It’s been yet another big year for The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) at the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards (B&LLAs), where its licensing team made it two in a row with another win – its third – in the prestigious Best Licensed Heritage or Institution Brand category.
But the big news came at the climax of the show when, to her amazement and everyone’s delight, RHS Licensing Manager Cathy Snow was presented with The Brand Licensing Ambassador Of The Year Award, a special award given annually to individuals who have contributed greatly to the evolution of brand licensing.
In her presentation speech Jakki Brown, Managing Director at Max Publishing, which owns and organises the B&LLAs, highlighted Cathy’s kind and caring leadership, her respect for brands’ sensibilities and core values, and her ability to nurture relationships with colleagues and business partners among the many qualities that made her a worthy recipient of this award.
Jakki also emphasised Cathy’s pioneering work in her field, specifically her prescience in seeing the potential of charity and heritage brands as a licensing opportunity, firstly through her influence on the RSPCA’s licensing programme, and then through working with and developing the licensing programme of the RHS, a major heritage brand clearly burgeoning with potential. But, Jakki added, even while evolving and building the brand, Cathy never lost sight of the RHS mission and core values, which include a steadfast commitment to sustainability.
As Jakki pointed out, Cathy’s work on this well-loved brand has helped it to expand its reach beyond gardening and homeware into many new areas, from fashion to food, handbags to health & beauty – and even dolls’ prams.
To great applause and gasps of delight (this had been a very well-kept secret, even from the RHS itself), Jakki concluded: “It gives me enormous pleasure to announce that the B&LLAs Brand Ambassador 2026 award goes to Cathy Snow, Licensing Manager of the Royal Horticultural Society.”
This wasn’t the only headline news for the RHS at this event. It again made a strong showing at the B&LLAs, with eight nominations and a win in the highly competitive Best Licensed Heritage or Institution Brand award, open to museum, gallery, heritage, charity or visitor attraction brands. Every nominee in this category was a household name with a long and distinguished history, which made this win, which the RHS also achieved in 2017 and 2025, even more impressive.
The 2026 B&LLAs have capped another excellent year for the RHS licensing team, which in recent years has grown its licensing programme, opened doors to new retailers, collaborated with well-known brands as well as small craft and family-run brands, supported UK industry and expanded the number of countries it reaches. It has done all this, moreover, while introducing substantial changes in sourcing and sustainability practices and always ensuring that licensees and licensed products are aligned with RHS objectives.
Kevin Smith, Senior Licensing Development Executive, RHS says: “As Jakki noted, Cathy’s nurturing nature has brought the best out of this small and close-knit team, all of whom have been inspired by her leadership. We have long had first-hand experience of the transformative effect of Cathy’s work on the RHS licensing programme and were all thrilled to see her marvellous work acknowledged on the biggest stage of all for heritage licensing.”
Cathy Snow Licensing Manager RHS adds: “It was wonderful yet again to see the RHS secure so many nominations and I was delighted that we won the Best Heritage or Institution Brand award for the third time, but receiving The Brand Licensing Ambassador Of The Year was completely unexpected. I am, of course, honoured, but I have to say this is not only a personal accolade but also a tribute to the many people who have worked on and supported the RHS campaign over the years, in particular my hard-working, committed and skilful team and the many wonderful licensees that have come on board and, quite often, stayed with us for a very long time.”
