Lajla completed her undergraduate degree in Forestry at the University of Wales Bangor, in 1998. During her degree she spent a year in industry working for the Forestry Commission in East Anglia.
On qualifying, Lajla spent several years as a forestry contractor before joining the Forestry Commission in Wales working on the landscaping element of the Trunk Road network.  As Lajla’s career has progressed, she has worked in operational roles managing a fleet of ground prep machines, managed partnership woodland creation projects and woodland officer roles.
Following the woodland officer role, Lajla, moved into policy and governance, led on the land acquisition project for woodland creation, and supported the Welsh Government in their amendments to the Forestry Act.
Lajla joined the lecturing team at the University of Cumbria in January 2023, primarily working on the Professional Forester Degree Apprentice delivering Measuring Trees and Forests, Practical Forest Skills, Wood Utilisation and Processing, Forest Policy and Governance and Managing Forest Operations.
