IGOTY – Award Judges

Mr Tim Edwards, Vice President of AIPH and Chairman of Boningale Nurseries

After working on nurseries in the UK and Europe and studying horticulture at Writtle College, Mr Edwards took over the running of the family business in 1986. The business now employs a staff of around 100 and is one of the country’s leading hardy nursery stock nurseries turning over more than £9m. It consists of two production nurseries, several trading operations and a very small domestic landscaping operation.  Boningale Nurseries makes up the largest part of the business, producing plants for the amenity market as well as trading stock grown by supplier nurseries in the UK and Europe. Worfield Plants produces mainly alpine and herbaceous plants for the independent garden centre market and operates from a site at nearby Worfield.  Viridis is a specialist division, tailoring it’s offering to garden designers and domestic garden contractors and pulling on the production and supply chains of the Boningale and Worfield operations. Boningale Garden Creations is a domestic landscaping operation working locally.

Tim has been involved in Trade matters for many years, representing nursery stock growers and suppliers in both HTA and NFU.  In the HTA Tim Chairs the Amenity Suppliers Group and sits on the HTA’s Ornamentals Committee.  In NFU he sits on the Board for Horticulture, representing Nursery Stock. For both HTA and NFU, Tim represents the UK at the European Nursery Stock Association (ENA) and at the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH). He became President of ENA in 2014 and was re-elected to that position in 2016, finally retiring from that position in June 2018. He is currently Vice President of the AIPH.

His involvement in Trade issues and his understanding of the structure of the Trade has pushed him towards plant health matters and he represents nursery producers at the Scottish Government’s ‘Scottish Tree Health Advisory Group’. He also sits on the UK’s ‘Plant Health Advisory Forum’ and represents growers in the joint HTA / NFU approach to devising a biosecurity strategy for the Trade.

Mr Jan-Dieter Bruns, President of the European Nursery Stock Association (ENA)

Mr Jan-Dieter Bruns is the President of ENA – European Nurserystock Association. Since 2018, he is in charge and was awarded ‘Niedersächsischer Staatspreis’ Lower Saxony State Award by Prime Minister Stephan Weil.

He studied horticulture at the Hochschule Osnabrück – University of Applied Sciences – after a two-year apprenticeship in a nursery in Schleswig-Holstein. His professional career was very much influenced by a three-year working and studying experience in different countries –USA, France, England, Denmark, Norway and The Netherland.

Since 1990 Jan-Dieter Bruns is the managing director of Bruns-Pflanzen in Germany, one of the largest leading nurseries in Europe. It has 350 employees and is known for a wide and high-quality production of specimen plants for the European market.

Mr André van Kruijsens, CEO of Plantion

Mr André van Kruijssen studied at the University of Agronomy from Wageningen from 1983 to 1988, where he studied Horticulture with an emphasis on Economics and Marketing. From 1996 to 1998 he did a postgraduation course in Business Administration at the IBO Business School in Zeist.

From 1988 to 1991 he worked as a Commercial Manager at the company Moolenaar & Zonen, which specialises in exporting bulbs in Europe.

From 1991 to 2002 he worked at Veiling Aalsmeer (VBA) from 1991 to 2000 as Klok Manager and from 2000 to 2002 as Commercial Manager.

From 2002 he worked as General Manager of Veiling Vleuten where he coordinated the merger with Veiling Bemmel. After the merger, he took over the General Management at the new company VeilingPlantion until 2012, then took on the role of General Director at Cooperativa Veiling Holambra.

In January 2021, he was appointed CEO of Plantion, the Netherlands.

Mr Augusto Solano, President of industry body Asocolflores

Augusto Solano has been the Executive President of the Association of Colombian Flower Exporters (Asocolflores) in Bogotá, Colombia, since 2000. In this role he is responsible for leading the process of making Colombia’s flower industry more competitive, with a focus on sustainable development and social responsibility. Asocolflores was established in 1973 to promote the flower sector internationally and seek the comprehensive development of Colombian floriculture.  Augusto Solano has supported many initiatives to increase flower consumption worldwide.

An Industrial Engineer from Los Andes University in Bogotá, Mr. Solano also holds an MBA degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Asocolflores in 2000, he held various managerial positions in agribusiness, banking and publishing. His previous positions include CEO of Riopaila, a major Colombian sugar mill; Assistant Vice-President at Banco de Bogotá Trust Company, New York; and General Manager of a publishing company, Canal Ediciones (Mondadori). Mr Solano has also worked in the public sector as an economic and financial advisor to Colombia’s Minister of Economic Development.

Mr Solano currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Colombia Chapter; represents America at the Board of Directors of Union Fleurs and the flower growers from the southern hemisphere at the Board of Directors of Floriculture Sustainability Initiative, (FSI). He also belongs to the Boards of a prestigious business school and the largest pension fund in Colombia as well as to the private sector Industry Council.

Mr. Hiroshi Sakata, President of the Japan Home Garden Association

Mr Yoshikazu Suzuki, President of the Japan Home Garden Association, has more than 52 years’ experience in the carnation business. Mr Yoshikazu Suzuki is one of the first experts to enter the China market and teach professional production techniques to Chinese propagators. His is renowned for his expertise amongst growers in Southeast Asia. He has more than 32 years’ experience in carnation breeding with international breeders.

Mr Poul Graff, CEO of Graff Breeding A/S

Mr Poul Graff is the CEO of Danish hibiscus breeding and growing company Graff Breeding A/S. Poul and his brother Gert are the third generation of the Graff family to manage the company since its founding in 1930.