Helen Westendorp -
Garden Designer & Development Director

Helen recently joined Robin Williams and Associates as Development Director, having worked for the garden design practice as a commercial consultant since May 2009. The move formalises the merger of Essence Gardens, Helen’s successful garden design business based in Gloucestershire with Robin Williams and Associates in March 2010.

Robin and Helen met when she won a place on the Society of Garden Designers (SGD) mentoring programme for talented up and coming garden designers, and since then both parties have benefited, Helen in continuing her development as a garden and landscape designer and Robin Williams and Associates from the commercial, marketing and strategic advice offered by Helen as Commercial Consultant to the company based on the skills and experience of Helen’s first career within the corporate world.

Helen has worked in senior marketing and strategic roles within Kraft Foods and Bass Brewers, latterly being the Marketing Director for Kraft’s Away from Home division and in bringing Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee into the Kenco power brand. After leaving Kraft, she worked a consultant for the Post Office, GlaxoSmithkline, Astra Zeneca, Sara Lee, the Ministry of Defence and Unilever.

In 2005, Helen saw the light and re-trained as a garden and landscape designer, gaining a Distinction and setting up her own successful garden design practice, Essence Gardens, whose design work has featured in the BBC’s Gardener’s World magazine, Gloucestershire’s Preview magazine and the FT’s House and Home section. Helen continues to invest in her learning and gained a Commendation in the RHS level II Certificate in Horticulture in June 2009.

Helen read Chemistry at the University of Bristol, achieving a BSc 2(i) and subsequently gained a Diploma in Management Studies from Nottingham Trent University and an MBA from Lancaster Business School.