the award brings great motivation to the team to be even faster, more agile and determined to follow this path to, hopefully, more recognition.
Inspiration and insight from travels around the horticultural world