Arup names new leadership as firm expands in the Americas

Los Angeles — Arup announced that Andy Howard has been appointed Chairman of the Americas Region and Leo Argiris has been named Chief Operating Officer of the Americas Region. Their appointments reflect the firm’s forward thinking and its capacity to embrace change: Arup routinely rotates its leadership to bring fresh perspectives to the firm’s growth and development in the Americas and worldwide. Outgoing Chairman of the Americas Region, Mahadev Raman, has been named Director of Arup University, the firm’s forum for keeping skills at the cutting-edge, overseeing the firm’s research, professional-development, knowledge and foresight activities.

Gregory Hodkinson, Arup Group Chairman, said, “Arup’s strategy is to do the best quality work for our clients across all specialties to achieve a positive impact on our world. Andy Howard and Leo Argiris have the right skills to advance this mission in the Americas, a region that offers incredible opportunities and where the firm has worked on some of the most complex and progressive projects for some of the most demanding clients.”

The new management team aims to bring the world’s best ideas and advice to clients in the Americas. By leveraging digital technologies to provide clients with efficient and inventive solutions, Howard will both drive the vision for the firm’s future and serve as a steward of Arup’s legacy.

“Because our firm is owned in trust, with its employees as beneficiaries, we have the opportunity to invest heavily in innovation for the benefit of our clients and industry. This is a powerful motivator for me and the entire Arup team to continue to develop transformative ways of working,” said Howard. Arup’s clients also benefit from the company’s high rate of employee retention, which ensures sustained, focused research.

As Howard and Argiris lead Arup into the future in the Americas, prospects are exciting on a number of fronts. For FYE 2016, revenues for Arup in the Americas will exceed $350 million (the firm’s global revenue is $2 billion), and the group is anticipating double-digit growth annually for the next five years.

“For Arup, growth is not a target, but an enabler that allows us to provide the best services to our clients and interesting opportunities for our staff,” said Argiris.

Looking ahead, Howard believes that Arup is ideally positioned to capitalize on the tremendous potential offered by harnessing automation in new ways to facilitate the design process. Arup’s ability to compile and quickly analyze information on ever-larger scales is transforming the management of complex projects and development of creative solutions. In city-building, for instance, Arup synthesizes and manipulates data on resiliency, traffic congestion, pollution, and energy usage with great speed and accuracy to produce smart, real-time models that yield results of much greater impact and efficiency than traditional linear-style design. Areas specifically targeted by Howard that can benefit from this advanced approach include transportation networks and infrastructure projects.

Howard views technology as a driver for positive change within the AEC community and will work to solidify Arup’s position as a strategic leader in this rapidly evolving scene. “At Arup, we’re looking at expanding our capabilities,” said Howard. “We have become advisory experts, giving our clients broader advice on solutions. We define our value by the positive impact we have on stakeholders and the world at large.”

Setting goals to continue the company’s organic growth and creating new opportunities for staff are also on the firm’s agenda for the future. Arup is planning to expand its 15 offices in North and South America and is currently evaluating several locations for new branches.