Face to face or virtual meetings – we’re here to help
At ICL we set out to back up our industry-leading products with specialist advice to help customers maximise performance and hence their return on investment.
Our 12-strong team of UK Technical Managers and Technical Area Sales Managers (TASM) are highly experienced and qualified. All members of the team are FACTS qualified and the majority are BASIS qualified with the remainder working towards their BASIS qualification in the next 12 months.
The team are all either experienced growers or have specialised in areas of the industry. As such, our knowledgeable team is available to help, advise and give tips on a broad range of production areas from controlling pests to irrigation, from growing media to crop nutrition.
Meet Virtually
While regular customer visits are central to our service, in these challenging times our dedicated team has embraced the latest technologies to continue to provide a high level of service to customers.
When visits to nurseries are not permitted, our team is available to meet customers virtually and hold in-depth discussions via online meetings. If you’d like to schedule a Microsoft Teams meeting, please contact your TASM who will happily set one up.
For specific production concerns – for example if faced with a nutrient deficiency or pest outbreak – a good way to get technical advice is to take a picture of the issue, with a smart phone or tablet, and send it via text, email or WhatsApp to your TASM.
So, rest assured that among all the uncertainty we face at the end of 2020 – with the final Brexit deal yet to be agreed and changing local lockdowns – our knowledgeable team is still very much here and keen to support you.
In need of technical information?
Alongside Technical Matters, a wealth of technical information on our extensive range of grow, nurture and protect products is located on our website icl-sf.co.uk, via our growing video library on YouTube and via our Hort Science Online digital platform.
In addition, why not keep up to date with new developments by following our technical team on LinkedIn at ‘ICL UK and Ireland’ and via twitter at ICL_gro.
Our Technical Areas Sales Managers
Ian Todd – Scotland and North East England
With 35 years’ broad experience advising ornamental growers, Ian joined ICL’s technical team advising bedding plant producers to unique cell-grown tree specialists. Based south of Glasgow, Ian is kept busy advising growers throughout Scotland and the North of England. Relishing the opportunity to visit customers’ operations, he believes nothing beats actually seeing the crop and production systems in place. Ian likes nothing better than returning to a nursery to find his advice has been taken, and the crop is on track. Ian is particularly interested in the Levington Advance Sustain peat-free range and is both BASIS and FACTS registered.
Peter Robinson – North West England
Experienced nurseryman and precision irrigation and fertigation specialist, Peter Robinson, joined the team in 2019 to work with growers in the North West. With an HND in commercial horticulture from Writtle Agricultural College, he went on to gain nearly 20 years’ practical experience - becoming nursery manager at several leading ornamental nurseries in the North West. Before joining ICL, Peter spent 14 years specialising in sales and technical support in fertigation and precision irrigation. Peter has first-hand knowledge and experience of using ICL’s growing media, fertilizers and biological products. He is FACTs qualified and, based in Crewe, he advises ICL customers in the North West.
Steve Hughes – Wales and West Midlands
Having started out in agricultural agronomy, Steve made the move to ornamental horticulture in 1995 working for Shamrock Horticulture. The company was taken over by Levington and he has remained loyal to the Levington and Humax brands ever since. With over two decades experience advising ornamental growers re ICL products, Steve is a well-known and respected figure in his sales region. Both BASIS and FACTs qualified, he is highly skilled at working with growers to optimise their Levington Advance Solution mixes. A strong proponent of ICL’s AngelaWeb precision nutrition tool, Steve is adept at optimising feeding programmes for different crops.
Carl Mason - East Midlands and Yorkshire
Experienced nurseryman Carl Mason joined ICL’s technical sales team in 2018 and is working with growers in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire. On leaving school, he worked in cut flower crops while studying part time at Brackenhurst College to become a Craftsman in Horticulture. Having spent ten years working with bedding and brassicas, Carl joined Lincolnshire-based Bell Brothers Nurseries working his way up to Production Manager. Carl has brought with him extensive experience of bedding and pot plant crops propagated from seeds, cuttings and bulbs as well as indepth first hand experience of using many of ICL’s grow, nurture and protect product range. He is FACTS qualified.
Sam Rivers - Essex and Home Counties
We welcomed Sam Rivers to the team in 2019 to advise customers in Essex and the home counties, to the west, north and east of London. Well qualified, Sam has a National Diploma in Horticulture, a BSc in Horticulture and an MSc in Entomology from Harper Adams (2018). Sam also benefits from having a broad range of practical skills gained growing glasshouse crops at Writtle College, working as a senior horticulturalist for Cambridge University and producing beneficial insects for a leading UK biocontrol company. As ICL expands its IPM plant protection portfolio, Sam’s specialist experience will be put to good use. Already FACTs qualified, Sam will be working towards gaining BASIS in 2021.
Stuart Gammage – East of England
Experienced nurseryman Stuart Gammage joined ICL’s technical sales team with nearly 30 years practical growing experience. In his previous technical role at a busy 64-acre nursery, he understands only too well the challenges facing growers. Stuart’s hands on practical experience of ICL’s Osmocote controlled release and Peters and Universol water soluble ranges, as well as Levington growing media and plant protection portfolio, puts him in a strong position when advising growers. He particularly relishes the agronomy side of his role, drawing on this experience to help make a difference to customers’ businesses. Stuart is both BASIS and FACTS qualified and is a Member of NRoSO. Stuart attended Otley and Hadlow College and passed the Commercial Horticulture course and is a Craftsman in Horticulture, has an NVQ4 in management and spray certificates PA1, PA2a, PA3, PA6a.
Steve Chapman – South East England
Based in Kent, Steve Chapman has an abundance of practical growing experience as well as first-hand knowledge of our product range. Previously the production manager of a highly efficient Kent nursery, Steve oversaw the production of more than 3,500 lines of quality nursery stock for the landscape and amenity sectors. From propagation to finished product, he managed the production of container and field-grown shrubs and trees as well as herbaceous perennials. Having joined ICL at the beginning of 2018, Steve’s enthusiasm, skills and knowledge has quickly made an impact with clients. FACTS qualified, he will be working towards BASIS in 2021.
Andy Hodges – South West England
An experienced grower and technical advisor, Andy Hodges works alongside growers in the South West of England - a region stretching from Cornwall to Hampshire. In a horticultural career spanning nearly four decades, Andy has both wide-ranging practical experience of container nursery stock and extensive technical sales expertise. Indeed, he has clocked up 25 years advising growers on everything from growing media to precision plant nutrition and plant protection products. In line with other colleagues, Andy benefits from having first-hand experience of using ICL’s Levington Advance Solutions portfolio of products - encompassing grow, nurture and protect - in his former growing roles. Andy is both BASIS and FACTS qualified.
Martin Donnelly – Sales Development Manager and Technical Area Sales Manager North East Midlands
With over forty years practical growing and technical sales experience, Martin Donnelly is ICL’s UK sales development manager. Advising ornamental growers in the NE Midlands on growing media and nutrition, Martin also plays a lead UK-wide role spearheading ICL’s IPM technical advice on its growing range of plant protection products. An authority on IPM, he is not just BASIS qualified but a registered BASIS examiner and also FACTS qualified.
As well as practical growing expertise as a Grower Manager on a 16-acre commercial nursery, Martin brings extensive technical sales expertise in ornamentals and forestry to his role.
Andrew Wilson – Technical Manager
With a nationwide role, Andrew Wilson is ICL’s highly experienced technical manager for our fertilizer portfolio. With a horticultural degree from Wye College, he managed a large nursery growing container and field-grown trees and shrubs for 10 years before moving into technical sales of fertilizers and growing media. Andrew joined ICL in 2007 (then Scotts) and as well as providing technical support to our team of technical area sales manager, he is closely involved in the development of ICL’s new fertilizer products. He is BASIS and FACTS qualified.