About

Simon joined Crowders in April 2022 as our new operations director. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, accumulated through his previous roles in operations, project and factory management and consultancy. Simon has a master’s in business administration, providing him with an impressive academic credibility to support his hands-on plant experience. 

As the company’s first operations director, he has supported our rapid growth and success, overseeing all three nurseries. In 2023, Simon was appointed joint managing director alongside James Carter.

James is customer focused, ensuring that Crowders nurtures longstanding customer and supplier relationships. His other responsibilities include tendering, logistics and internal and external business development. In 2023, James was appointed joint managing director alongside Simon Hawtin. 

One aspect of the job that he finds particularly enjoyable is working with people in the company and externally, particularly with industry-leading trade bodies, such as the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), Pro Landscaper, Perennial and the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA).

James is an experienced horticulturalist and holds 11 qualifications in plantsmanship, plant health and taxonomy. He is passionate about all aspects of horticulture and loves history, builds and flies radio-controlled planes and enjoys spending time with his family. 

Paul joined our team in April 2022, bringing with him 25 years’ worth of experience. He started his horticulture career as a nursery foreman and progressed to nursery manager at a hedge–growing company, where he worked for 16 years. He offers a wealth of plant-based knowledge and business experience that will enable further development and growth across our three nursery sites. He enjoys working within a team that shares his passion for the horticulture industry.

For over two decades, Robert has worked within the horticultural industry, specialising in conventional and organic plant production systems that require seed propagation methods. With a very strong interest in natural history, Robert was delighted to join the Crowders Nurseries team as seed collection manager in autumn 2024. He describes this role as the perfect blend of different skills and disciplines that have brought him so much satisfaction and personal growth to his working life over the past 20 years within the horticultural industry. This unique role within the UK’s forestry plant production industry aims to supply the business with high-quality UK provenance wild-sourced seed.

Hannah has been in the industry since 2018. Previously, she worked as a research geologist. Owing to her interest in horticulture, she moved to Crowders, where she has had several roles, including sales administrator, sales estimator and technical support manager. Hannah is now part of stock control, overseeing production and stock records and assisting with production plans and data analysis.

Alex joined Crowders in August 2022 and became container nursery manager in February 2024. He is responsible for 18 full-time staff and is always looking out for staff development and training opportunities. Alex is driving forward the evolution of the nursery with efficiency and technological changes. He has a degree in horticulture and is motivated by a passion for plants, which is evident with his gold medal from his involvement with the Chelsea Flower Show, proudly displayed in his study at home.

Jason started his career at Crowders in 2008, working as a nursery operative. He achieved his horticultural qualifications and has gained experience and knowledge, which he uses daily in his role as head of procurement. His responsibilities include overseeing the supply chain and working in collaboration with our suppliers to ensure customers receive an efficient and high-quality service.

He is currently studying to achieve chartership through the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) to enhance his professional development, skills, knowledge and personal growth. Away from work Jason enjoys spending time in his garden, applying his horticultural expertise in training and growing pleached trees and spending time with his family, including his Springer Spaniel called Bella.

Chand holds a BA in electronics and communications. With previous experience as a buyer for an electronics retail company, he honed his skills in negotiation and operations. He joined Crowders in June 2024, diving into the company and the horticultural industry. 

Chris has been with Crowders since he was 16 years old, steadily advancing through the ranks. For the past 10 years, he has served as the head of logistics, overseeing all facets of our delivery process with a dedicated team of three individuals.

Kim joined Crowders in June 2022 as head of finance and HR, bringing with her over 20 years’ experience in accounts and over 10 years’ experience in running her practice. She is a full Fellow member of the AAT and is currently studying to gain her CIMA qualification to further cement her business knowledge and personal growth. Kim loves all things tech’ and is looking forward to what she can bring to Crowders by fully embracing the digital technology that is available.

Sarah joined Crowders in December 2022 as a finance assistant. For 20 years, she worked for a finance team at a charity that supports adults with learning disabilities. Crowders is a complete change of industry and business style for her, and she is thoroughly enjoying the challenge.

Since joining Crowders, Sarah has obtained an AAT level 3 qualification. In her spare time, she loves travelling, especially cruising, and her bucket list is forever growing. She loves meeting up with friends in coffee shops for a cuppa and has recently joined the gym and started running with the aim of getting fit as she nears her fifties!

Originally from Northwest London, Jane has had two careers. The first was in Operational Aviation Security at Heathrow Airport, where she trained in the recognition of firearms and explosives, and she worked in Italy, Egypt, and Mauritius.  A highlight of her second career in Human Resources was working as Head of HR for HMP Bronzefield and having to serve Christmas dinner to the prisoners one year!   Moving to Horncastle, she has become a thespian as well as producing and assistant directing at the Horncastle Theatre, and her latest role is as the Evil Queen in panto. Other interests include world travel, writing murder mystery theme nights, and quizzing.   You can always catch Jane running the quiz at a local pub on the last Wednesday of every month.   She lives with her two lab retrievers, Hardy and Twyla, and the cats Eve and Ellis.

Paul joined Crowders in January 2026 as a Finance Analyst, bringing nearly 40 years of finance experience and a passion for turning data into insight. Outside of work, he enjoys coffee, planning holidays with his wife, and visiting their daughter on the Isle of Man.

Jenny has been with Crowders since 1999, when she joined the company having completed her school education. She started as an office junior and gained NVQs in business administration level 2 and level 3 and customer service level 2. This role enabled Jenny to gain a strong foundation and knowledge in the basics of the horticultural industry. She progressed through the company, taking on new responsibilities such as managing order status and accounts  and being a supply chain coordinator for several years. Jenny is now our head of sales and estimating. 

Rob joined Crowders in July 2023 as business development manager. He has worked in the health and safety field specialising in the construction and public sectors and has been awarded three national sales awards for sales and service. Previously, Rob worked in the airline industry and won an award for excellence in 1990. 

Danny joined the team in June 2023 as an account manager and has been in the horticulture industry since leaving school at 16. Most recently, he has been a horticultural manager for Dobbies Garden Centres, where his enthusiasm for customer service grew.  

Previously, he worked as a show plant manager, where he sourced, and contract-grew plants for the world’s best flower shows such as the Chelsea Flower Show. In 2023, Danny was a winner of Pro Landscaper’s 30 under 30 – The Next Generation.

Returning to Lincolnshire after having lived all over the country for the past 25 years, Tara joined Crowders in February 2024. She has worked in several different sectors, gaining experience with a variety of market-leading businesses, including in the optical industry and large medical equipment companies supplying hospitals and laboratories all around the world. Most recently, she worked for a leading developer of botanical extracts, where she dealt with plants and trees from a different perspective, selling to food, beverage, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies globally.

Hannah brings a wealth of knowledge and years of experience in account management and sales within the commercial landscaping industry. She is passionate about building lasting customer relationships and delivering excellent service. Excited to grow and expand her skills at Crowders, Hannah is eager to contribute to the team’s continued success.

Although Yorkshire born and bred, she’s enjoying the fresh pace and new surroundings of Lincolnshire!

Ray brings extensive account management experience gained across a range of sectors, including his time as National Account Manager for one of the UK’s largest insulation manufacturers. His career has been built on delivering outstanding customer service, strengthening client relationships, and providing practical solutions‑driven support. Ray is known for his people‑focused approach, adaptability, and strong commercial awareness. In his new role as Account Manager for Crowders, he is looking forward to providing a top-level of service and building long‑term trusted partnerships with his customers.

Simon returned to Crowders in 2018 in a despatch role, after previously working for the Company in their garden centre for many years. After nearly 8 years in Despatch, working his way up to a supervisory position, he has taken a new direction in the business, in Account Management. He brings his vast horticultural knowledge and fantastic customer service skills into the sales environment and is excited for the new challenge.

Sarah joined Crowders in 2017 from the banking sector, where she worked as a personal banker, holding a distinction Certificate in Retail Banking Conduct of Business. Her background is in languages, and she has a BA in languages for business. After graduating, she was a trilingual PA and lived in Spain and Germany. As our senior support administrator, Sarah is responsible for the administrative aspects of the sales office and offers support across other departments when needed. She assists the managing directors in overseeing Crowders’ largest commercial contracts.

Anna recently joined the team as a sales administrator, bringing with her over 30 years of customer service experience within the motor and hospitality industries. Crowders is a complete change of industry. She is thoroughly enjoying the challenge of learning all about horticulture.