LUC announces five new Directors among comprehensive promotions
Today, LUC announced the appointment of five new Directors alongside an extensive round of promotions across its core service areas.
The appointments of Helen Kent and Jon Pearson as Directors of Environmental Planning, alongside David Green, Iain Mackenzie, and Sofie Swindlehurst as Directors of Ecology, mark a significant strengthening of the firm's leadership team.
These Director-level appointments became effective on 1 January 2025. They are part of a broader series of promotions spanning multiple disciplines. These include planning, ecology, landscape architecture, and supporting functions.
Strategic appointments
In the Planning team, Helen Kent and Jonathan Pearson are promoted to Directors of Environmental Planning, bringing strategic vision to the leadership team. Sophie Nioche advances to Associate Director of Environmental Planning, while Jenny Baker takes on the role of Associate Planner. The team sees further strengthening with Sarah Taylor, Tom Berliner, and Kathryn Jukes stepping up to Principal Environmental Planner positions.
Several team members have been promoted to Senior Planner roles, including Molly Andrew, Ryan Finnigan, Sarah Newman, Ife Asiyanbi as Senior EIA Planner, and Tobe Uzuegbunam, who takes on the specialised role of Senior Climate Change Planner. The team also congratulates Jennifer Nnakaihe, Holly Mathewson, and Oliver Price as Consultant Environmental Planners.
The Ecology team celebrates several key appointments, with David Green, Iain Mackenzie, and Sofie Swindlehurst elevated to Director positions. Clare Nisbet has been promoted to Associate Director, and Katie Luxmoore to Associate Ecologist.
Ellie Mayhead and Lorna Hutchison advance to Principal Ecologist roles, while Ellen McMurchy, Holly Gillon, Kaja Redler, Martin Arthur, and Seán Kerr take on Senior Ecologist positions. The team further recognises Kate Sanderson and Emily Stanford as Consultant Ecologists.
In Landscape Planning, Stephanie Crewe has been appointed Associate Director of Landscape Architecture, while Fiona Pennycook, Hannah Germiat, and Jessica Ginty step up to Principal Landscape Architect roles.
The Design team rewards Priyan Selvanayagam as Consultant Landscape Architect and sees Sarah Harrop promoted to Principal Landscape Architect, while Vanessa Vaughan advances to Senior Landscape Architect.
The Historic Environment team promotes Cecilia Galleano and Verity Askew to Senior Historic Environment Consultants, strengthening the firm's heritage expertise.
In the GIS & Visualisation team, George Holmes has been promoted to Senior GIS Consultant and Jil Bournazel to Principal GIS Consultant, with Callum Wasilewski recognised as GIS Consultant.
The Landscape Management team sees Duncan Zacks promoted to Associate Landscape Manager, while Ingrid Schäfer and Matthew Patterson are promoted as Consultant Landscape Managers. The Agri-environment team celebrates Ben Randle as Agri-environment Consultant.
Supporting these technical promotions, the firm has also strengthened its operational capabilities with Rich Peake advancing to Senior Marketing & Communications Executive and Nina Gul promoted as Team Coordinator.
Leadership perspective
"These promotions reflect our ongoing investment in our people and our commitment to nurturing talent across all our disciplines," said Jon Grantham, Managing Director at LUC.
"As we continue to tackle complex environmental challenges and drive sustainable solutions, having the right expertise and leadership in place is crucial.
“Each of these individuals has demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication to our mission of creating better futures for nature, people, and places. Congratulations to everyone for their well-deserved promotions."
