Alexandra Hagen to step down as CEO of White Arkitekter
Swedish studio White Arkitekter has announced that architect Alexandra Hagen will step down as the company's CEO in 2026.
Hagen will remain in the position for six months from now, by which time her replacement is expected to have been selected. The recruitment process is now underway.
The move aligns with White Arkitekter's next strategy period, for which the practice wants "a new CEO to be involved from the outset", according to chair of the board Niklas Flyborg.
"The current strategy period runs until the end of 2026, and over the coming year, we will set the strategy for the next four-year period – that is how the company works," Flyborg told Dezeen.
"It is therefore natural to review the CEO role now. We want a new CEO to be involved from the outset and have initiated a recruitment process," he continued.
Hagen expanded White Arkitekter's international operations
Hagen took up the role of CEO of White Arkitekter in 2018. Prior to this, she has also held leadership positions, including head of the firm's 90-person Malmö office and international director for business development in the UK.
She climbed the ladder all the way from junior architect, a role she took in 2001 after graduating from Chalmers University of Technology.
Flyborg said Hagen's leadership has been "characterised by commitment and professionalism" and praised her guidance in expanding the firm's transnational operations.
"Alexandra's leadership has been characterised by commitment, professionalism, and significant contributions to the company's development," said Flyborg.
"During her time as CEO, Alexandra has led White Arkitekter through both strong and more challenging periods – including the pandemic years and the current economic downturn – while still enabling us to expand our international presence," he continued.
"Under her leadership, we have opened our studio in Stuttgart and continued to grow and strengthen our presence in the UK."
In addition to this, Hagen also cemented sustainable development as a pillar of the practice, most notably by pledging that every building it designs will be carbon-neutral by 2030.
"During her time as CEO, Alexandra has contributed to strengthening our international presence and driving forward a number of significant and award-winning projects, always with sustainability as the driving force," said Flyborg.
"For example, 84 per cent of our projects in 2024 were linked to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."
White Arkitekter working with external recruiter
Hagen's replacement is yet to be selected, and the company is now actively recruiting for the position both internally and externally, working with an external recruitment firm.
However, "White Arkitekter has a tradition of appointing CEOs internally", according to Flyborg.
Information about Hagen's next steps has not yet been disclosed.
White Arkitekter was founded in 1951 in Gothenburg by Sidney White. It is one of Scandinavia's leading architectural studios, with offices around the world, including in London, East Africa and Canada.
It recently revealed plans for The Erven, a timber housing development in the Netherlands, and completed a sculptural water tower "that will stand for centuries".
Earlier this year, we named its Sara Kulturhus, one of the world's tallest timber structures, as the most significant building of 2021.
The main photo is by Camilla Svensk.
The post Alexandra Hagen to step down as CEO of White Arkitekter appeared first on Dezeen.
