Member Profile
Chamber Insight Focus on a member
Name: Tariq Shaikh Company: Gensler Job Title: Director of regions
Member Section
What does your company do? We are a global design firm specialising in architecture, interior design, master planning, graphics branding and retail. We strongly believe that design is about people, whether we’re working on a wine label or the second tallest building in the world.
How did it all start? It all began in a small studio in San Francisco in 1965, Art Gensler founded a firm based on ideas which were very different from the architecture firms of his day. Gensler now has 5,000+ people in 50 offices across the globe working with 4,620+ clients.
What’s your greatest achievement so far? Phase 3 and 4 of the Avenues retail centre in Kuwait City. This project was ahead of it’s time, placing experience and engagement at the forefront, breaking all the rules and formulas of retail centre design.
What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken – and did it work out? Moving from running a 40-person studio in London, to running a 13- person start up office in Birmingham. Nearly four years later we have more than doubled in size and are now looking to grow to the next level.
What keeps you awake at night? We have all been working from home since March 2020. I worry about the impact of long hours and blurred lines between work and home life. Specifically I worry about our people and how much longer we can go on like this.
If you could turn the clock back, what would you do differently? I would have learnt more languages. I learnt German living in Germany, but gave up on
Cantonese too quickly when living in Hong Kong. Working in Arabic speaking countries for 10 years, I regret not learning Arabic.
What has surprised you most in your job? How much a team all pulling in the same direction can achieve. We are a small office but we have a big impact.
What advice would you give to someone starting out? Stay curious. In this industry, you never stop learning. Find a good mentor, you can learn a lot from their experiences, both good and bad.
Which business do you most admire? It’s a toss-up between Tesla and Apple. Both companies are pioneering, swimming against the popular tide, doing things they were told could not be done with a strong respect of good design and attention to detail.
What exciting projects is your business working on? Sadly most of our work is super confidential and so we are unable to talk about it. However our new office in St. Philips Place will be opening in May and we have taken this opportunity to apply our research and global expertise to create a post-Covid workplace.
What made you join Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and how are you making use of your membership? Opening an office cold, in a new city is difficult. The GBCC is a great way to meet other people and businesses and help to develop a network. I miss the pre- Covid events, they were fun.
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March 2021 CHAMBERLINK 67
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