In January 2024, George Hillier was appointed Chairman of Hillier Nurseries Limited, taking over from his father Robert.  George is fifth generation of the family business which his great great grandfather Edwin Hillier started in 1864, and George is now leading Hillier into the future.

George has worked for Hillier Nurseries for 25 years.  He began as a Garden Centre Assistant and worked his way up to become Manager of Hillier Garden Centre Chichester, before progressing to Area Manager. In 2018 George was appointed Director of Property and has managed the Company’s recent property acquisitions and developments taking the portfolio from 12 to 22 garden centres.  He has been instrumental in acquiring additional land for growing more trees, allowing for better control of tree range and quality, and to further improve biosecurity.  He has been the driving force in setting and delivering the Company’s sustainability objectives, working with Planet Mark since 2018 to reduce the business’ carbon footprint.