Peepul Bureau

The Institute of Horticulture's Young Horticulturist of the Year competition reaches its climax at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh this Saturday.

The eight finalists battling it out for the sought after title and the Percy Thrower Travel Bursary of £2,000 are:

• Katie Croft - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, representing the Scottish Branch
• Peter Edge - The Alnwick Garden representing the Northern Branch
• James English - Historic & Botanic Gardens Trainee representing the Eastern Branch
• Mark Flahive - Self-employed landscaper representing the Irish Branch
• Gavin Hardy - Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, representing the South East Branch
• Rhiannon Harris - Reaseheath College representing the North West and North Wales Branch
• Matthew Hussey - Sparsholt College representing the South West Branch
• Douglas Mackay - Pershore College representing the Midlands and South Wales Branch

Past winners have found the competition a great boost for their CV and career prospects, and have used the prize money to pursue their horticultural interests as far afield as China and Borneo.
 
With Faye Steer being the first female winner in 2010 and Suzanne Moss taking the prize last year, will 2012 see a hat trick of victories for the ladies? Saturday is also FA Cup Final Day, so is this a sign that Gavin Hardy might ensure that Spurs pick up at least one trophy this year? Whatever the outcome on the day, they're already winners as they've all had to get through a tough series of heats and their regional finals to earn their place in Edinburgh.
 
As one of the main sponsors of the event, MorePeople is delighted to see an ever increasing number of young people from businesses operating across all sectors of the industry taking part in YHOY and our congratulations go to everyone for getting this far. We wish them all the best of luck for Saturday's final!

Successful leadership is the key to a successful business. So why wouldn't you want to develop the leadership skills of your employees? 

The MorePerformance Leadership Development Programme (MLDP) is designed specifically for the sectors in which you operate.  As produce and horticulture specialists, we understand the day to day challenges your people face.  This programme helps them develop the skills,confidence and mindset they'll need in building a successful career in the dynamic, challenging and ultimately rewarding environment that is the UK's fresh produce and horticulture supply chain.

Developed over 6 years ago, and now with more than 100 MLDP alumni, 45 leading food and horticulture businesses have already benefitted from this unique programme. Designed as a personal development and learning experience it enables delegates to acquire new skills, make an impact, and most importantly, ensures they add value to their organisation, from day 1! 

But why just take our word for it? When figures from a recent survey of a sample of past delegates and their managers show that 100% of managers felt the skills developed by their employees on the programme benefitted their business, and 93% of past delegates felt the leadership programme had already made an impact on their career!

So, want to know more about our next programme? Then e-mail Jan jan@moreperformance.co.uk or Louise louise@morepeople.co.uk or call 01780 480530 today for dates, costs and more in-depth information about the programme content. 

Last night saw the eastern region hold the first of this year's 8 regional finals in the IoH's Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition. Taking place at Blooms of Bressingham Garden Centre near Diss in Norfolk, five finalists -– one each from Brooksby Melton, Moulton, Easton and Writtle Colleges, and one 'independent', battled it out over 11 rounds to secure a place in the Grand Final and the chance to go for the first prize of a £2000 travel bursary.  

In the end, experience told and last year's winner, James English, triumphed once again.  The former Easton College student, who's now working at Myddleton House Gardens in Enfield, managed to finish 3rd overall in the Grand Final in 2011. So now everyone in the eastern region is hoping he can go that little bit further and take the national title of Young Horticulturist of the Year at this year's grand final that takes place at Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Gardens on May 5th.

This is the seventh year running that MorePeople have been involved in the sponsorship of the competition and it's great to see it grow every year. It's particularly nice to see greater involvement of commercial partners such as the Garden Centre Group, who this year will provide venues for 4 of the regional finals, and Coolings GC who are hosting the south west regional finals. Details of all the regional finals can be found on the events calendar on the IoH website www.horticulture.org.uk.

So well done to James English and all who took part in the event last night. Mention must also be given to regional organisers Jim Yates and Ann Waring for all the hours they've put in to get the competitors to this stage and of course, a big thank you to Tom Martell and the GCG team at Blooms for their excellent hospitality.

Last week saw many of the great and good from the world of horticulture gather in London for the 2012 Grower of the Year Awards, and naturally MorePeople were in attendance! After a surprisingly sunny drive down the A1, the team were all set for an enjoyable evening with 500 fellow guests, gathered for this annual celebration of achievement in commercial horticulture.

This is our 7th year as category sponsor and when we initiated the award for Sales and Marketing Professional of the year in 2006, our clear goal was to raise the profile of the sales function in horticulture and get it the recognition it deserves as an essential part of the business. Horticulturists are naturally passionate about their plants but passion alone does not convert automatically into profit. Every business needs people who can convey that passion and enthusiasm to their customers and ultimately convert that into profitable sales. So we are really pleased that this year's winner of the MorePeople Sales and Marketing Professional of the Year is a man who epitomises the characteristics that this award set out to celebrate - Nick Coslett of Palmstead Nurseries.

Nick was responsible for the launch of soft-landscape workshops which saw Palmsteads profile and brand awareness go through the roof in helping to highlight that not only do they supply shrubs, but the teams to plant them and build landscapes as well. His passion for plants has seen him headline numerous industry events, where his gift and gumption offer shrewd, instant pointers on what is defining the garden-making industry right now. His personal touch and uncanny foresight, have led to big contracts and increases in both production and sales of perennials.

"Nick has raised the profile of the company higher than I thought possible," says Palmstead founder and Chairman John Langman. "I am delighted by the calibre of enquiries and new customers we are now receiving."

So well done Nick! A well deserved award.

Also, congratulations to Lynn Hunter of James Coles & Sons who was a close runner up to Nick and a big well done the winners of all 17 categories, in particular to Lovania Nurseries and Lincolnshire Herbs for picking up the ultimate prize of Grower of the Year in their respective categories.

And last but not least, well done Mark Taylor of Fenmarc who 'Bagged the Bolly' and picked up a Champagne Gift set in the MorePeople business card draw!

As produce and horticultural specialists we recognised the need for industry-focused training programmes designed to meet the specific needs of our sectors - that's why we pioneered the MorePerformance Leadership Development Programme. It's now been running successfully for over eight years and remains unique in our sectors.

Our aim in developing the programme was to help our clients attract, retain and develop the best people. So it's not only designed to give those people the skills to deal better with their existing day-to-day challenges, but also focuses on developing the skills, confidence and mindset that they'll need to build a successful career in the dynamic and challenging, but also very rewarding, environment that is, the modern fresh produce and horticulture supply chain.

With current MLDP alumni numbers of around 120, the endorsement of the UK's largest retailer and accreditation by the Royal Agricultural College, we naturally believe that we're succeeding in meeting the needs of our clients.

But don't just take our word for it! We recently did a survey of all our past delegates and their sponsoring companies and this is what their responses told us:

From our past delegates:

• •100% felt that the skills and techniques they learnt on the programme improved their performance at work and made them a better leader
• 93% felt the leadership programme had made an impact on their career to date

From our past managers:

• 100% felt the skills developed by their employees on the programme benefitted their business
• 85% thought this type of training was important for the development of not only the individual but also the skills required for the future of the industry as a whole.
  

Interested in finding out MORE?
Our next programme runs from April - December 2012 and is a mixture of 4 one day and 4 two day sessions.

For general information regarding content, dates and costs, contact Jan Khan at jan@moreperformance.co.uk or Louise Dennington at louise@morepeople.co.uk.

You can also now register your interest on-line at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MLDPinterest. We'll pick up the details and get back to you and don't forget, it's always good to talk so please feel free to call us on 01780 480530.

Follow us on  @morepeopletweet MorePeople

As you know, here at MorePeople, we pride ourselves on our industry knowledge. As they say, we've been there got the T-shirt etc. However, we have to admit that just recently we've acquired a couple of recruits whose practical experience of the fruit and veg industry doesn't really extend much deeper than an intimate knowledge of the content of the trays at the bottom of their fridges! That got us thinking – how can we get them to really fall in love with all things fresh produce?  Well, as our own 'Gandalf of the greenhouse' (aka Matthew Cook) would say, "the answer lies in the soil my son". So what better way to get them up to speed quickly than a spot of practical hands on work experience? Throw in the opportunity for a bit of 'team building' and what's the obvious solution – The MorePeople Allotment!

So last November Andrew and Karen took the plunge into the 'Good Life' and became the proud custodians of a 150m2 plot on the sunny banks of the River Welland, near to our office here in Stamford. Aside from a mild flirtation with the odd patio container or two this is the first foray into 'large scale' horticulture for our intrepid twosome and armed with an array of horti themed Christmas presents and a collection of basic tools, they've been able to beg, steal or borrow, they've already made a good start. After some much needed tidying up and general housekeeping, the end of January saw the arrival in the office of 3 long twiggy things. Turned out these were apple trees and now Katy, Winston and Charles Ross are the newest residents of plot FY35. (Apparently these aren't just names that Karen's given them – they're actual varieties!)

Obviously the weathers got in the way a bit over the last couple of weekends but as soon as the snow and ice has melted Andrew and Karen will be back out there digging, mulching and generally working on their budding GYO enterprise. In the meantime it's been a good opportunity to sort out the potting shed, study those Christmas books and do some swotting up on soil types, seasonal varieties and their crop rotation plans.

With the 100+ years of horti expertise in the rest of our team, there's sure to be plenty of advice on hand (welcome or otherwise!) for our novice growers but they'd also be really pleased to get any hints, tips and general support from anyone else out there who'd like to chip in with advice or share their own GYO experiences. You can follow Andrew and Karen's endeavours and see pictures of how plot FY35 (aka MoreFruit&Veg) is progressing on Facebook and Twitter.

 MorePeople

 @morepeopletweet

Here's hoping for some bumper crops in time for the MorePeople summer Barbecue!!!

Are you an aspiring Non Executive Director or a business thinking about appointing one?

Following the successful launch of Imperium and our programme of Non-Exec workshops at the end of 2011 we are delighted to announce the date of the first workshop for 2012.

'The Role & Value of Non Executive Directors' will be held on Tuesday 28th February 2012 at The George Hotel in Stamford, Lincolnshire.  This one day workshop is suitable for any senior executive who's interested in becoming a NED or any food, horticulture or agricultural business that is considering appointing one.

The workshop is run by Ian Merton and Tim Rose.  Ian is a vastly experienced food and retail professional with a career spanning over 40 years, 37 of which were spent at Sainsbury's PLC where he was the Food Trading Director working across all areas of fresh food, including primary agriculture, fresh produce, fresh meat, dairy and convenience foods.  Tim is an experienced NED and an IOD Chartered Director Ambassador with a successful track record of working with businesses looking to implement growth strategies, as well as underperforming companies looking to change and adapt in challenging situations.

The first workshop was attended by a good mix of people from a range of business sectors, including Agriculture, the Garden & Leisure sector, Fresh Food and Fresh Produce, and the feedback given reflects a day well spent:

"By the end of the day I had a much clearer vision of what the role of a NED was and more importantly, what skills and experience I had built up over the years that could be of use in the right environment." An experienced Fresh Produce MD

"The NED workshop was excellent.  In fact, I'd say it was one of the most useful days that I've spent out and about in the whole year." An experienced Horticultural MD

"An impressive collection of delegates! Good interaction and sharing." Chairman of a major Farming group.

Imperium is dedicated to bringing the highest levels of service to our clients in the appointment, development and training of Main Board Directors, Non Executive Directors and Chairmen.  In today's market place we believe the role of the Board and its Non Executives is more important than ever if businesses are to thrive and prosper and feel that the knowledge and experience of our consultants, combined with our focus on the food and land based industries, means we are ideally placed to provide our clients with new ideas and innovative solutions to help them achieve their long term goals.

For more information about this workshop and the other services Imperium offers, please contact Louise Dennington, Marketing & Communications Manager on 01780 480535 or e-mail info@imperiumexec.com. View the website by visiting www.imperiumexec.com.

Why not make at least one New Year's resolution you can stick to and make 2012 the year to kick start your career with a visit to the Fresh Inspirations Conference? We are pleased to be one of the sponsors of this new event that's been designed and put together by aspiring young managers in the fresh food and produce supply chain. It's aimed directly at like minded professionals and they've pulled together an impressive list of speakers and mentors from all sides of the supply chain. Companies such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Innocent, G's Marketing, Fresca Group, Berry Gardens and others will provide an up to the minute outlook as to what they think a career in fresh produce is all about - warts and all, both the challenges and the fantastic opportunities that are out there for those passionate and really serious about working in this dynamic sector.  These are the sort of insider insights that you won't get anywhere else, so can you really afford to miss an opportunity like this?

The Fresh Inspirations Conference takes place at the Huntingdon Marriott Hotel on 26th January and there are several options available for those wanting to attend. There's conference only, conference & dinner and conference, dinner & accommodation tickets on offer, with prices ranging from £60 to £150 accordingly. Full details are available on the Fresh Inspirations home page at http://www.onepageprofile.co.uk/people/FreshInspirations

MorePeople's commitment to the promotion of the food and land based sectors as great places to build a career were highlighted again recently with two graduate events held at the end of November.

After four years, the Grassroutes Business Challenge is becoming an established event in the calendar. Held at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester and sponsored by DHL Supply Chain, it's the only national inter-university competition that is focused on enterprise within the food supply industry - from field to plate, and is designed to attract the very best graduate talent into the Agri-food sector.

This year, MorePeople Director Peter Hunt was delighted to be invited to be one of the 9 'expert' judges. Commenting on the event he says "It was really good to see the quality of ideas and the high levels of enthusiasm that all students from the 9 colleges and universities demonstrated. There's always a lot of talk about 'future talent' in our industries, and whilst I can't comment on the 'quantity' of undergraduates coming through the colleges, if the 50 or so students I saw here on the Grassroots Challenge are a good benchmark then there's definitely still real 'quality' there for some lucky employers to snap up in the near future."

Congratulations to this year's winners Hartpury College who broke Harper Adam's 4 year winning streak and walked away with a cheque for £600!

The focus shifted to all things technical a few days later when MorePeople were back in the West Country at Campden BRI where, alongside companies such as M&S, Waitrose and Heinz UK, MorePeople Director Guy Moreton was a career mentor for undergraduates attending the IFST / Camden BRI Career Launchpad. Attended by over 80 food science undergraduates from all over the UK this new event is designed to give undergraduates a real insight into the opportunities that a career in the food sector can open up.

A hat trick of days out west was completed when the next generation of young managers started the latest Royal Agricultural College accredited MorePerformance Leadership Development Programme which kicked off at the college earlier this month.

Since the programme was launched, more than 100 aspiring managers from 45 leading food and horticultural businesses have benefitted from the MLDP and due to the RAC accreditation last year, delegates now have the option to take up associated modules that, on successful completion, can lead to the award of a Graduate Certificate in Leadership.

We are currently looking at the new intake for our next programme that starts in April 2012. Anyone wanting to find out more information and details of content, dates and costs of this course, should contact Jan Khan at jan@moreperformance.co.uk or Peter Hunt at peter@morepeople.co.uk. Alternatively, please call us on 01780 480530.

MorePeople is delighted to announce the launch of an exciting new venture - Imperium.

Imperium, our premium recruitment and training business, is dedicated to bringing the highest levels of service to our clients in the appointment of Non Executive Directors, Main Board Directors and Chairmen.

Director Guy Moreton says "Imperium is being launched as a result of the feedback that we've received from clients, over the last 11 years, regarding the need for a dedicated, high level service that meets their specific needs in recruiting personnel at this level.  All of Imperium's assignments will be handled by our Associate Director Ian Merton and I. Ian is a vastly experienced food and retail professional with a career spanning over 40 years, 37 of which were spent at Sainsbury's PLC where he was the Food Trading Director working across all areas of fresh food, including primary agriculture, fresh produce, fresh meat, dairy and convenience foods.  He therefore brings to Imperium, an invaluable breadth of experience and a detailed working knowledge of these industries. Ian and I will work closely together to ensure our customers get access to the best available Executives to strengthen and develop their Main Board teams and we've assembled a panel of high calibre Executives from all food disciplines who are available to fill these most senior roles."

MorePeople has undergone considerable growth over the past 18 months and continues to be the leading recruitment and training business within its sectors.  The launch of Imperium means that we can address directly the particular needs of the most senior executives and the requirements of businesses within our sectors and the wider SME marketplace that are considering appointments at this level.

Ian Merton adds "Prior to launching Imperium we canvassed several of our key clients, and some of our high calibre candidates, and the response to the concept was very positive indeed. In these challenging times, we believe the role of the Board and its Non Executives is even more important than ever if businesses are to thrive and enjoy success in the future and we feel that, based on our direct involvement and experiences in the food and land based industries, we can offer ideas and solutions that will help our clients achieve that success. We are also delighted to be celebrating the launch of Imperium with the first of a series of Non Exec workshops outlining the role and value of Non Executives to the Board."

For more information about any of these services or the Non Executive Director workshop being held on 13th December in Stamford, please contact Louise Dennington, Marketing & Communications Manager on 01780 480530 or e-mail info@imperiumexec.com.  View the website by visiting www.imperiumexec.com.