HDR Appoints John Henderson as New CEO
HDR, a global employee-owned architecture and engineering firm, has named its new chief executive officer.
President and Chief Operating Officer John Henderson succeeds Chairman and CEO Eric Keen, who will continue as chairman of the company’s board of directors. Replacing Henderson as president and COO is Neil Graff, who previously served as the firm’s director of U.S. and North America operations.
The planned transition will maintain HDR's success in delivering multidisciplinary design services for clients and communities throughout the world.
“Eric’s deep commitment to employees, clients and our industry has strengthened the company’s stature,” said Dick Bell, former chairman, CEO and current board member. “And with John’s appointment, HDR has another leader who has the skills, experience and personal qualities to keep our company a driving force to maintain HDR’s outstanding success.”
Keen is handing over the CEO role after six years at the helm. He has held numerous positions at the company for the past 30 years. As CEO, he led the company through eight acquisitions, overseeing continuous revenue growth and the addition of over 2,600 employees.
Henderson becomes just the ninth CEO in the company’s 107-year history.
“It is an honour to build on the legacy of HDR,” Henderson said. “While many companies say they are unique, our broad-based employee ownership structure is the foundation of HDR’s competitive advantage. Together, HDR will find solutions to our communities’ greatest challenges.”
Henderson has had a distinguished career in leading wide-ranging programs for the U.S. Department of Defense and at HDR. He served in command and staff positions in the U.S. Army and the Army Corps of Engineers. Later, he was appointed to serve as the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Energy. He brings nearly three decades of experience in operations, engineering, military construction, infrastructure investment, water resources management and environmental programs.
Before his COO role, Henderson served as the company’s chief administrative officer. He has a master’s in civil and environmental engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and served as a National Security Studies Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
About HDR
For over a century, HDR has partnered with clients to shape communities and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Our expertise spans more than 12,000 employees in more than 200 locations around the world — and counting. Our engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services bring an impressive breadth of knowledge to every project. Our optimistic approach to finding innovative solutions defined our past and drives our future.
