What does it take to lead a top-level professional services organisation?
What are the challenges of international expansion?
What makes it work into the future?
These were some of the questions put to Ross Donaldson, the former MD and Global Executive Chairman of Woods Bagot architects.
Ross led a conversation for Band of Leaders Australia (BOLA) Prime members and guests entitled What Makes It Work?, at the group’s monthly meeting on Friday 19 July at Casa Nostra in Osborne Park.
(Ross 2nd right with David Blythe-Wood, Arnold Stroobach, George Koutroulos.)
BOLA is a peer membership group for business owners and chief executives. We seek to take our members beyond achievement to success—the essence of leadership. Inviting Guest Conversations is a key activity in our group meeting.
From 2006 Ross was CEO and Chairman of Woods Bagot, Australia’s largest and only global architectural practice. Woods Bagot grew under Ross’s leadership, from a mid-size Australian practice to be the world’s 6th largest in 2015 and named equal 7th as the ‘most admired firm’, judged amongst its peers in a World Architecture survey in 2016.
In an in-depth conversation Ross said that to lead a top level professional services organisation it had taken the recruitment of young, enthusiastic and fearless practitioners along with the introduction of knowledge-driven design. This concept was based on how any given space was to be used and was articulated, documented and published–becoming central to their practice, marketing and recruitment efforts. Knowing how buildings perform was their central concept, and this became very powerful for designers and clients alike.
In the 9 years following 2006 Woods Bagot’s turnover increased 600% and their staffing from 300 to 800. A crucial part of this growth was the improvement in productivity by 240%.
Continue reading on about 'What Makes it Work' by Jeff Bell - https://lnkd.in/gJhSrkhQ
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Welcome to the team, Brett! Glad to have you!