Andrew Thomas becomes managing partner as Kirsten Lees steps down
Senior leaders at Grimshaw have picked Andrew Thomas to take the helm of the practice’s London studio, succeeding Kirsten Lees as managing partner.
Thomas joined Grimshaw in 2001 and has been a partner for a decade, working on projects including the Core and Foundation buildings at the Eden Project; the Fulton Center in New York; Istanbul New Airport; and most recently Noida International Airport in Delhi.
The role of managing partner at Grimshaw’s London studio normally lasts for three years and is voted on by the practice’s nine partners in the capital. Lees served as managing partner for four and a half years to “provide continuity” during the Coranavirus pandemic.
Lees, who remains a partner at the firm, said Covid-19 had led to major changes in the way the business operates, and placed greater emphasis on equity and diversity across the industry and society at large.
“Andrew is well-placed to continue to evolve the studio within this context as it looks forward to its growth in the next few years,” she said.
Thomas said he was inheriting a studio “in excellent business health” with a hugely-talented team and an “exciting and diverse” collection of projects.
“We’re privileged to have inspiring, like-minded clients across many sectors and geographies, and we’re driven by the opportunity to work with them in response to their ambitions and the broader challenges of our times,” he said.
“The key focus of my tenure will be to continue to build on these fantastic opportunities, to deliver real social and environmental impact through our projects and to support the passion of our people to make a difference within the communities we operate.”
Ongoing projects include London Euston HS2 Station – which the government last month acknowledged it had written off more than £100m of design work on, following a change of tack; the Eden Project Morecambe; YTL Arena in Bristol; Oman Botanical Garden;s and Shenzhen Airport East Integrated Transportation Hub.
Grimshaw’s London studio is also creating a masterplan for the redevelopment of the area surrounding Waterloo Station and working on the development of a 600-home scheme at Bath Riverside.
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