Essential, expert, inclusive

LI CEO, Rob Hughes, speaking recently at the LI Jellicoe Lecture © Nick Harrison FLI

CEO Rob Hughes looks ahead to our 2025–26 Business Plan and a bustling programme of work, driven by our members.

Rob Hughes

• Landscape-led approaches are essential to deliver sustainable solutions to societal needs.

• Landscape professionals have the expert skills and knowledge to plan, design and manage landscapes that enhance life.

• The Landscape Institute is an inclusive, trusted community that sustains positive change.

Our new Business Plan for 2025–26 has been prepared with these strategic outcomes in mind.

With the government’s development agenda across housing and infrastructure, and the impacts of the climate and nature crises increasingly being felt, the LI will continue to highlight the vital role of landscape professionals, working for people, place and nature.

We’ll be developing the LI’s education strategy, increasing our policy visibility and influence, strengthening our voice externally, uplifting our membership offer, and continuing to deliver our change programme.

We’ll also be refreshing our brand identity to help boost our impact, and begin launching our new digital home, which will improve the experience and efficiency of working with the LI for all.

This is all part of an ongoing process of rejuvenation. Last year we put in place solid foundations at the LI: stabilising finances, despite a challenging economic environment; recruiting and retaining staff to better equip the LI; and initiating our digital infrastructure programme, all of which have paved the way for increased future influence, improved membership benefits and growth.

Our members are at the heart of everything we do, and we’re delighted to now have in place our four new Standing Committees; Policy & Public Affairs, Knowledge & Practice, Membership & Professional Standards, and Education & Careers.

These committees help to oversee, steer and deliver much of our member and external-facing work. We’re grateful to everyone who applied to contribute and look forward to working with the new teams in place.

This spring and summer we are also conducting our biennial elections, in which a range of positions across our Board and Council, including President, will be elected for 2025–27. It has been fantastic to witness the enthusiasm and engagement that this has generated across the membership so far – please keep up your amazing work nominating and voting!

With existing and new leaders from across the profession helping to maintain our programme continuity and drive us forward, we look ahead to the launch of our new Corporate Strategy this summer with much excitement.

Visit landscapeinstitute.org for more information on our 2025–26 Business Plan