First Board meeting for new HTA Non-Executive Directors
17 October 2025
The Horticultural Trades Association’s (HTA) new Non-Executive Directors have attended their first board meeting, bringing their expertise to the table. Jacqui Prior, Brett Avery, and Martin Rowe were successfully ratified as Non-Executive Directors at the HTA Annual General Meeting (AGM) last month. They will serve a three-year term on the board to help shape the strategic direction and governance of the member organisation at the heart of UK Environmental Horticulture.
The HTA Board is made up of Non-Executive Directors and Executive Directors – the Chief Executive (Fran Barnes) and the Chief Financial Officer (Stan Owen). The role of Non-Executive Directors is to contribute their knowledge and experience to advise, support and constructively challenge the HTA’s executive staff, to agree the organisation’s business plan and to champion the HTA and the industry to members and wider supporters
Jacqui Prior, HTA Non-Executive Director, commented:
"I am excited to join the HTA board. I look forward to applying my knowledge and expertise while acting as an ambassador for both the HTA and the wider environmental horticulture sector. I recognise the challenges and opportunities in the horticulture industry and hope to assist the HTA in continually developing to meet the needs of our members."
Brett Avery, HTA Non-Executive Director, added:
“Having spent nearly ten years in the horticulture industry, I’ve gained valuable insight into the needs of growers and the customers they serve. I’m honoured to join the HTA team and look forward to contributing to the organisation’s continued innovation and helping guide future growth and development within the industry.”
The HTA represents more than 1,400 businesses across garden retail, growing, landscaping, design, manufacturing and supply and is a leading voice for a green and growing industry. It delivers political representation, insights, commercial support, and collaboration for members, alongside running the National Garden Gift Card scheme, which secures around £40 million of consumer spend in the sector annually
Adam Taylor, Matthew Bent and Brian Fraser are all standing down from the Board. The HTA would like to thank the outgoing board members for their time, dedication and expertise.
Meet the new HTA Non-Executive Directors
Jacqui Prior is a finance professional with over 30 years of experience. She ran her own accountancy practice for 18 years before holding senior finance roles in various sectors, including legal, international engineering, and global customer engagement. Since 2013, Jacqui has worked for Farplants, one of the country’s largest outdoor plant growers, supplying garden centres and major retail chains. In 2022, she was appointed as a director, a role in which she has strengthened financial reporting and controls, supported operational changes, led Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation, and overseen legal, HR, and company secretarial matter.
Brett Avery has more than 25 years of experience driving business growth and success across various sectors. Originally from New Zealand, Brett became Managing Director of Farplants after relocating to the UK. During this time, he also played an active role within the HTA, previously serving as Vice President, a representative on the Ornamental Management Committee, and Chair of the former Retail Suppliers Group, as well as a member of the former Commercial Committee. He was the Managing Director of Hall Hunter Partnership, one of the UK’s leading soft fruit growers and suppliers. More recently, Brett was appointed by private equity firm Cibus Capital, as Group CEO to develop the Arboraco Group and lead the transformation of Alba Trees, the UK’s largest supplier of cell-grown trees
Martin Rowe is the Director of HortiNet, a specialist consultancy service for growers, retailers, and investors. He has more than 40 years of horticultural experience across numerous sectors of the industry, including cut flower and plant production, consultancy and research policy, e-commerce, garden centre transactions, and warehouse management. In 2011, he co-founded the online garden retailer YouGarden.com, growing it into a £40 million turnover business within 10 years and gaining extensive knowledge of UK and European supply chains. He has since served as a Director and Adviser to several food and drinks brands.