Celebrating remarkable contributions Richard Barley (OGC 1972) MBE, CHort, MCIHort, FLS In the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours List, Richard was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to horticulture. He earned a Bachelor of Applied Science (Horticulture) from the University of Melbourne in 1991 and received a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 1999 for landscape management research. In 2013, he was recognised as ‘Person of the Year’ by the International Garden Tourism Council for his achievements in promoting garden tourism. Richard initially worked in various agricultural roles before joining the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in 1980. He later took on the role of providing guidance to Victoria’s regional botanic gardens. From 1992, he served as the manager and eventually became Director of Melbourne Gardens for the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, where he led the development of plant collections, conservation initiatives, water management, historic feature restoration, and education programs. He held this position until 2010 when he became the CEO of Open Gardens Australia, overseeing the opening of approximately 600 gardens for public visitation and delivering major gardenbased events across Australia. In 2013, he relocated to the UK to become the Director of Horticulture for The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, the world’s largest botanic garden organisation.
He was initially responsible for managing Kew’s botanic garden, arboretum, display glasshouses, nurseries, and the School of Horticulture. His role expanded in 2015 to include Kew’s Learning and Participation, and Visitor Operations activities, and now also includes oversight of Kew’s second site Wakehurst, in West Sussex. Richard spearheaded several major projects at Kew, such as the restoration of the Temperate House, the development of the Great Broad Walk Borders, the Children’s Garden, and the Agius Evolution Garden. He currently serves as the Director of Gardens for Kew. In 2019, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees
for the UK’s National Garden Scheme and is also a Trustee (and Vice President) of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, Trustee of the Yorkshire Arboretum at Castle Howard, and Trustee of the Kew Guild. Richard credits his lifelong interest in the natural world to his parents who were both avid bushwalkers and garden makers, and to some key people from his school days including Fred Elliott, David Gilbert and Charles Harbison, who inspired his sense of inquiry and wonder. Richard notes that “the work of botanic gardens and horticulturists has never been more important for our wellbeing, and for the future of our planet.”
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