Press Releases February 10, 2026

Perkins&Will Appoints Brad Zizmor and Derek Newby to its Firmwide Board of Directors

Zizmor, based in New York City, and Newby, based in Vancouver, bring geographically and professionally diverse perspectives that further strengthen the firm’s global strategy.

NEW YORK and VANCOUVER—Perkins&Will welcomes Brad Zizmor and Derek Newby to its board of directors, adding expertise in strategy-driven design and sustainability leadership to the firm’s governance. Zizmor, a managing principal in the firm’s New York studio, co-founded A+I, which merged with Perkins&Will in 2025. Newby is managing director of the firm’s Vancouver and Calgary studios.

“The world’s most successful organizations innovate by embracing change while staying true to their values,” says Perkins&Will CEO and chairman Phil Harrison. “At a moment of rapid technological shifts and urgently needed climate action, Brad and Derek will push us to think differently and deliver differently. That’s the kind of creative tension we love at Perkins&Will because it keeps us competitive.”

Across markets, clients are asking design teams to engage earlier and more deeply with digital tools, workplace strategy, organizational decision-making, and sustainability. Zizmor’s and Newby’s combined experience will help the firm continue to deliver on those expectations worldwide.

Get to know the new board members:

Brad Zizmor (left) and Derek Newby (right) attended the firm's recent board meeting in Charlotte.

Brad Zizmor, New York, New York

Brad Zizmor joins the board following Perkins&Will’s September 2025 merger with A+I, the New York–based strategy and design firm he co-founded in 1995. Formed at the dawn of the digital era, A+I was built on the idea that architecture must engage both the physical and virtual worlds. Zizmor and co-founder Dag Folger set out to not only design the built environment but also shape the experiences and information that surround it. Over time, that approach evolved into a strategy-led practice focused on helping organizations “define purpose before tactics.”

Zizmor brings his experience building and scaling a strategy agency model within an architecture practice to Perkins&Will. As a board member, his focus is on strengthening the firm’s strategic advisory capabilities. This includes integrating strategy, architecture, graphics, and experience design, constantly evolving to meet the broader storylines and challenges of contemporary life.

“More than ever, clients are looking for true thought partners to help them navigate the world’s most consequential challenges with strategic clarity,” says Zizmor. “There is no firm better positioned to do that than Perkins&Will, whose extraordinary constellation of experts, builders, thinkers, and dreamers can create the spark to help clients turn ambition into clear, actionable outcomes.”

Today, Zizmor works closely with organizations around the world to shape their strategies and align their spaces with evolving business needs. His clients include Google, Hines, Vornado, Equinox, Squarespace, and Commonwealth.

“I find it serendipitous that machine learning and AI hold the same promises and fears today that we all felt during the Internet boom of the 1990s when we started A+I,” he says. “I know first-hand that by approaching this moment with optimism, realism, and creativity, we can have enormous positive effects on our society and how it communicates, builds, and thrives with equity and dignity.”

Derek Newby, Vancouver, British Columbia

Derek Newby joins the board after more than a decade with Perkins&Will, where he has worked across nearly every stage of practice. He first joined the firm in 2011 as a project architect, leading design, documentation, and construction delivery for public- and private-sector clients across Western Canada. After a brief departure in 2020, he returned in 2023 and was appointed managing director of the Vancouver and Calgary studios, along with regional responsibility for supporting strategic growth and coordination across Canada.

Newby’s work sits at the intersection of environmental responsibility and human experience. He has long championed low-carbon design, Passive House principles, and the responsible use of mass timber.

“Architecture and urban design are acts of optimism,” says Newby. “At our best, we help clients and communities navigate complexity with care, judgment, and imagination. I see real opportunity for our profession to lead with confidence on sustainability, human experience, and the responsible use of emerging technologies, including AI.”

As a board member, Newby will help connect Perkins&Will’s studios more closely with one another and with the broader Sidara Collaborative, encouraging shared learning and collective problem-solving. He intends to advance Living Design while helping position the firm to deliver more resilient, future-ready outcomes in response to climate pressures and emerging technologies.

“Great outcomes come from shared knowledge and shared purpose,” he says. “By strengthening connections across our studios and disciplines, we can elevate our impact and help clients navigate change with confidence and care.”

Perkins&Will’s 2026 Board of Directors

Zizmor and Newby join fellow board members Phil Harrison, Lindsey Peckinpaugh, Gina Berndt, Chris Hardie, Zena Howard, Yanel de Angel, Kay Kornovich, Richard Marshall, Tom Reisenbichler, Andrew Frontini, Jason F. McLennan, and Talal Shair.

The board of directors huddled together.

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About Perkins&Will

Perkins&Will, an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, was founded in 1935 on the belief that design has the power to transform lives. The firm is committed to creating a better, beautiful, more equitable world through Living Design, an approach that integrates environmental, social, and design considerations to advance ecological health and well-being. Interior Design named Perkins&Will a “Sustainability Giant” in 2024; Architizer named it the world’s “Best Sustainable Firm” in 2023; and Metropolis named it “Firm of the Year” in 2022 for its industry leadership in advancing climate action and social justice. Fast Company named Perkins&Will one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in Architecture three times, and in 2021, it added the firm to its list of Brands That Matter—making Perkins&Will the first architecture practice in the world to earn the distinction.

With an international team of more than 2,700 professionals, Perkins&Will has over 30 studios worldwide, providing integrated services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture. Partners include Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects; McLennan Design; Portland; Nelson\Nygaard; and Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR). For more information, visit www.perkinswill.com.

Perkins&Will Appoints Brad Zizmor and Derek Newby to its Firmwide Board of Directors

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