Following the completion of the Nominations Process the Landscape Institute is able to announce the successfully nominated candidates.

The following persons have successfully completed the relevant checks and procedures in the Nominations process, and their supporting statements and where relevant video messages have been provided:

PRESIDENT ELECT/ ACTING PRESIDENT
Carolin Göhler FLI
Candidate Statement
Video

VICE-PRESIDENT
Noel Farrer FLI PPLI
Candidate Statement
Video

HONORARY SECRETARY
Mark Smeeden CMLI

HONORARY TREASURER
Mat Haslam CMLI

NON-CHARTERED TRUSTEE
Adam Barker AMLI

ADVISORY COUNCIL ORDINARY MEMBER
Ben Gurney CMLI
Michele Lavelle CMLI
Nicola Phillips CMLI
Will Sandy FLI
Akash Wadhawan CMLI
Allison Walters CMLI

ADVISORY COUNCIL STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
Chung Ming Marko Yau

The elections timetable calls for elections to close on 7 June, with the term date starting 1 July 2023. Upon completion of the election timetable and if there are no complaints raised by 9 June 2023, we will be able to announce the successfully elected candidates by no later than 16 June 2023.

At the close of the nominations process the following roles are still available:

• 1 ordinary Advisory Council member (Chartered members)
• 2 Associate Representatives (Associate members)

Advisory Council will now consider expressions of interest from members interested in being appointed by Council for the above positions.

If you would like to register your interest in one of the above positions, then please:

• Review the important documents, particularly the Advisory Council Terms of Reference and FAQs
• Complete the Eligibility Declaration
• Prepare a 250-word candidate statement that outlines:
  • How you would support the LI in delivering its corporate strategy.
  • How your work embodies the LI’s core values of being:
    • Caring and nurturing
    • Creative and passionate
    • Socially and environmentally aware
• Your skills and experience that are relevant for your chosen role.

Return the Eligibility Declaration and Candidate Statement making clear which role you are interested in to regulations@landscapeinstitute.org by 0959 on Tuesday 30 May 2023

Landscape Institute elections 2023 – update 

In this year’s elections process the Landscape Institute (LI) is looking to fill the following positions on the Institute’s Board of Trustees and Advisory Council: 

• President Elect / Acting President 
• Vice-President 
• Honorary Secretary  
• Honorary Treasurer 
• 7 ordinary Advisory Council members (Chartered) 
• 2 Associate Representatives 
• 1 Student Representative
• 1 Non Chartered Trustee 

The 2023 election timetable showed that the elections would open 10 May.  However, this year the majority of these positions are uncontested meaning there is no requirement for a membership vote.   

We introduced additional measures taking into account feedback and reflecting best practice, these included the introduction of declarations, background checks etc.  The checks are delivered by external third parties and are taking longer than expected to complete and the results of the election will be announced as soon as those final checks have been completed. 

At the close of the nominations process the following roles are still available: 

• 1 ordinary Advisory Council member (Chartered members) 
• 2 Associate Representatives (Associate members) 

If you would like to register your interest in one of the above positions, then please: 

• Review the important documents, particularly the Advisory Council Terms of Reference and FAQs 
• Complete the Eligibility Declaration 
• Prepare a 250-word candidate statement that outlines: 
  • How you would support the LI in delivering its corporate strategy. 
  • How your work embodies the LI’s core values of being: 
    • Caring and nurturing 
    • Creative and passionate 
    • Socially and environmentally aware 
• Your skills and experience that are relevant for your chosen role. 

Return the Eligibility Declaration and Candidate Statement making clear which role you are interested in to regulations@landscapeinstitute.org by 0959 on Tuesday 30 May 2023 

After each election we review our processes to ensure that we continue to align with Charity Commission requirements, take into account feedback and reflect best practice.  Having considered the nominations process in this context, and as part of a review of our ways of working under Project Swift, we have introduced additional measures this year.

These measures aim to promote positive Member engagement in the elections, EDI, ensuring positive behaviours and conduct, increasing knowledge, and understanding across the LI membership of the purpose, expectations and benefits of all the elected roles. In addition, we would like members and potential candidates to be reassured that they will be supported and if necessary, protected from any inappropriate behaviours throughout the process.

New processes include:

• External Independent Elections Officer/Scrutineer
• Eligibility Declarations
• Updated Role Descriptions
• Campaigning Guidelines
• Election Complaints Process
• President’s Stipend – Increased visibility of President’s Stipend provision and process to accommodate a wider pool of candidates from different socio-economic backgrounds and career stages.

These measures will provide the necessary internal and external assurance and credibility for the 2023 election process.

Over the coming months, Landscape Institute (LI) members will have the opportunity to nominate and elect new trustees and council members to lead the landscape profession.

Nominations for the Landscape Institute 2023 elections are now open. The LI calls for members to stand for election to our Advisory Council and Board of Trustees for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 session years.

The Board and Council are the Institute’s steering voices. They guide and make the decisions that help us deliver our purpose under Royal Charter, meet and exceed our business objectives, and stay strong, resilient, and ready to lead, whatever the challenges ahead.

2023 election timetable

Wednesday 22 March: Nominations open
Wednesday 19 April: Nominations close 0959
Wednesday 10 May: Elections open 0900
Wednesday 07 June: Elections close 0959
Thursday 01 July: Term start date

The LI will be electing the following 4 officer positions which have a seat on both the Board and Council.

The roles are:

• President Elect / Acting President
• Vice-President
• Honorary Secretary
• Honorary Treasurer

Elections will also take place for 10 ordinary Council members:

• 7 Chartered members
• 2 Associate members
• 1 Student member

In addition, the following Board role is also to be elected:

• 1 Non Chartered member

All newly elected members will take office on 01 July 2023.

If you would like to nominate yourself for one of the above positions then please visit the nominations page. For further support, please find our FAQs.

The closing date for receipt of completed nominations is 0959 on 19 April 2023.

For any questions, you can find out more on our FAQ page

The Landscape Institute’s Royal Charter, granted in 1997, requires that we operate in the public interest. This means working for the benefit of everyone in society. We encourage members from all backgrounds to nominate themselves for election as Honorary Officers, to the Advisory Council or as the non-Chartered Member of the Board of Trustees. In particular, we welcome nominations from Members from under-represented groups in the landscape sector, both from the workforce and at the leadership level.

Recent challenges have highlighted widening divisions and inequalities in society. The LI aspires for our members to be the leading voice in a greener recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. But to be truly successful, that recovery – and our leadership – must be equitable, diverse, and inclusive.

The LI understands that equity, diversity and inclusion are very important as we strive for excellence. Our members come from varied backgrounds, and we recognise that inclusion plays a vital role in the delivery of our objectives. It is essential that our members are respectful and open to ideas, perspectives and outlooks different from their own. We welcome all eligible members to stand for various roles within the Election and would provide an equal opportunity for all.

‘To effect real, inclusive change, we need two things: plurality of views and lived experiences, and visible role-models for everyone in society,’ said Chief Executive, Sue Morgan.

‘We’ve identified a gender pay gap in landscape. Now, in our industry as well as countless others, we run the risk of losing talented women due to entrenched caring inequalities.

‘We warmly welcome nominations from new leaders who have lived these or other similar stories; who can share their experiences, help us learn from them, and help us become a vibrant and diverse professional community that acknowledges and serves people from any and all backgrounds.’

In December 2022, the LI published Skills for Greener Places, the result of industry-wide assessment of skills and workforce issues among the wider landscape economy. The research includes equality and diversity data. For more information, visit: Skills and workforce research | Landscape Institute 

Furthermore, the LI is among five industry associations to sign an equity, diversity and inclusion, charter as a public declaration of commitment to positive change in the sector.

Last year, the LI also joined with five other membership bodies to launch a 45-point action plan to jointly improve equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). The plan includes a dedicated working group with representatives from each body.

Inspire, represent and promote our profession by standing to become, or Board a Council or Board Member at the Landscape Institute.

For any questions, you can find out more on our FAQ page, otherwise please contact the LI staff team.
Find out more about the LI Elections