Young International Grower Of The Year

Eliot Barden and Leonardo Capitanio

Eliot Barden, Production and Education Manager for Majestic Trees, UK, received the Young International Grower of the Year Award 2023 on Tuesday 24 January 2023 in Essen, Germany.

Eliot had an interest in horticulture from an early age and began his education in the subject via a Royal Horticultural Society evening class at the age of 15. He subsequently studied at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens before joining Majestic Trees in 2018.

Eliot commented: “It means a lot. Thanks to Jungle Talks I’ve seen a lot of production in Holland, in various different sectors, and winning the award is the cherry on the cake. The award is a great recognition.”

Eliot, along with the other finalists, presented his ideas to an international jury of horticultural professionals. The judges were: Leonardo Capitanio, President of AIPH and Vivai Capitanio, Italy; Pablo Bazzani, General Manager for Plazoleta Flowers, Colombia, and Winner of Young International Grower of the Year 2022; Karolien Tesselaar van Tilburg, Tesselaar Alstromeria, the Netherlands; and Wouter Duijvesteijn, Owner of Beyond Chrysant, the Netherlands.

“There are two reasons why we have chosen Eliot Barden the Young IGOTY winner,” said Leonardo Capitanio. “Firstly, he demonstrated accurate technical and professional expertise. Secondly, Eliot continuously invests in the growth and development of his skills in order to reach his highest potential.

“We believe that ‘improving more and more’ is the best solution to be excellent at work as well as  in life. We hope that this award will bring Eliot Barden great value and a richly deserved international visibility. Good luck Eliot!”

Pablo Bazzani with Leonardo Capitanio

Horticultural professional Pablo Bazzani won the inaugural Young International Grower of the Year Award at a ceremony held on Tuesday 14 June 2022 at GreenTech Amsterdam.

Pablo is General Manager of Plazoleta Flowers, Colombia, where he is responsible for leading and supervising financial, production, sales, and logistics procedures and results. Prior to this role, he gained experience as a Marketing Assistant and Marketing Manager for Perfection® Group, Colombia.

Alongside the other finalists, Pablo presented his business ideas to the jury of three expert horticultural entrepreneurs. The judges were: Leonardo Capitanio, AIPH Vice-President and CEO of Vivai Capitanio (Italy); Wouter Duijvestejn, Owner of Beyond Chrysant (The Netherlands); and Stephanie Berkhout, Lead Grower at Qualitree (Canada).

Jury member Leonardo Capitanio, who presented Pablo with the award, commented: “Pablo is a young leader in our industry who shows focus and vision to achieve great things. He works hard to develop the potential in others in his company and the wider industry. He is exceptionally knowledgeable and an outstanding ambassador for our industry.”