Commenting on her appointment, Jenny said: "I am delighted to be involved in this exciting initiative for the nursery trade, which takes a refreshing new approach to rewarding the best people and products in our industry. I would encourage everyone to support the event, so that we can say a proper thank you to the people who ensure that this remains a great trade to work in, and to encourage even more excellence and innovation."

Events Director Paul Ryder added: "Jenny is well known and widely respected within the industry and I have no doubt that her energy, enthusiasm and shared vision for the Awards will help us build on the success of last year's event. "

Jenny will be attending Harrogate Nursery Fair in her new role next month. If you would like to speak to Jenny about sponsorship opportunities you can contact her at jburrows@datateam.co.uk.

Last October, the first Nursery Industry Awards were launched by one of the largest independently owned publishers in the UK, Datateam Business Media – home to Nursery Industry Magazine. Designed to celebrate the nursery world, the event took place on the evening of Friday 26th October at the 5* Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington.

Run by the industry, for the industry, the Nursery Industry Awards are very different to other awards in the sector. The event is based upon a successful formula that Datateam Business Media has implemented in a number of retail sectors and they are delighted to have launched such an important event for the nursery trade.

The Nursery Industry Awards 2013 will take place on Friday 25th October at The Royal Garden Hotel.

Again, a well tried and secure online Nomination and Voting process will produce five finalists in each category with the winners being those who have attracted the most votes overall.

No judging panel will be required which means there will be no possibility of opinion bias and third party scrutiny will ensure total credibility of the process. Every Nomination will be assessed by Safety experts before going to the Voting stage.

Event Director Paul Ryder commented: “Not only were these awards free to enter, but they were voted for by members of industry, which I think makes winning much more significant. We were overwhelmed by the response to the Awards from the start and have no doubt that the numbers attending this year will significantly increase, along with sponsorship. A big thank you must go to our industry partners for their support in making this a true industry event and we are delighted to be working with them all again. We have also invited other trade organisations and publications to work with us and will bring you further information on any additional partnerships in due course.”

Nicole Muller, Portfolio Director, The Baby Show said: "The Nursery Industry Awards marked an important step forward for the trade, as we were all hugely motivated by the credibility of the voting process. This year the Awards will tie in nicely with our move to Olympia - we look forward to getting the show off to a fantastic start and networking with our peers and colleagues again in the evening."

SGS Technical Manager Melvyn Wolff added: “I am delighted to be working with the team again and look forward to seeing some exciting safe and innovative products.”

A keen supporter of the event, Cathy Bryan, founder and Editor of Nursery Online said: "I am more than happy to support the awards again this year. I think the whole thing worked very well and all I heard were compliments!!”