James Byng wins TNW Excellence Award

James Byng, director of the TU Delft Hortus Botanicus, wins the TNW Excellence Award. His ambition was “to create within five years a garden that will be a leading visitor attraction for the city of Delft and the leading technical botanical garden in Europe.” He is already very far along in achieving this ambition. The TNW Excellence Award is an award for a faculty member, in management and organisation, who has shown exceptional commitment within the TNW faculty. The award recognises faculty members who perform their duties in an outstanding and inspiring manner, working constructively and thoughtfully with colleagues and students. The award was presented for the first time at TNW's New Year's Breakfast 2024 and will now be presented annually.

James Byng works with passion and has a very clear vision on management, organisation and presentation. He is a true business manager and managed to work towards a sustainable long-term future of the TU Delft Hortus Botanicus. He managed to improve, in just a few years’ time, the connection with the main TU Delft campus to the city centre. With renewed energy he knows how to preserve TU Delft's cultural heritage. He managed to get his team, as well as colleagues within the department and faculty, excited about the renewed TU Delft Hortus Botanicus: a public visitor attraction showcasing the technical products and potential of plants. 

James Byng worked at world famous botanical institutions, such as Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, and Naturalis Biodiversity Center. We are so happy that he choose TU Delft to continue his career.