BARLEY, Richard MBE

Richard Barley MBE (OGC 1972) is a distinguished horticultural leader with over 40 years of experience across Australia and the UK. His career began at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in 1980, where he combined hands-on work with academic study, earning a Bachelor of Applied Science in Horticulture in 1991. He rose to become Director of Melbourne Gardens, leading the institution through a decade of innovation and excellence.

In 2010, Barley became CEO of Open Gardens Australia, promoting public engagement with horticulture. His international influence grew in 2013 when he joined the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London as Director of Horticulture. His role expanded to include Learning in 2015, and from 2021 to 2025, he served as Director of Gardens. At Kew, he led major projects such as the Great Broad Walk Borders, the Children’s Garden, and the Agius Evolution Garden, and the restoration of the iconic Temperate House, enhancing Kew’s global standing.

Beyond institutional roles, Barley has been a trustee for several not-for-profit garden organisations, including the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and the National Garden Scheme UK, advocating for education, sustainability, and access to green spaces.

His achievements have earned wide recognition: a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 1999, the 2013 Person of the Year award from the Toronto Garden Tourism Council, and an MBE in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours for Services to Horticulture.  Barley is a Chartered Horticulturist and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, as well as a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London.

Barley’s leadership roots trace back to The Geelong College, where he studied from 1964 to 1976. He was a student leader, Captain of the 1st Hockey XI, and McArthur House Prefect for the first half of 1976, before heading off to North Carolina as an exchange student - early signs of the dedication and leadership that would define his career.

Barley was inducted into the OGCA Notables Gallery in 2025.