A year leading the way at grounds maintenance specialist for former AA managing director

After a year at the helm of one of the UK’s most successful and award winning national service providers, what does the road ahead look like for the CEO of The Nurture Group?

The year 2022 heralded a new chapter in the history of the UK’s fastest growing green services provider, The Nurture Group. Twelve months ago, Gareth Kirkwood OBE, formerly managing director of AA’s Roadside Services division, formally took up the reins as CEO of the £100m+ company, working closely with the company’s founder, Peter Fane, who has taken on the role of Executive Chairman.

A full year under his tenure complete, six acquisitions finalised, and compound growth of almost 20%, Gareth has enjoyed his first 12 months. Now he is looking to the future and charting a course of ambitious growth and transformation for a business that is green in more ways than one.

It's been a tremendously enjoyable first year, and time has flown by, which is a really good sign! It’s a real privilege to lead such a loyal, skilled and committed team and together we have seen our business continue to grow rapidly. The combination of commitment to service excellence, a focus on sustainability and biodiversity, great people and rapid growth was what attracted me to Nurture in the first place and, if anything, I have been even more impressed with these qualities as I have got to know the business.

Our ambition when Nurture Group was founded back in 2008 was to focus on providing premium quality customer service from dedicated teams that make it their business to understand their clients inside and out, whilst always championing care for the environment. In the past year, for example, sixty percent of our management fleet has been replaced with fully electric / hybrid / or hybrid electric vehicles; meanwhile electric charging points have been installed at all our main offices.

Being granted PAS2060 Carbon Neutral standard in October 2021 was a huge milestone for Nurture Group and cemented the ethos of sustainability as a key part of our identity. A major objective in 2022 was to continue that commitment to the environment, to the communities we work in, and society at large, as well as to responsible and transparent governance. Already a platinum member of the Green Organisation – a universally-recognised trade body within the sustainability arena – we are currently working towards gaining the globally-renowned B-Corp certification.

This will enable us to benchmark ourselves against the best of the best in ESG performance in a spirit of openness and transparency. We are serious about protecting and enhancing the environment and it’s only right that we are willing to hold ourselves to account through internationally recognised accreditation.

Nurture has always pledged to lead the way in embedding sustainable methods in horticulture, but B-Corp will allow us to take that to the next level.

Having arrived here from a comparatively large corporate, mainly consumer-facing industries – the AA and before that Expedia and British Airways – it has, as you would expect been a year of induction and adjustment, but one I have thoroughly enjoyed. To revisit that word enterprise, in a privately-owned SME – albeit a large one – it’s so refreshing to lead an organisation which enjoys the critical mass of a nationwide business with the nimbleness and dexterity of a family business where decisions and their impact are often more immediate and stronger.

I can say without hesitation that I have joined one of the most progressive and inclusive companies I’ve ever had the privilege to lead. It has also reaffirmed some of the important characteristics of effective leadership and why sectors like ours need to keep adapting if we are to continue progressing in the way that we hope. Perhaps one of the most significant reminders is that our people must continue to be at the foundation of everything we do, especially over the previous two pandemic-stricken years, and of course now as we push on to new heights.

Currently on target for sales in excess of £120 million this year, our goal is to at least double that in the next three to five years, continuing the careful blend of organic and acquisitional growth the team has perfected in the near 15 years since Nurture’s inception. The six acquisitions we have completed this year – including two new pest control additions in Alpha Pest Control and Enserve Ltd – have supplemented our nationwide offering, brought in new talented individuals from those respective organisations, and opened up new market opportunities at the same time.

Synergy and shared values, including a desire for quality service, and people who are genuinely passionate about their work, are vital to that. In this way, we have been able to protect and enrich our company culture and ethos.

Unlike many businesses in our sector, we are rooted in horticulture and green services, resisting the temptation to be a one-stop-shop for broader FM offerings. We want nothing to diminish our passion for and origins in horticulture, for which we are justifiably renowned and respected. And in the same vein, we have resisted the short-term appeal of outsourcing and sub-contracting core services. Nurture isn’t Nurture without its people providing services to clients directly, and we will retain this important characteristic to set us apart in the market.

Meanwhile, as a Real Living Wage employer, we have made a pledge to ensure all colleagues have a fair wage that enables them to buy essential products and services and to live comfortably. In July of 2022, it was a proud moment to receive an industry trailblazer award at The Living Wage Foundation’s annual champion awards as a result of our continuing efforts to champion the Real Living Wage ethos – one that is fully aligned with our own. It was another example of the importance of our people in developing our reputation and the relationships we have with all our customers.

Our colleagues have built on this with further award wins and outstanding feedback from clients. We scored an unprecedented seven wins at the National Landscaping Awards hosted by BALI, the grounds team working at Twickenham Stoop saw off significant competition to bring back a haul of Grounds Maintenance Association Awards trophies, and once again savoured the taste of success at the Green Apple Awards. All of these awards were achieved in close partnership with our clients.

As I touched upon earlier, sustainability has surged up companies’ agendas in recent years, resulting in evolving requirements and a need to adapt processes to meet these. Amongst the achievements over the past 12 months, educating our clients (and our own colleagues for that matter) on these requirements and how to manage them has been a tremendous team effort.

And finally, we are especially looking forward to sponsoring a main avenue garden at the 2023 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, to be known as ‘The Nurture Landscapes Garden’. We are delighted to be partnering with renowned garden designer, Sarah Price, who has designed a garden constructed out of sustainable materials and inspired by the famous paintings of Cedric Morris. Even more special is that the garden will be constructed Crocus Ltd, owned by Pete’s brother, Mark, keeping the Fane family connection strong.

Looking ahead, it is going to be a tremendously exciting 2023, and it is our ambition to take Nurture Group even further and make our business the go-to name for quality, sustainable, outdoor space management. Our goal is to grow, but that can only be achieved by a relentless focus on the training and development of our colleagues, and by a relentless focus on service quality for our clients, both of which are at the core of what makes Nurture so special.

www.nurture-group.co.uk