RHS Council

Discover the RHS Council, the governing body of the RHS, and learn about its members, roles, and leadership including the President and Treasurer

The RHS Council is the trusted governing body overseeing the operations of the RHS. Comprised of the RHS President, Treasurer, 15 elected members (all of whom are elected by the RHS Membership), and up to two appointed co-opted members (appointed by RHS Council), the Council guides the charity’s mission. All Council members serve as Trustees, with the President acting as Chair. Elected annually at the RHS Annual General Meeting, these leaders uphold the Royal Charter and ensure the RHS continues to thrive.

Current RHS Council Members

Meet the governing body responsible for the running of the RHS:

Keith Weed, CBE | RHS President

(Elected as President at the AGM in 2020)
Keith plays an active role in the governance of the RHS and is the Chair of the RHS Council and the Horticulture and Sustainability Board. From leading businesses in the public and charitable sectors, he has experience in developing and implementing strategies, fundraising and delivery of funds for charitable initiatives. Keith has a particular interest in communities, education and the positive impact gardening has on the environment and people’s health.

David Mathers | RHS Treasurer

(Elected as Treasurer at the AGM in 2026)
David is Chair of the Finance and Commercial Board and the Investment Sub-Committee and a member of the Horticulture and Sustainability Board, the Audit and Risk Committee and the Governance and People Committee. He spent more than 35 years in international banking, including 12 years as Chief Financial Officer of Credit Suisse. Alongside his professional career, David has played an active role in horticulture and plant conservation through organisations including Plant Heritage, Chelsea Physic Garden and The Mathers Foundation.

Claire Austin | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2023; to retire in 2028)
Claire is a member of the Horticulture and Sustainability Board and the Awards Group. She has been involved with horticulture for more than 40 years and is the owner of Claire Austin Hardy Plants. Alongside a large selection of perennials, they are National Collection Holders of bearded Iris and hybrid herbaceous Paeonia. Claire believes that the connection between plants and people is essential to healthy living and that anyone can enjoy gardening at any age.

Sue Beesley | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2023; to retire in 2028)
Sue is Vice Chair of the RHS Herbaceous Expert Group, a member of the Finance and Commercial Board, Gardens Group and a Garden Advisor at RHS Bridgewater, Greater Manchester. She is the owner of Bluebell Cottage Gardens, a specialist perennial nursery. With 40 years of experience in horticulture, Sue is passionate about widening access to adult horticultural education and sustainability within the horticultural industry. Before making horticulture her career, she was co-founder and director of two successful IT companies.

Helen Cox | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2025; to retire in 2030)
Helen is a sustainability and finance professional, horticulturist and nature advocate. She has advised organisations on biodiversity, climate and sustainability strategy and previously led environmental reporting for a global cosmetics brand. Helen holds an RHS Level 2 Practical qualification, is studying for an MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation and creates content focused on wildlife-friendly gardening. She is an ambassador for Butterfly Conservation and was shortlisted for New Talent of the Year at the Garden Media Guild Awards 2025.

Matt Davies | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2026; to retire in 2031)
Matt is based in the North of England and serves as Chair of Greggs and Autotrader. He has built his career in UK retail, holding senior leadership roles as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) before becoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of several large retailers. Alongside his commercial experience, Matt has a keen interest in gardening, which has provided a restorative counterbalance to a busy professional life.

Nick Dunn, VMH | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2019. Re-elected in 2024; to retire in 2029)
Nick is a member of the Horticulture and Sustainability Board, the Governance and People Committee, and the Gardens Group. He chairs the Awards Group and is a Garden Advisor at RHS Wisley, Surrey, and his research in hardy nursery stock propagation offers a valuable practical experience.

Tazim Essani | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2022; to retire in 2027)
Tazim has been a member of the Audit and Risk Committee since 2018 and is also a member of the Finance and Commercial Board. She is an executive coach with over 30 years of experience across strategy and digital transformation, including Non-executive Director roles on FTSE boards. Tazim brings wide experience in finance and strategy, and strongly believes that the wellbeing benefits of gardens and green spaces should be widely accessible for solace and joy.

Stephen Hill, OBE | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2026; to retire in 2031)
Stephen manages a private venture capital investment fund and leads the work of the Joan Hill Foundation Trust, which supports social mobility through education. He has extensive governance experience across the public, private and charitable sectors, including board roles with OFCOM, Channel 4 and the Royal Air Force. Formerly Chief Executive of the Financial Times Group and Chair of the Alzheimer's Society, he was awarded an OBE in 2017 for services to philanthropy.

James Hitchmough | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2025; to retire in 2030)
James is a horticulturist and planting designer who spent 27 years teaching and researching in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield. Now retired, he continues to work on large-scale, nature-inspired planting projects worldwide and in his own garden. He is especially interested in improving plant information to help both amateur and professional gardeners choose species that are more resilient, sustainable, and visually successful in a rapidly changing climate.

Wesley Kerr, OBE | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2021. Re-elected in 2026; to retire in 2031)
Wesley is a member of the RHS Governance and People Committee and a former Trustee of the Royal Parks charity. He is also Vice-President of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. Passionate about the UK’s tradition of public green spaces and community involvement, he previously chaired the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Committee for London, investing in parks, gardens, museums, and historic places. Wesley was awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to heritage. He is a broadcaster, filmmaker, writer and journalist, with a degree in History from Trinity College, Cambridge.

Tony Kirkham, MBE VMH | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2022; to retire in 2027)
Tony is Chair of the RHS Woody Expert Group and a member of the Awards Group and the Horticulture and Sustainability Board. He served for 15 years on the Bursaries Committee to help raise the profile of horticulture and assist the careers of young gardeners. Tony has more than 40 years of experience as a horticulturist and arboriculturist at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He serves as Chair of the Garden Advisory Board at Chelsea Physic Garden, and Vice President of the Arboricultural Association.

Baroness Kate Lampard, CBE | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2018. Re-elected in 2023; to retire in 2028)
Kate is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Governance and People Committee. A former barrister, she was previously the lead Non-Executive Director for the Department of Health and Social Care and Chair of GambleAware. She is also a consultant advising on governance, risk management, organisational management and culture. Kate has also been Chair of two strategic health authorities and Vice-Chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Liz Nicholson | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2024; to retire in 2029)
Liz is a member of the Horticulture and Sustainability Board and the Learning and Engagement Group. She has had a lifelong career in all aspects of horticulture and recently became a chartered environmentalist. She runs a family business, Nicholsons, offering garden design, construction, forestry and wider professional consultancy. Liz is a senior RHS judge and enjoys judging gardens across all shows. She is driven to support the RHS and the wider industry in delivering education and understanding, to enable widespread protection of climate and nature.

Dame Karen Pierce | Co-opted Member of RHS Council

(Co-opted to Council until the 2027 AGM)
Karen is the UK Special Envoy for the Western Balkans. She previously served as British Ambassador to the United States and as the UK’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, becoming the first woman appointed to either role. With more than 40 years’ experience in diplomacy and public service, Karen brings extensive expertise in international affairs, leadership and governance.

Darren Share, MBE | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2022; to retire in 2027)
Darren has been involved with gardening all his life, starting as an apprentice gardener and now working as a Director for The Royal Parks. He works to deliver the positive benefits of horticulture to communities and has a particular interest in gardening in an urban environment. Darren is part of the RHS Community Outreach Programme and is a Britain in Bloom judge.

Professor Nicola Spence, CBE | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2021. Re-elected in 2026; to retire in 2031)
Nicola is the UK Chief Plant Health Officer and is a member of the Horticulture and Sustainability Board, the Science and Collections Group and the Awards Group. She has a BSc in Botany, an MSc in Microbiology and a PhD in Plant Virology, along with more than 25 years of experience in plant pathology research in horticulture and wild plants. Her passion and skills see her take a strong personal and professional interest in protecting and promoting plants and trees.

Ruth Willmott | Ordinary Member of RHS Council

(Elected to Council in 2019. Re-elected in 2024; to retire in 2029)
Ruth is Chair of the Governance and People Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, the Finance and Commercial Board, and the Digital and IT Group. After a decade in management consultancy, Ruth retrained as a garden designer and her design portfolio covers residential, commercial and community spaces.

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