Credited with turning Harvey Nichols into a leading fashion brand, Mary Portas made her name in retail consultancy and creating change.
The author of three books, Portas is a fervent authority on retail and brand communication. Consulting, she regularly travels to advise on retail strategy and lectures on the theme of brands and retail. As co-chair of the Better Business Act, Portas heads a coalition of businesses calling for a change in the law to ensure UK companies align their interests with those of wider society and the environment. In addition to presenting two series of ‘Portas: On Style’ for BBC Radio 4, she is also a podcaster, where she interviews fellow change-makers. Most recently, Portas took on the government with Kevin McCloud & Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in The Great Climate Fight on CH4. In 2024 she was awarded an OBE for her services to business, broadcasting and charity in the King’s New Year Honours’ list.
GCA Chairman Elect and Operations Director of Haskins Garden Centres, Ben Harrison, who is organising the conference with GCA CEO Peter Burks, said: “Aged 30, Mary became a board member at Harvey Nichols before founding her own retail consultancy. She has since worked with some of the biggest names in global retail and we’re very excited she has agreed to be one of our keynote speakers for our 2026 conference. We’re also delighted that our associate member Evergreen Garden Care has very generously agreed to sponsor Mary for our event.
“Her BBC series – Mary Queen of Shops – premiered in 2007 and she has presented on television and radio for the BBC and Channel 4 ever since. In 2009, she partnered with Save The Children to reinvent charity shops. To date, the 26 Mary’s Living & Giving shops nationwide have raised more than £30 million for charity. She also conducted a review of the future for high streets for the British government in 2011.”
Taking place at Carden Park, Chester from the 25th -28th of January, the 2026 GCA Conference will explore the theme of ‘Growing a Better Future’ with a focus on profitability, sustainability and innovation in the industry.
The GCA represents more than 200 garden centres nationwide. Through sharing information and its inspection programme the GCA, aims to assist their members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.
