News
New Landscape Institute President Appointed Martha Schwartz's UK Director
30th June 2006
The incoming president of the Landscape Institute, the UK’s royal chartered body for professional landscape architects, has been appointed UK director for leading international landscape architecture firm Martha Schwartz Inc.
Nigel Thorne, who takes up his role as president of the Institute on 1 July, will also be leading on Martha Schwartz UK’s portfolio of work based in the company’s London office. Martha Schwartz’s head office is in Boston, USA, and the growing client base around the world, particularly in the Middle East, has led to Mr Thorne’s appointment.
Martha Schwartz said: “We got lucky in finding Nigel to help with our London-based projects. His experience and real commitment to quality in the work of landscape architects is just what we need to direct our activities and work with our clients.”
Nigel Thorne’s early career involved several years working in the Middle East initially for a Saudi Arabian/Korean joint venture as landscape manager on a $45 million project to develop the management and maintenance contract for a new industrial city. He later covered the whole of the Mediterranean and Middle East regions for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission having spent two years based in Israel and Cyprus.
Nigel Thorne, who is married with two children, said: “For fourteen years my own company NJTLC has offered landscape consultancy to commercial, industrial and residential developers here in the UK, but this new opportunity reconnects me to my early career moves. I hope to be spending a lot of time between the UK and the Middle East. Working with Martha is just about as good as it gets for landscape architects.”
As the incoming president of the Landscape Institute Nigel, who is also a Fellow of the Institute, takes the helm at a time when landscape architecture’s significance as an environment and design profession is rising. “Landscape is the context within which all development takes place,” he said. “We have a responsibility to ensure that social and economic development respects the environment and the communities which it is supposed to serve. Martha Schwartz’s approach to high quality design and place making it known all over the world.”
Nigel has served the Institute as vice president, treasurer and chair of the Education Committee and has been the driving force behind radical changes in the Institute’s approach to its work in higher education, careers promotion and the professional practice examination. He was a member of Council which secured a Royal Charter for the Institute in 1997. Nigel lectures on professional practice at Reading University’s BSc Landscape Management course.
“This is a brilliant time to be a landscape professional and the Institute’s membership is growing all the time. Student numbers are at an all time high and our influence with decision makers and policy makers is growing. We want to promote the great things our members do and ensure that there is real public service value at the heart of the landscape architecture profession.”
