As part of HOK’s planned succession process, Patrick MacLeamy remains as chairman
NEW YORK—Bill Hellmuth, AIA, officially took over as HOK’s chief executive officer on April 19, with longtime CEO Patrick MacLeamy, FAIA, moving to chairman as part of a planned succession process that the firm first announced Jan. 25.
Hellmuth, who is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C., studio, has been HOK’s president since 2005. His promotion to CEO signals a renewed emphasis on design thinking and innovation across HOK. For the first time since 1990, when Gyo Obata stepped down to assume the role of chairman, the firm is being led by a design principal. Hellmuth brings special insight on managing the creative process—balancing the art and the business to generate the best design solutions and most value for clients. He will continue in his role as HOK’s firm-wide president and design principal for projects in the Washington, D.C., area and worldwide.
“Design excellence will define our future,” said Hellmuth. “I joined HOK in 1991 for the opportunity to be part of a practice that had the opportunity to do the best design work of its time. We’re now creating design solutions that address some of the world’s greatest challenges. We’ll continue broadening the scope of our creativity and problem solving and using design thinking to strengthen our design culture. This will continue to attract the best people and clients to HOK.”
Read more about Bill Hellmuth and his vision for the future of HOK in this new Q+A profile.
With current projects in 75 countries, HOK has designed some of the world’s most important urban plans, buildings and interior environments. Current and recent projects include the 80-story Capital Market Authority Tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; the Porsche Cars North America Experience Center and Headquarters in Atlanta; the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) in Anaheim, California; Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; the Francis Crick Institute in London; and the 74-story Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
About HOK
HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm. Through a network of 24 offices worldwide, HOK provides design excellence and innovation to create places that enrich people’s lives and help clients succeed. DesignIntelligence consistently ranks HOK as a leader in sustainable, high-performance design and technology innovation.
