Global architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) has named James Zheng as its new CEO, while Paul De Santis has joined James Goettsch as co-Design Director for the practice. As the primary Partners in the firm, the three have worked closely together for more than 17 years. Goettsch will also continue to serve as Chairman, with Zheng now assuming the full CEO title as well as President.

Goettsch and Zheng joined the firm in 1992 and 1995 respectively. They have shared leadership and management responsibilities since 2013 and served as co-CEOs since 2018. Zheng’s steady leadership of the firm, coupled with his emphasis on design quality and technical expertise delivered with highly personal service, will continue to be the foundation of the practice. Goettsch and De Santis have both been leading the designs of major projects in the US and abroad for many years. As co-Design Directors, they will collaborate in guiding the overall architectural philosophy of the firm while ensuring that design excellence is paramount across all assignments.

In addition to day-to-day management of the firm, Zheng has focused on strategic growth. With the firm’s established specialties in office, hospitality and mixed-use projects, Zheng concentrated on the multifamily residential sector five years ago, hiring key principal leaders and support staff to develop a market focus that now includes more than 7,000 apartments and condominiums across 13 projects and five cities. Zheng has also had recent success in expanding the firm’s reach, with the opening of a new office in Denver last month. He will continue to focus on growing that office to further serve clients in the West.

“James has been leading the firm successfully for several years now,” says Goettsch. “He is more than capable of furthering the firm’s vision and guiding its future.”

De Santis meanwhile recently completed the firm’s tallest building to-date, the 403m Guangxi China Resources Tower in Nanning. His work in Asia focuses on several tall and supertall buildings, with key projects in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Wuhan. His current US portfolio includes office, hospitality, residential and mixed-use developments in Chicago, Denver and Nashville.

“Paul emerged as a design leader in the firm very soon after joining us in 2005,” Goettsch. “I am pleased to formally acknowledge the shared design leadership we have been practicing for many years.”