Los Angeles – Oct. 6, 2020 – Cumming, a leading international project management and cost consultancy, has announced that the firm will move forward with its strategic CEO succession plan effective Jan. 1, 2021. David Baird, a long-time Cumming executive, will replace Finlay Cumming as CEO after the founder drove the company’s industry-leading growth for nearly 25 years.
With a succession plan in the works for the past several years, Baird assumed the role of COO in January 2020, accepting overall responsibility for the firm’s operations teams. Baird has worked alongside Finlay Cumming to help maintain steady and consistent operations throughout this unprecedented year. Before taking over as COO, Baird, who has been with Cumming since 2004, was responsible for the construction consultancy’s cost management teams nationwide and oversaw all West Coast project management operations.
The future-focused plan with Baird at the helm will position the construction consultancy for its highly-anticipated next chapter, while fostering an environment of continuous internal improvement and helping breed the innovation needed to fuel future U.S. and European expansions.
“After seeing how skillfully and successfully David executed his role over the past year, I knew this was the right time to move forward with our succession plan, which has been five years in the making,” said Finlay Cumming, CEO at Cumming.
Finlay Cumming, the company’s founder who has led the consultancy since starting it back in 1996, will assume a new role as executive chairman, where he will provide strategic guidance to Baird and the executive team.
“When we started 25 years ago, we were a small, hungry business whose mission was to provide owners with a true client-first approach that helped deliver successful projects,” continued Cumming. “Remaining as nimble, client-focused, and energized as ever, we have grown into a $225 million global construction consultancy with more than 900 team members and are now ready to enter our next exciting chapter with decisive and thoughtful leadership.”
Cumming’s diverse portfolio includes an array of assignments in the aviation, corporate office, culture, education, data center, healthcare, hospitality, life sciences, manufacturing, public works, and retail sectors totaling more than $600 billion in project value. Cumming’s worldwide team includes 900 professionals across 30 U.S. and four U.K. offices.
About Cumming
Cumming is an international project and cost management firm with 30 U.S. and four U.K. offices. Since opening for business in 1996, Cumming has provided efficient and cost-effective solutions to ensure that projects in the aviation, corporate office, culture, education, data center, healthcare, hospitality, life sciences, manufacturing, public works, and retail sectors are executed on time and within budget. Cumming provides a solutions-oriented suite of services that specifically addresses its clients’ unique challenges, thus enabling them to achieve extraordinary results.
