About us

David Symondson

Chairman

David joined his father, Warwick Symondson, in the mid-80's at a time when Warwick was innovating production techniques for the supply of young vegetable plants to the farming community. This became the genesis of Quantil as it is today, which David and Barry have expanded via glasshouse production and movement into new products. Throughout this time, David has been chairman of the company whilst developing his other interests in the private equity world.

Outside business activities, David enjoys country pursuits, skiing, culture and relaxing with his family.

Barry Pape

Managing Director

Barry joined the Quantil family in 1988 as Manager of what was then Quantil Seeds Limited. Today, as Managing Director of Quantil Limited and its sister company, Quantil Agriculture, he leads the team of Directors, overseeing projects and acquisitions, providing strategic support, and reporting directly to owner David Symondson.

Barry is responsible for shaping and driving the long-term strategy of both businesses. He played a pivotal role in one of the most significant milestones in Quantil’s history — expanding into the glasshouse sector and establishing plant production for the retail market.

Outside of work, Barry enjoys gardening, watching sports, and spending time with his family.

Stuart Blackhurst

Production Director

Stuart joined Quantil as Production Supervisor in 1995 and was promoted to Production Manager in 2000. In 2015, he was appointed Director of Production, taking responsibility for the continued development and innovation of production techniques and product lines.

He ensures resources are utilised efficiently and revenue is generated year-round, maintaining a strong balance between peak and quieter seasons. Within the Nursery, Stuart oversees Health and Safety, HR, quality control, and staff structure, playing a key role in the smooth running of the business.

Outside of work, Stuart enjoys weekends away at the coast with his family and is a keen fan of dining out.

Mark Clementson

Retail Sales Director

Mark brings nearly 40 years of experience across multiple areas of horticulture, including nursery production, retail, and sales. He joined Quantil in 2011 and manages key accounts, retail sales strategy, and business development.

He leads the development of Quantil’s retail products and ranges, as well as overseeing stock buying and programming, ensuring the business continues to evolve in line with market demand.

Outside of work, Mark enjoys gardening, DIY projects, and paddle boarding adventures.

Fiona Houghton

Nursery Sales Director

Fiona began working for Quantil’s founder, Warwick Symondson, at the age of 16, starting as an office junior in the farm office. Over the years she has held a wide range of roles, contributing significantly to the development and growth of the business. She was appointed Director of Quantil Limited in 1996.

As Director of Nursery Sales within the horticultural division, Fiona leads sales and logistics for module production and provides support across other areas of the company, bringing extensive experience and continuity to the team.

Outside of work, Fiona enjoys spending time with family and friends. A keen equestrian and dog lover, she loves being outdoors with her animals.

Jeanette Tillery

Financial Director

Jeanette joined the company in 2021 as Financial Director. She leads the accounting strategy and financial planning for the business, safeguarding company finances, analysing profit drivers, and maintaining a clear understanding of the competitive landscape.

Alongside overseeing the day-to-day running of the finance function, Jeanette takes a broad operational view of the business, helping to streamline processes and ensuring the company responds positively and efficiently to the evolving challenges of the industry.

Outside of work, Jeanette enjoys spending time in the great outdoors. She is a keen horse rider and hiker, a dog lover, and the proud owner of a flat-coated retriever and a Dutch Warmblood called Mr Bo.

Colin Holmes

Head of Retail Production & Development

Colin has been working in the horticultural industry since leaving high school at 16 and brings a wealth of experience to his role. Supporting Stuart Blackhurst within the nursery, he is involved in developing new products, product design, and purchasing for the Herb range. Colin focuses on expanding the product range to offer customers greater variety and enhanced buying options.

Outside of work, Colin enjoys dining out with family and friends, traveling abroad, and playing golf when time allows. He is also an active member of the local crown green bowling community.

Simon Brown

Assistant Nursery Manager

Simon joined Quantil in 2000 as a Nursery Worker. He is responsible for the management and regulation of the glasshouses, overseeing irrigation, climate control, and maintenance. Simon also plans growing activities and organises space allocation to ensure efficient operations. Simon manages equipment and resources, and ensures compliance with health and safety and environmental regulations.

Outside of work, Simon looks after his 16,000-bird free-range egg unit and enjoys caravanning and going for long walks.

John Blackhurst

Site Nursery Manager

John joined Quantil in the late 1990s as a Nursery Worker. As Site Manager, he ensures that all plants and crops grown meet high-quality standards. He manages the day-to-day duties of nursery staff, oversees operations in the glasshouses, coordinates planting and harvesting schedules, monitors crop health, and ensures that resources and equipment are used efficiently. John also implements best practices, maintains health and safety standards, and supports the continuous improvement of production processes.

Outside of work, John enjoys long walks with his dog and exploring new destinations on holiday.

Chris Lyon

Assistant Nursery Manager

Chris joined Quantil in 2010 as a Nursery Worker. He is now Assistant Manager, working alongside John to supervise day-to-day activities at the Martin Lane site, with a particular focus on the herb crop. Chris also oversees stock distribution and operations in the pack house.

Outside of work, Chris enjoys watching his son play football and rugby league, and his daughter play netball. He also likes walking the dog, going for a pint, and socialising with friends.

Dave Lea

Transport Manager

David joined Quantil in 1975, beginning his career in the mill on the seed side of the business, where he gained hands-on experience in all aspects of farm production and crop inspections. Through dedication and hard work, he progressed within the company and was promoted to Transport Manager.

In his current role, David ensures that Quantil’s transport operations run safely, legally, and efficiently. He oversees staff, vehicles, and logistics to meet business requirements and customer needs, including managing vehicle maintenance, planning schedules, and optimizing routes for maximum efficiency. David is also responsible for purchasing seed, packaging, and all essential horticultural supplies required for retail sales.

Outside of work, David enjoys attending music festivals with his family, watching Manchester United and other sports, and relaxing with a pint at his local pub.

Peter Davies

Account Manager (South)

Before joining Quantil, Peter gained 28 years of experience as a Plant Area Manager in garden centres. He became part of the team in 2018 as Sales Executive for the south of the UK, regularly visiting both existing and new customers, cultivating relationships, taking reserve orders, and ensuring seasonal requirements are met.

Outside of work, Peter enjoys caravanning, gardening, and taking on DIY projects.

Paul Morrissey

Key Accounts Manager (North)

Paul brings over 20 years of experience in the printing industry, having worked across a wide range of roles from production through to business development management. He joined Quantil in September 2024, bringing with him a wealth of commercial knowledge and a strong background in customer relationship management and creative problem solving.

At Quantil, Paul manages our Northern territories while assisting Mark with our major group accounts, POS initiatives, and product development projects. He enjoys applying his experience to a new industry, embracing the challenge of learning the horticultural sector and helping customers bring their retail ranges to life.

Outside of work, Paul enjoys travelling, watching Liverpool FC, eating out, and socialising with friends and family.

Kieron Barnes

Production and Operations Support

Kieron joined Quantil in November 2022 as a Trainee Production Planner and Grower, a role that gave him the opportunity to gain experience across many areas of the business. A year later, he progressed to his current role, using his mathematical and spreadsheet skills to support production planning and sales-related tasks.

He also monitors production waste, providing regular reports to the management team, and has been exploring the use of Python in Microsoft Excel to enhance processes. This includes developing a prototype automatic order generator that factors in stock availability and garden-centre size to produce instant provisional orders for the company’s large retail customers.

Outside of work, Kieron enjoys meeting friends in Manchester, cooking Italian cuisine, and has a passion for poetry and art.

Eve Heaton

Sales Office Manager

Joining in February 2023, Eve came to us from a large online retailer, bringing with her many years of customer service expertise and third-party logistics experience. She plays a key role in implementing, improving and maintaining office procedures and administrative systems, organising training, and ensuring the team has everything needed to work as efficiently as possible.

Eve oversees the day-to-day administrative activities that keep the office running smoothly, from maintaining equipment and records to ensuring all processes operate effectively. During peak season, she also supports the team with order processing and dispatch.

Outside of work, Eve enjoys food and music festivals, concerts, eating out, and camping with her children throughout the spring and summer.

Anita Lea

Sales Administrator

Anita joined the team in 2008 as a Sales Administrator. She provides administrative support for the sales team, including processing orders, issuing invoices, managing internal records, and acting as a point of contact for clients. In her role, Anita also sets up new accounts, processes web shop orders, handles credits and aged debt, prepares reports, and supports the smooth day-to-day running of the sales office.

Outside of work, Anita enjoys long walks, cooking, and spending time with friends.

Anne Leyland

Sales Administrator

Anne joined the team in 2011 as a Sales Administrator. She liaises with customers, processes orders, issues invoices, coordinates with hauliers, and manages internal sales records. Anne also handles scheduling, maintains databases, prepares reports, and ensures smooth day-to-day administrative operations. In addition, she provides vital support to the team in driving sales.

Outside of work, Anne is a rugby season ticket holder and enjoys relaxing with a good book or taking long walks with her dogs Harvey & Bailey.

Jan Morley

Module Administrator

Jan joined the team in 2019 as Module Administrator. She ensures the smooth running of all module sales orders, including processing and invoicing, coordinating deliveries, maintaining stock levels, and assisting with the recruitment of seasonal staff. Jan also manages customer enquiries, prepares reports, maintains accurate records, and helps streamline processes to improve efficiency across the department.

Outside of work, Jan enjoys spending time with friends and family and helping care for her young grandchildren.

Kerry Davidson

Sales Administrator

Kerry joined Quantil in February 2024 as Sales Office Administrator. As the newest member of the Sales Team, she supports the team with a range of administrative tasks, including processing orders and payments, arranging deliveries, maintaining customer records, and handling company correspondence. Kerry is dedicated to ensuring excellent customer service at every point of contact.

Outside of work, Kerry enjoys spending time outdoors caravanning, walking, and gardening. She is passionate about travelling and exploring different cultures, and is an active member of the local crochet group, the Southport Hookers, contributing to post box toppers and various community and charity projects in & around Southport.

Amanda Berkley

Accounts Assistant

Amanda provides accounting and clerical support to the Accounts Department. She works with Sage to manage sales and purchase ledgers, process invoices, handle invoice queries, perform bank reconciliations, produce statements, and ensure payments and records are accurate. Amanda also supports the Financial Director with the preparation of annual statutory accounts and maintains accurate cash transaction records.

Outside of work, Amanda enjoys lunches out with friends, reading, and is an avid cat lover. She is the proud owner of her cat, Go-Go.

Izzy Walker

Accounts Assistant

Izzy joined the company in 2013, beginning her career as an administration assistant at Quantil where she supported Fiona on our commercial module team. After gaining valuable experience as part of this team, Izzy decided to follow her interest in finance — studying during the evenings to achieve her AAT Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting. Izzy is responsible for Payroll, inputting invoices, allocating payments & accounts queries.

Following 12 months of maternity leave in 2022, Izzy now balances her professional role in finance with family life, continuing to contribute to the company’s success part time.

Outside of work, Izzy loves spending time outdoors with her son. She is an avid fan of Disney and Disneyland, and enjoys taking regular holidays there with her family, with each visit evolving as her son grows older!

Caroline Wilcock

Financial Controller

Caroline joined Quantil in February 2025 as a full-time, hands-on Financial Controller, reporting directly to the Financial Director. Her main objective is to ensure that all financial data is accurate, timely, and aligned with Quantil’s strategic goals. She plays a key role in supporting sound financial management and informed decision-making across the business.

Outside of work, Caroline enjoys spending time in the garden and listening to music of all genres.