In a significant milestone for the UK’s landscape sector, Dr Saira Ali FLI has been named the next President of the Landscape Institute (LI), following a highly competitive election process that drew an impressive calibre of candidates and saw voter turnout top 20%.
She makes history as the first person of colour to be elected President of the Landscape Institute, marking a powerful step forward for diversity and representation in the UK’s environment sector.
Currently leading the Landscape Design and Conservation Team at Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Saira is known for her passionate commitment to place-making, environmental resilience and inclusive design.
She will formally begin her duties as President-Elect from July 2025, working alongside incumbent President Carolin Göhler FLI during a carefully planned two-year transition of leadership. Ali will take over as President in July 2026, with Göhler continuing to support the Institute as Immediate Past President.
Ali’s elevation marks more than just a new presidency – it signals a shift in focus.
In her election statement, she laid out a bold and thoughtful vision grounded in four core values: ambition, humility, resilience and curiosity. Her priorities include equipping LI members with the tools and recognition they need to lead, spearheading nature-based and net-zero climate design, championing equity and next-generation talent, and increasing the Institute’s visibility in policy and public discourse.
She will be joined on the LI’s Board of Trustees and Council by a newly confirmed leadership team. Ruth Lin Wong Holmes FLI, currently Head of Landscape and Public Realm at the London Legacy Development Corporation, becomes Vice President. Mark Smeeden CMLI returns as Honorary Secretary, and Matthew Bradbury FLI takes up the role of Honorary Treasurer. Tamanna Parwani joins the board as a Non-Chartered Trustee, alongside seven newly elected Chartered Members of the Council.
Wong Holmes, known for her work on urban regeneration and sustainable public space, used her campaign to call for a united front in the face of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss. “We must harness our collective expertise, passion and action,” she said, “to address the urgent environmental and social challenges before us.”
The announcement has been welcomed across the profession, with many pointing to Ali’s work in Bradford as a blueprint for the kind of community-led, climate-conscious, and culturally sensitive landscape design the Institute now seeks to promote on a national scale.
