Prince to serve nursery and garden industry
After a meticulous process, Robert Prince has been selected to fill the role of CEO for Nursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA).
Robert, who has been NGIA’s acting CEO since October 2007, is originally from New Zealand. He has a Bachelor of Science in biology and biochemistry and worked as market development manager for Bayer NZ. Robert then moved on to Yates NZ as divisional manager, before being appointed managing director in 1990.
When Robert relocated to Yates Australia in 1994, he became general manager of Group Marketing and then of Technical Business Development, before spending time with Carbon Partners Pty Ltd a (waste management and organic fertiliser) and then Advanced Arbor Services Pty Ltd (tree management). In 2006 he accepted the role as national environment and technical policy manager with NGIA before taking on the acting CEO position.
Robert sees his new CEO role as a welcome challenge. “The industry is facing important issues at present as a result of increased pressures from government agencies in regards to water, environmental, and biosecurity concerns.”
In relation to short term plans, Robert says there will be a meeting in May where the NGIA Board will review progress of the Industry Strategic Plan.
And for long-term planning, there is a key project which is being undertaken this year called Industry Needs Assessment. “This will provide guidance as to how the industry needs to prioritise resources going forward,” Robert says.
As for the future of NGIA, Robert sees it meeting the needs of its members with a major part of this including improved communication so they are kept aware of key industry issues.
NGIA President Geoff Richards says the NGIA Board embarked on a very rigorous process to ensure the best candidate was chosen to lead the industry through the challenging but exciting times ahead.
“We believe Robert can bring a wonderful mix of industry and management experience along with true passion for the industry and wish him every success in his new role.”
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Robert Prince, NGIA's new CEO
