After 10 years as president and CEO, Dan Noble's role at global architecture firm HKS Inc. is undergoing a major change.
Noble will cede the title of president to its chief financial officer, Sam Mudlo, who will become CEO and chairman.
Under Mr. Noble's leadership, the company has grown from approximately 800 to 1,500 employees. HKS is currently the second largest architecture firm in the United States by revenue. It reported 2022 sales of $500 million, second only to Gensler's more than $1.78 billion.
Projects contributing to HKS' local impact include Children's Health and UT Southwestern Medical's $5 billion pediatric campus, AT&T Stadium renovations for 2026 World Cup games, and the recently opened Loews Arlington. Includes hotels. He has also worked on smaller but notable projects, such as the renovation of the Forest Theater in South Dallas.
“There are a few things going on here. Number one, I'm not going to be CEO forever, and number two, we've gotten bigger,” Noble said of the leadership split. talked about. “The idea of splitting roles and helping someone transition at the CEO level. Both of these ideas overlap and say, 'Now is the time.'”
The transformation for the Dallas-based company, which celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, marks a turning point in its approach to business areas.
In his new role, Noble will help guide strategy as the company grapples with machine learning, artificial intelligence and other types of automation and evolves accordingly. He will also work to set that vision for the entire company, or, in his words, “the direction we want to go.” It spans innovation in the field of design, expert advisory services to clients from psychologists to mathematicians, and finding ways to improve communities and people's lives.
“I'm interested in playing a role in this space, and I'm not the only one in this, because what can be commoditized will be commoditized, and what can be automated will be automated,” Noble said. Told. “So what happens to architects? I think that positions architects as problem solvers.”
Mudlo, who joined HKS in 2015, will be responsible for implementing and operating the company's strategy across 27 locations around the world, with a focus on people and where work happens. Noble said Mudlo is not a designer or architect by trade, but he is a quick learner and a sponge-like person.
Mudlo said there's a pretty clear line between his and Noble's new roles, but for it to work, there really isn't one.
“This is an imaginary line because we all have to be armed at all times and strategy and execution are not related but are closely related,” Mudlo said.
Noble said it's a brave new world where the company and the industry are headed.
“On one hand, I’m glad I got out,” Noble joked. “But there's a part of me that says, 'I wish I had more freedom when I turned 28.' Because this is going to be a very exciting thing for decades to come.” Because it becomes.”
