Managing Director since December 2008, Andy Coaten has become a specialist within the horticultural sector and has built a career in developing profitable, fast growing businesses. His aim at Butters is to “ensure that our staff and suppliers are in a position to deliver our customers’ key needs in terms of innovation, quality and value”.
General Manager Flowers Division Jo Pearson joined Butters Group with 15 years Horticulture & 10 years FMCG experience covering Operations, Site Logistics, Commercial & General Management. Key strengths are relationships & people. Jo heads a team of 11 across Flowers and Plants; covering Commercial, Supply Chain, Development & Technical for 6 accounts.
Peter Hicks has 20 years’ experience in the horticultural sector largely with PA Moermans who was one of the biggest garden and houseplant growers in the industry. Peter has experience in all aspects of growing and management by growing an extensive range of plants and added value products he is focused on expanding the nursery to its maximum potential over the coming years.
Purchasing Director Simon Esdale is responsible for an annual spending budget of around £25 million on plants, containers and packaging; and heads a team of 11, from senior buyers to purchasing administrators. In addition he is responsible for our growing operation, Butters Nursery, whose produce is marketed throughout the business. Having been in post at Butters since 2001, he has a wealth of experience in handling the commercial and technical functions of our retail customers.
Head of Human Resources Sue Johns MCIPD joined Butters in 2012, with many years’ experience in both HR and Operations within the FMCG environment. Sue is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and focuses on employee development and engagement. This ensures the business is in a position to continue being an employer of choice.
Financial Director Steve Phillips was appointed by the Butters Group as part of a major re-structuring of the company in 2008. He previously worked in Financial Planning for the £1 billion a year global engineering group FKI plc, but also has previous experience with a number of FMCG companies.
NPD PLANT Manager Elly Rowe Joined Butters 14 years ago. Has a wealth of knowledge in hardware sourcing and development. Previously our Senior Product Developer for Marks and Spencer. Now heading up our NPD team of 7, ensuring a constant supply of ideas and hardware development is sourced from far and wide.
MALCOLM CATLIN HAS BEEN AT BUTTERS SINCE 2006 AND HAS MORE THAN 20 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN HORTICULTURE. MALCOLM HAS WORKED IN BOTH TECHNICAL AND COMMERCIAL MANAGEMENT ROLES, COMBINING PLANT AND HARDWARE SOURCING AND QUALITY KNOWLEDGE WITH A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF RETAILER REQUIREMENTS.
Natalie Matthews heads up our team of product developers within the flowers division, designing across 7 accounts. Natalie is a qualified florist and has been in the horticulture industry for over 20 years, managing NPD for multiple retailers in both flowers and plants. Her plant and floral knowledge is extensive, she has travelled the globe in search of new floral, hardware and packaging trends travelling to New York, India, Paris, Germany and Portugal.
Group Engineering Manager GEOFF HUNT joined the company in 2013 and brings a wealth of knowledge which includes mechanical and electrical engineering, automated machinery and PLC control. The department currently manage the expectations of teams at five sites whilst identifying, developing and implementing continuous improvement techniques within THE business.
Current Vacancies
Careers with us are something different. Training, support and development are a given, so progression is entirely up to you. Different roles, different business areas are all open to you. All you have to do is add to our strength.