School Team
All of the trainers at Pearsons School of Floristry are qualified florists currently working in the floral industry, with a wide range of skills and backgrounds.
Some of our team have owned their own floristry business, others have been working in cutting-edge stores internationally, some are currently working with innovative floral designers around Sydney, and all are hand picked by Pearsons because of their industry knowledge and skills.
Part of the magic of the Pearsons School of Floristry lies with the breadth of knowledge and passion of our trainers and support team. Whether you are undertaking one of our 'Courses for Fun' or Pearsons Commercial Design Certificate, you will be inspired by your trainers skills, creativity and flair with flowers.
What our students say...
“Marc was absolutely fabulous and very helpful” Lucie Sekaninova Bloom Series 2010
“I enjoyed my classes with Andreas - he inspired me to take the full time commercial course!” Sue Hinde PCDC student 2010
"I wanted to thank you for organising Heidi Albertiri to come and talk to us this week - I found it an inspiring and insightful and really enjoyed it.
On another note I also wanted to say how much I have enjoyed Module 2 with Emma, she too is an inspiration and I feel much more confident heading toward Module 3 having had her as a teacher.
I am thoroughly enjoying the course so far and am so glad I decided to take the plunge and do it this year!"
Lou Vacher, PCDC Module 2
Meet the team...
Barbara Pollak
Barbara has been involved in the florist industry all her life, growing up above Pearsons first store. Her childhood was spent visiting growers, the markets and working in the stores before embarking on a marketing degree and gaining experience in the corporate sector . Barbara is now a director of Pearsons Florist and Pearsons School of Floristry.
“I see that study at Pearsons School is the beginning of a journey into the world of Floristry. Our job is to act as guide on this journey and to help students start a career in Floristry that is both rewarding and creative.”.
Barbara’s role is to ensure that our vision for the school is fulfilled, oversees course development as well as managing our marketing and administration.
Debra Dwyer - Senior Florist, Trainer and Course Manager
Debra Dwyer's technical expertise and knowledge of floristry has developed over the past 25 years of working in the industry. Debra has been part of the team at Pearsons Florist for 14 years, and has been involved in creating stunning designs for weddings, hotel lobbies, corporate clients and floral events both large and small.
Debra has been teaching with Pearsons for the past five years and enjoys sharing her skills and knowledge with her commercial students, advanced student, as well as the general public at workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions.
Debra believes that to live a creative and useful life, we must lose our fear, we must get out of our comfort zones and we must participate in life. Debra views floristry as a career. For her, it is an opportunity to express her creativity, and teaching is a way to pass on her knowledge to students who share her passion for flowers.
Debra Van Breda - Senior Florist & Trainer
Debra Van Breda juggles a busy career working in floristry with her newfound love, teaching. With twenty years working in a range of florists, Debra has a wealth of day to day floristry experience that she shares with her students.
Debra recognises the need to nurture budding florists and to build their confidence with their floristry skills. Debra style is to encourage students, to allow each person to develop at their own speed.
It is the extra care and attention, as well as her exceptional floristry skills, that make Debra such an asset to the Pearsons team.
Mary Fairlie-Cuninghame - Senior Florist & Trainer
Mary has been a florist for over 12 years and has had the opportunity to travel all over the world doing a job she is passionate about. Whilst training in the UK she spent two months in a shop in Netherlands, six months in America and was part of a work exchange project in Finland.
Mary brings European knowledge and experience to Pearsons School of Floristry's team of teachers and students.
Emma Fernandez - Trainer & Senior Florist
Emma is a past student of Pearsons School of Floristry and also holds certificate IV in Floristry. Emma has 8 year's industry experience and a background in Event Management and Hospitality. Emma is a trainer at PSF and freelance florist for grand scale weddings and events.
Her passion for floristry and love of the school make her a great trainer. Emma is supportive of her students and keen to pass on her industry knowledge and experiences.
Andreas Huelck
A florist for over 20 years, Andreas comes to us with a European Masters qualification in Floristry. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Andreas has worked in his home town, London and now Sydney. We are fortunate enough to have him as one of our head florists for our Pearsons design centre, bringing a contemporary style and an eye for detail to inspire staff and students!
His talents led him to working as the head florist at the Inter-Continental in London creating designs for the Prince of Wales, Lenny Kravitz, Bette Midler and many more A- list clients. Andreas shares his true passion for floristry with his students, bringing a wealth of knowledge to the classroom!
Jenny Pritchard - Trainer
Jenny comes to Pearsons School of Floristry with 25 years experience in the floral industry. Prior to joining the team, Jenny taught Floristry at TAFE for 5 years. She has guided many a budding florist in the intricacies of wedding bouquets and other floral techniques.
Marc Maurier
Marc Maurier comes to us all the way from France, where he studied floristry more than 11 years ago in Angers the Loire Valley. Currently working as one of our head florists in our Pearsons design centre, Marc has recently joined our team for our ‘Courses for Fun’.
With a natural flair for design and fashion, Marc brings a touch of France into any classroom! Having worked exclusively as the in-house florist for Yves San Laurent when in need, Marc has some amazing techniques to get any student feeling creative! Having inspired many students to date, Marc continues to share his love of floristry and encouraging nature with all.
Clarissa Esposito - Course Co-ordinator & Florist
As well as being a working florist, Clarissa is the first point of contact for potential students. Her role is to provide information and offer guidance and advice about courses at the school. Busy developing our new look 'Courses for Fun' and 'Improve Your Skills' courses Clarissa believes that any one can be creative with flowers and truly bloossom doing something they are passionate about. She also shares her own industry knowledge and experience with budding florists.
Stephanie Adams - Student Support Officer
As our Student Support Officer, Stephanie is available to answer student queries and to liaise with students and staff to ensure the smooth running of classes at PSF. Stephanie graduated from Pearsons School of Floristry in September 2009, having taken the plunge into a new career in floristry after being made redundant from her old job as a coffee shop manager.
Joanna Ramdeen - Marketing Manager
Jo has extensive marketing experience gained in the UK and Australia. She was inspired to explore her creative side and undertook floristry training with Pearsons School of Floristry on Saturdays while still working in the publishing and events industry. Now Jo utilises her marketing expertise and understanding of floristry working between Pearsons Florist and Pearsons School of Floristry.