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The importance of nature and the role it plays in how we live cannot be understated.

We live in an age where urbanisation and tower blocks are the norm and nature comes secondary. We have more concrete than we do trees and plants in our work and living spaces.

Today is Earth Day and the notion of protecting and valuing the planet is not completely lost on many of us. There are still those who shudder at existing in a virtual reality.

The custodians of nature’s beauty are few and far between and it takes people of dedication, commitment and skill to to help preserve and utilise Jamaica’s natural beauty.

One such person is Guardsman’s Managing Director of Nature’s Paradise and Farms Nadia Thakur.

She is one of the few trained, professional landscape architects and designers working at a senior level in Jamaica.

Nadia studied in the United States, earning her degree from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, before coming back home to Jamaica. The landscape specialist was appointed as General Manager of Nature’s Paradise in 2010 before being promoted in 2020 to the position of Managing Director. She joined Jamaica’s leading security and protection company in her twenties and has built an admirable career there.

Though the Guardsman Group has become synonymous with security, it has diversified into other business lines, including attractions and farming. Its founder, Chairman Kenny Benjamin, is an avid nature lover and was the driving force behind Hope Zoo. He has been a tireless champion of botanical gardens in Jamaica and green spaces, factoring in city development. 

Speaking with Our Today, Nadia Thakur reflected: “My career at Guardsman has progressed well largely because it is a company that is supportive. There are several women in senior management roles here in a male-dominated industry. You don’t tend to see that in Jamaica, and credit here goes to our Chairman and the Board of Directors.  At Guardsman, you have women in leadership positions who support other women. I have been at the company for sixteen years now.”

The senior Guardsman executive has been tasked with heading all Guardsman’s landscaping operations, property management and taking care of the farms. Nature’s Paradise started as a small orchid garden and has grown into a full-service landscape design and maintenance company. It provides landscaping for hotels, the Hope Zoo and a number of different businesses. It did the initial development for Konoko Falls in St Ann.  It also offers a personalised landscaping service for residences. 

When Nadia first joined the Guardsman Group, her team comprised of just thirteen members. It grew to sixty just before the COVID pandemic and now has over forty members.

“Guardsman supports you not just as a professional but as a person. You are not regarded as just an employee; your general welfare is always of paramount concern to the company.  If there is a trying situation outside of work, the company will find ways to assist you. Guardsman helps you grow and make progress. You are not just an asset, another employee.  I worked at two other places before coming to Guardsman, and they were not as close-knit as it is here. People stay with Guardsman; they build their careers and lives here. Yes, we have boundaries, but we also extend them if needed.”

In the earlier years of her career, Nadia Thakur worked as a civil servant, executing landscape projects for the Jamaican government agency, Tourism  Product Development Company (TPDCo).

“What many people don’t grasp about landscaping is that it takes meticulous planning. When we do installations, Mrs Valerie Juggan Brown comes in with her team and expands on the plan. Landscaping has to be maintained and refreshed every three or four months. We take landscaping very seriously,” explained the Nature’s Paradise boss.

So how does she see the future for the Guardsman Group? 

“We have to move more into technology and cannot be solely human-based. But at the same time we must maintain our personality. The future is digital and we have to embrace it.”

How can Jamaica incorporate more landscaping in urban planning? 

“Here in Jamaica, we have to pay greater attention to how we plan our cities. I would like to see more walkways for pedestrians and cyclists taken into account. We are seeing many Jamaicans engaging in healthy walking, and room should be made for that.  There are so many cars now, and it would be good to cut down on the pollution.  Air conditioning is everywhere, and we should find a way to employ a natural alternative. It is vital that Jamaica reduce its energy costs. We can’t do all this alone; we have to work together with town planners and engineers.”