Florensis Poland’s production and sales professional Tomasz ‘Tomek’ Burda dies at 52

With great sadness, Florensis’ Poland sales team announces the sudden passing of passionate plant lover, educator, and dear friend Tomasz ‘Tomek’ Burda, who worked as a production and sales professional within Syngenta, later, Florensis. He was 52.

The international bedding plant industry said goodbye to a truly inspirational figure on 19 March when Tomasz Burda passed away in Germany. In this country, he spent the last years of his horticultural career as a European sales manager for Florensis.

Tomasz, a graduate of Poznań’s Agricultural University (what today is called the University of Life Sciences), worked for Florensis’s Poland sales team for several years, responsible for driving sales growth in Poland and Eastern Europe.

Before that, he worked at Syngenta – within the company’s sales and product management departments. Throughout his career, he also ran a commercial tissue culture laboratory.

Tomasz was a great connector. He was approachable and easy to talk with. This warmth allowed him to build relationships with industry peers in Poland and beyond.

He was a genuine plant lover, an enthusiastic gardener, and a strong advocate for the green city movement. He well-maintained the extensive garden surrounding his family home and the green spaces in the places he lived. He was a fervent collector of Peonies, Irises, and many other plant genera. People remember Tomasz as very kind and generous, always ready to surprise people with a bouquet or a tray filled with bedding and garden plants. As such, Tomasz’s memory will continue to live in many gardens planted with the plants he gifted during his life.

Florensis’s Poland sales team (the Florensis Polska team)  remembers Tomasz’s optimism, his smile for everyone and his sensitivity to the needs of others. He was a great teacher and knew how to share his knowledge, experiences, and practice. His colleagues will remember him as a dedicated worker, a good colleague and a trusted friend who always found time and understanding for others. His death causes great sadness and is a huge loss for all who knew him.