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We’re thrilled to welcome Hattie Ghaui to the Project Giving Back team. She joins as Project Director and will oversee all funding applications from good causes, designers, nurseries and other interested parties.
September 1, 2021
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Ah, it’s such a funny one when you ask about a dream job because the 25-year old me was so hooked on the obsessive and competitive mission up the career ladder. Success and a dream job to me back then was dependent on becoming a director of a company, any company, before I was 30, running a huge team and, ultimately, burning myself out to get there. I’m not sure where it came from but I’d had it drilled into me that you should only make career choices with your head rather than your heart (bonkers, I know!). I think everyone is questioning what’s important to them at the moment, and I certainly was when I was considering this role - I wanted something that would have me working with creative, inspiring people who want to make a difference in the world, and who love telling stories in unusual ways. That’s my head talking. Where my heart comes into it is my mum, who died in 2016, absolutely loved plants and gardening, and the idea of giving back to others - so I think if she knew I’d taken this role, she’d be pretty ecstatic. So I applied with all my “head” reasons but I took the leap and accepted it just as much with the “heart” reason.
It was one of the most incredible learning experiences, straight out of university and into a role working for their director of programmes in Kenya. We were responsible for advising our committee about which conservation projects across Africa should receive our donors’ funding and then monitoring its impact. We also organised events and produced a quarterly magazine and bank of stories for our comms team. I’m most proud of the relationships we formed with the project teams on the ground who are the ones really making the difference - it was inspiring to see how they worked.
I started out in a WPP consumer branding agency, in a marketing role, and it was brilliant learning - I worked with some fantastic creative directors who taught me about the importance of user experience and how little time you have to grab people’s attention. I worked with an amazing strategist who showed me how the best brands are built on data, insights and meaningful ideas and that if you get that wrong, any messaging or campaigns will either fall flat or end up conflicting with each other. I moved from there to a start up agency that focused on employer branding and organisational culture which taught me so much about how to understand and connect with people’s personal and professional motivations. While there, I started and managed two teams from scratch, became the first female director in the company and managed one of our largest client accounts - along the way I learned that even if you haven’t got a clue about what you’re doing, you can usually figure it out.
I think it’s admirable. Often you find yourself in a situation where people are more concerned about everyone knowing they’re saving the world than letting the team focus on actually making a difference. I also think it benefits and protects the donors from people or organisations with biased motivations.
It’s pretty daunting really when you think about the drop in income many charities are facing and the hit they’ve taken when it comes to in-person events and fundraising opportunities.
PGB gives charitable organisations and good causes the opportunity to take advantage of an incredible storytelling platform - exhibiting at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show puts organisations in front of media and audiences that they may not have connected with before; it also lets them tell their story in an unusual and impactful way.
I get to work with talented and unbelievably creative garden designers; I get to learn about amazing charitable causes; and I get to legitimately spend more time visiting gardens and passing it off as research for my work!
Creative, happy, organised, impactful and fun.
Hattie Ghaui appointed CEO of Project Giving Back, which is now a registered charity.
Once our charities and garden designers have had their design accepted by the RHS, then it’s all systems go. There is a huge amount of organisation involved in creating a show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. As former RHS Chelsea Flower Show Manager and RHS Head of Shows Development, our advisory panel member Alexandra Denman is perfectly placed to provide insight into the many things that go into bringing together a successful show garden.
It is thanks to the generosity of our Founders that Project Giving Back exists to give good causes the opportunity to have a presence at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Here our Project Director, Hattie Ghaui, explains more about how our gardens are funded.
When Project Giving Back was first conceived at the beginning of last year, Rosie Atkins was an obvious choice to be invited to get involved. Rosie began her career in journalism at the Sunday Times and 30 years ago launched Gardens Illustrated magazine. After ten years as editor, she left to become Curator of Chelsea Physic Garden. She has chaired various RHS committees and served on the boards of several charities. Here Rosie tells us what made her want to be part of Project Giving Back and why she thinks gardening and good causes are such a good fit.
We are thrilled to announce the good causes and designers behind four new All About Plants gardens, supported by Project Giving Back at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Project Giving Back will support 12 gardens for good causes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2022. Today we can reveal seven of those gardens, with more to be announced later in January. All gardens supported by Project Giving Back will be unveiled to show visitors and viewers before being relocated to their permanent homes across the UK in summer 2022.
For the first time in the show’s 108-year history, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show was held in autumn this year. The sun shone all week and the whole experience was one of relaxed, late summer contentment. We popped along to discover more about how the greatest flower show on Earth offers an unparalleled platform for good causes to tell the world about their work.
We're so pleased to be able to announce a new and unique organisation that will provide funding for gardens inspired by UK charities and not-for-profit organisations at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Hattie Ghaui appointed CEO of Project Giving Back, which is now a registered charity.
Once our charities and garden designers have had their design accepted by the RHS, then it’s all systems go. There is a huge amount of organisation involved in creating a show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. As former RHS Chelsea Flower Show Manager and RHS Head of Shows Development, our advisory panel member Alexandra Denman is perfectly placed to provide insight into the many things that go into bringing together a successful show garden.
It is thanks to the generosity of our Founders that Project Giving Back exists to give good causes the opportunity to have a presence at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Here our Project Director, Hattie Ghaui, explains more about how our gardens are funded.
When Project Giving Back was first conceived at the beginning of last year, Rosie Atkins was an obvious choice to be invited to get involved. Rosie began her career in journalism at the Sunday Times and 30 years ago launched Gardens Illustrated magazine. After ten years as editor, she left to become Curator of Chelsea Physic Garden. She has chaired various RHS committees and served on the boards of several charities. Here Rosie tells us what made her want to be part of Project Giving Back and why she thinks gardening and good causes are such a good fit.
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