Malcolm “Chip” Jones, Curator of Palms & Cycads, Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens
Chip Jones serves as Palm and Cycad Curator at Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, bringing more than two decades of specialized expertise in cycad horticulture, identification and propagation. His career includes curatorial leadership at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, where he served as Cycad Curator from 2016 to 2019, as well as the design and development of a collections-based cycad garden at Flamingo Gardens. Since 2002, Jones has led Jones Landscaping and Nursery in Florida, cultivating and managing rare and significant plant collections, and he currently serves as a cycad consultant to Naples Botanical Garden. Jones holds a BS in Horticulture from Alabama A&M University and has trained extensively in vegetative propagation and native plant horticulture through positions at Westvaco Corporation and the New England Wildflower Society. He has observed 115 cycad species in situ and is the author of theHandbook of Cycad Horticulture(2nd edition), along with numerous scholarly publications, including a species description ofZamia urarinorum. An active member of the international cycad community, Jones is part of the IUCN Cycad Specialist Group, a member of Montgomery Botanical Center, a frequent conference presenter, and a researcher affiliated with the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Raoul Curtis-Machin: Executive Director of Gardens, RBG Kew
As Executive Director of Gardens, Raoul oversees a team of 150 horticulturalists that manage the landscape at Kew, a UNESCO world-heritage site, as well as our wild botanic garden at Wakehurst. He plays a central role in Kew’s vital work in plant conservation, enhancing the living collections, education, and horticultural excellence. He also oversees the renovation of Kew’s iconic Palm House and Waterlily House as they become the world’s first net zero Victorian glasshouses. Raoul’s career has spanned 35 years, comprising various roles within the horticulture and heritage sectors. He has been a Gardens and Parks Adviser with the National Trust, covering the Eastern half of the country. He was the Landscape Historian for Historic Environment Scotland, and Horticulture Director at the Horticultural Trades Association. Most recently, Raoul has served as Director of Horticulture and Visitor Experience at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. He has also co-authored the best-selling Garden Plants for Scotland, published a garden magazine, and been a garden designer, head gardener and estate manager.  

Alex Summers: Curator of Living Collections, RBG Kew
Alex provides oversees Kew’s world-leading living collections strategy at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, with over 18,000 species. He provides leadership in both the delivery of Kew’s Living Collections Strategy and the Landscape Succession Plan, as well as for the horticultural teams at Kew Gardens. As a graduate of the Kew Diploma of Horticulture, Alex’s appointment marks his return to Kew Gardens. Following his time at RBG Kew, Alex undertook the 12-month RHS/GCA Interchange Scholarship at Longwood Gardens in the USA. He has a background managing and curating living collections at Cambridge University Botanic Garden and the National Botanic Garden of Wales, and of looking after high-quality heritage landscapes within the National Trust. He has an MPhil in taxonomy from Cambridge University completing a molecular and morphological revision of the family Neuradaceae, and his botanical and horticultural interests have taken him to diverse environments including the rainforests and mountains of Borneo and Vietnam, as well as the deserts of California and South Africa.