RHS Director General Sue Biggs was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year’s Honours 2017, for services to the environment and horticulture.

Sue has been the society’s DG since 2010, having previously headed up travel company Kuoni for 25 years.

Biggs has transformed the 212-year-old gardening charity, increasing the reach of its community gardening campaigns to enrich lives and make the UK more beautiful, growing its membership to 467,000, inspiring more people to garden, and embarking on a £160 million investment programme into the future of horticulture.

This investment, designed to create a more sustainable and better society, includes the creation of a major RHS fifth garden in Salford, urban gardens in cities, more research into pests and diseases and direct support for community gardening.

Biggs chairs the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group, a cross-industry action group that works collaboratively to raise the profile of horticulture to Government and meets regularly with Defra Ministers.

Biggs said she was “extremely proud” to receive a CBE. “I see this also as recognition of the impact that gardening and horticulture can have to make the UK a happier, healthier and better place to live. I feel very fortunate to work in an organisation with such remarkable people promoting something I feel so passionate about, and this award belongs as much to them as me.”