July 2010 – Architecture and design consultancy Woods Bagot has appointed Ross Donaldson and Richard Marshall to the roles of joint group managing directors, effective from July 2010.
Richard Marshall.
Ross Donaldson.
The appointments represent a bold initiative for the future growth and expansion of Woods Bagot and continues the firm’s ongoing development as one of the world’s most dynamic and innovative architectural practices.
The decision for a joint leadership role was made to align with the firm’s aggressive growth strategy, particularly in the Asia, Europe and North America markets; along with the need of the firm to broaden their leadership across the areas of strategy, culture and consolidation of global operations.
To this end the role will be shared with incumbent Ross Donaldson leading the financial, strategic direction and new initiatives focus of the business; and Urban Design director Richard Marshall focused on leading the firm’s integrated management, design and delivery structure and people and culture programs.
“Following the global financial crisis, we understand that it is a fiercely competitive global market,” says Ross Donaldson.
“We must be seen to be elevating the efficiency of our operations as well as being seen as innovators in the design intelligence we bring to the market. It is critical we explore new strategies for improving our competitive edge and the quality of the service we bring.”
A recent outcome of this design intelligence exploration is Woods Bagot and Buro Happold’s design partnership of ‘Zero Emissions Design’ (ZERO-E) – a new model for large-scale sustainable development that significantly advances the construction industry’s contribution to realising a zero carbon economy by 2050.
In addition, the creation of the joint role recognises that both Marshall and Donaldson have strong but different client and professional focuses, ones which are in great demand within the firm.
“Our focus is on how we bring value to our clients through design, on how we drive innovation in our work and on how we can create better, more sustainable and more meaningful buildings and urban environments. We feel that this is an important differentiator for us as a business and our new joint role will allow us to magnify the firm’s success across many fronts,” says Marshall.
More information
Woods Bagot www.woodsbagot.com