John O’Conner
Bio
John O’Conner is a ‘large as life’ person who still shapes the vision of the company. John founded the company in 1969 after eight years of providing gardening jobs in his spare time.
Due to his enthusiasm, professionalism and commitment to delivering exceptional quality, John won more grounds maintenance contracts and the business grew steadily. In 1973, John employed his first member of staff and he continued to recruit additional personnel to meet the needs of his growing client base.
Matt O’Conner
Bio
Matt has a wealth of experience gained within the industry, working closely with all major partners, clients and staff. After graduating with a degree in horticulture, Matt progressed through a range of operational roles, before being appointed managing director in 2007.
Matt is focused on constant innovation within the industry and is a National Apprentice Ambassador. He has been recently appointed the chairman for BALI for 2018.
Neil Cain
Bio
Neil has a long and experienced history in the horticulture industry dating back to 1980 when he joined the Sunderland City Council apprenticeship scheme. He joined John O’Conner in 2008 and has nearly 40 years’ experience of grounds maintenance, arboriculture and landscape experience.
Along with Matt, Neil is a National Apprentice Ambassador and National Apprenticeship Service Apprentice Champion for the year 2016. He is also a judge for both Keep Britain Tidy Blue Flag (international award for beaches) & Green Flag (parks and open spaces).
Nikki Singh-Barmi
Bio
Nikki joined John O’Conner in 2017 after a successful career in service delivery, most recently driving operational excellence at board level for 10 years with a national service provider. He has proven history of developing award winning and industry first systems and processes, and is a key individual to our strategy of continued development.
Ian Pitkin
Bio
Ian has been with John O’Conner for 27 years, with over 20 as a board member. Ian has wide knowledge of HR and procurement as well as extensive industry experience, the understanding of client needs and the practicalities ‘on the ground’.
Stephen Golder
Bio
Stephen is an experienced grounds maintenance professional having previously been managing director for ‘Golder Grounds Maintenance Ltd’ in Scotland. John O’Conner acquired Golder Grounds Maintenance in 2017 and appointed Stephen our regional manager for Scotland. He has a wealth of experienced gained through delivering grounds maintenance contracts in the Central Belt of Scotland and for Scottish local authorities.
Joe Howarth
Bio
Joe has over 20 years’ experience within the horticulture sector and has vast experience as a Regional Manager, liaising with a wide range of clients from Local Authorities and Emergency Services to Private Grounds. Joe is BSc (Hons) Landscape and Amenity Management qualified and ISO trained. He has experience of managing contracts at ground level, having previously worked as a Contract Manager. Joe takes great pride in ensuring contracts are delivered to a consistently high standard by providing support across the business to several contract managers.
Martin Perry
Bio
Martin is a knowledgeable and horticulturally-trained senior manager with 30 years horticulture experience. Martin joined the company in 1999 as a senior contract manager before being appointed regional manager in 2006.
