The Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) Board of Directors will appoint a new executive partnership to lead the firm, effective 1 January 2022. James Parker will become SGH’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), focusing on the firm’s strategic direction and corporate initiatives. Niklas Vigener will take on a new role as Chief Technical Officer (CTO), leading SGH's technical professionals.

"I am privileged to take on this role and confident that Nik and I will build on the firm's success," said Parker. "SGH has the strong core values, technical expertise, and thriving community to deliver exceptional results for our clients and be the premier community for exceptional engineering talent."

As CTO, Vigener will prioritize fostering leadership growth, advancing innovation and research efforts, and promoting integrated engineering solutions. "With our collective expertise and thought leadership, we are eager to continue advancing SGH in the marketplace and seeing what our talented technical professionals can accomplish with our client partners," said Vigener. 

Parker and Vigener have enjoyed a successful partnership for several years as SGH's technical group heads, with Parker serving as Head of Structural Engineering and Structural Mechanics, and Vigener as Head of Building Technology. Together, they established the overall strategic direction and standards for technical excellence for their respective groups and will look to further those efforts as they lead a combined technical and operational organization. Both leaders have longstanding careers at SGH and bring diverse technical experiences and award-winning project achievements to their new roles. Parker and Vigener are also vocal mentors, focused on encouraging and developing future leaders at SGH. 

"Nik and I are honored for the opportunity to continue the many significant accomplishments achieved by Charlie (Russo) during his tenure as CEO," said Parker. "Charlie's passion and dedication have contributed to the firm's success. We will build on those efforts and seek new ways to be a driving force for our communities and profession with the support of so many dedicated and experienced professionals here at SGH." 

Visit the SGH website to learn more about the firm's full leadership team.