Wyevale Nurseries Sales and Marketing Director Kersten Catella has been voted on to the board of the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) and will serve a term of five years with the trade body.

Kersten was one of five new members recently to join the BALI board following a recruitment drive by the Association, which received 27 expressions of interest and shortlisted 14 candidates. 

Kersten explains: “I am delighted to have been selected to join the BALI board and I look forward to my role within the organisation. The team said they were overwhelmed with the level of interest and the number of nominees put forward, so I feel privileged to have been selected.

“Along with my fellow new Board Directors, BALI has announced the appointment of a new National Chair and Vice Chair, so we’ve exciting times ahead. Out-going National Chair, Tessa Johnstone has completed her tenure and has passed the chains to her successor, Adrian Wickham and Matt Nokes has been appointed as our new Vice-Chair.

“Joining me on the board as new Directors are Alistair Bayford, Managing Director at Frosts Landscape Construction, Mark Gregory, Managing Director at Landform Consultants, Paul Lynch, Managing Director at Elmtree Garden Contractors and David Twist, Founder and CEO of Elite Landscapes.”

The Board of Directors at BALI is the governing body of the Association, responsible for providing strategic leadership and the ultimate direction of the organisation. Although the Board work together for the best interests of the Association and its members, each Director has their own focus and passion within the wider industry.

Wayne Grills, BALI Chief Executive says: “On behalf of the Board and everyone at Landscape House, I would like to welcome our new Directors to the team. I look forward to working with them to support the delivery of our ambitious strategy and to continue to drive our industry forward.”

BALI is the UK’s leading landscaping trade association with more than 900 accredited professional members working in garden design, landscape build, maintenance and supply.

Kersten is well-known in the sector as an accomplished business leader with more than 20 years’ experience within the horticulture industry and adding value to the already talented board.

She already has experience in similar roles having spent two years, 2017-2019, as Chair of the British Protected Ornamentals Association (BPOA), which represents both growers and allied trade within the horticulture sector. She was elected as Vice Chair at BPOA and moved into the Chair role to assist the trade association with its growth plans.

She has also been a Board Member of the National Farmers Union (NFU), 2017-2019, which has more than 55,000 members across England and Wales. While there, Kersten was responsible for helping ensure farmers’ voices were heard.

Wyevale Nurseries has a product selection that’s admired across the industry and the talented team regularly introduces new, award-winning plant varieties.

Its main business is to supply landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters, landowners and garden centres with a comprehensive array of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants.

For further details about Wyevale Nurseries, please call 01432 845 200 or visit www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk.