AILA Board of Directors

AILA is governed by a representative board elected by its members. The board is supported in its functions by State and Territory Chapter Executives and Committees on topics of strategic importance.

The role, function and activities of the board includes to;

• formulate the Company’s Strategic Direction;
• determine the Company’s governance policies (pursuant to Article 15.1(e));
• appoint and work with and through the CEO, pursuant to Article 18;
• monitor and supervise the Company’s CEO and organisational and financial performance and risk and compliance management processes.
• provide accountability to the Members in pursuit of the furtherance of the Objects of the Company.

Split term director elections are held every year and directors hold their term for two (2) years. Only Full members of AILA are eligible to vote in director elections

Peta-Maree Ashford FAILA - National President

Peta-Maree is a Director, Owner and Principal Landscape Architect of Emerge Associates, a private practice in WA. After building and managing the Emerge South West regional office over a 5 year period, she returned to the Perth office in 2012 to take up her current role which extends to Manager of Landscape and Shared Services teams, as well as actively maintaining and overseeing the company’s financial stability.

Her passion, innovation and attention to detail, combined with her understanding of the technical aspects and practicalities of landscape construction, has culminated in the successful design and subsequent implementation of numerous urban, regional and greenfield projects in WA.

Peta-Maree strategically built her leadership qualities throughout her career including serving on committees of aligned industries and advocating for Landscape Architectural influence in government and private forums. Her leadership style is to draw on the strengths of those around her, seek differing opinions, listening and using what she hears facilitate positive change. She believes that empowering others to speak is a great business enabler.

Peta-Maree was shortlisted for the Inaugural UDIA Women in Leadership Award and her professional focus saw her acknowledged with an AILA Fellowship. She believes her culminated professional, regional, committee and practice experience provide a strong foundation for her role as Director of the AILA board.

Ben Willsmore FAILA - Vice-President

Ben Willsmore is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, with over 20 years’ experience in Australian and International design practices, and more recently leading integrated design teams within local government. In addition, Ben has undertaken a number of other advisory roles, championing the profession of Landscape Architecture and acting as an advocate for design quality, including AILA South Australian Chapter President for (2015-19), as well as his ongoing roles as a Board member for the Adelaide Park Lands Authority, and a member of the Office of Design and Architecture South Australian Design Review Panel.

His project experience ranges from strategic thinking and initiating opportunities, to development of strategy or master planning, through to the detail design and realisation of built projects. His approach seeks to enable change, by bringing together different people, views and expectations to achieve more holistic, informed and lasting design outcomes that are underpinned by a greater environmental response.

Katie Earle - Company Secretary

Katie Earle is a Registered Landscape Architect and Associate Director at McGregor Coxall Melbourne with over 16 years experience in private practice in Australia and the Middle East. 
 
Katie studied at the University of Canberra and then spent her early career in Sydney before embarking overseas to spend the next 8 years in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where she delivered a multitude of city shaping projects with culture and climate resilience at their core. Katie then returned to Sydney 5 years ago and has recently relocated to Melbourne with her role at McGregor Coxall and is one of three leaders in the Melbourne Landscape Studio. 
 
Katie is a driven leader with a passion for providing a safe and inclusive environment, to deliver design excellence in Landscape Architecture.
 
Katie previously held positions on the AILA NSW Chapter State Executive Committee, the AILA ShadeSmart Working Group and the AILA NSW Advocacy Committee.

Jasmine Ong AILA

Jasmine Ong is senior executive with 20 years’ experience in design and business leadership. She is a Registered Landscape Architect in the UK and Australia, with experience in government and private sectors. She draws on her global and varied experience to influence the profession. She is highly regarded in the industry after having worked in London as Director of Martha Schwartz Partners where she was responsible for award-winning projects and for setting up the Shanghai studio. Jasmine is a leader defined by her passion for climate positive design and gender equity, which are well aligned with AILA's strategic values. She drives a culture of best practice, knowledge sharing, thought leadership and succession planning. Having been on the AILA Board since 2020, Jasmine’s continued involvement brings stability and focus to drive impactful outcomes for the profession.

Andy Sharp

Landscape Architects are instrumental in solving global environmental and urbanisation issues. However, as a member-based organisation, AILA must do more to represent those landscape architects that choose to work for government, not for profits and those on the client side. The work of landscape architects is not just about winning awards, but rather about the deep thinking that’s required to develop projects, establish the briefs, and commission private practices to solve those problems. I believe AILA should be doing more to work with the hundreds of LA’s across government and client-side sectors to strengthen our profession. This is my mandate.