Having joined our technical area sales team in 2014, we were sorry to see Jackie Hall retire at the end of 2018.  Meanwhile, we are delighted to welcome Sam Rivers to the team.  Based in Essex, Sam is advising customers in the home counties to the west, north and east of London.

Sam Rivers - ICL Technical Manager for East and Home Counties

A popular member of the team, Jackie supported growers in the South East and her retirement has led to some territory changes for our technical sales team.  Jackie’s area (Sussex and Hampshire) has been split between Steve Chapman (Sussex) and Andy Hodges (Hampshire). An experienced nurseryman, Steve joined our technical sales team in 2017.  Former production manager of a highly efficient Kent nursery, he oversaw the production of more than 3,500 lines of quality nursery stock for the landscape and amenity sectors. Andy joined ICL in 2016 advising growers in the South West and has a wealth of practical growing experience as well as over 20 years experience advising growers.

Well qualified, the latest addition to our team Sam Rivers has a National Diploma in Horticulture, a BSc in Horticulture from the University of Essex and an MSc in Entomology from Harper Adams in 2018.  In addition, over the past nine years he has accrued far reaching practical skills growing glasshouse crops at Writtle College, working as a senior horticulturalist for Cambridge University, producing beneficial insects for a leading UK biocontrol company and in forest entomology in the States. 

“Bringing a broad range of horticultural experience with him, Sam is highly qualified and a welcome addition to our highly skilled team,” says ICL sales manager Adrian Thirtle-Watts.  “As we look to expand our IPM plant protection portfolio, his entomology expertise will be particularly valuable.”

Meanwhile, we wish Jackie a long and happy retirement, punctuated with plenty of skiing holidays!