MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Cuningham Group, a global architectural design firm, has announced the appointment of Christine Cavataio to President and Chief Operating Officer to share the leadership requirements of the growing firm and a rapidly evolving industry, according to Chief Executive Officer Tim Dufault.
In her new role as President and COO, Cavataio will oversee and closely collaborate with the leaders of each of Cuningham’s Studios (Grow, Heal, Live, Work, Play) and Practices (Strategy, Design + Performance, People, Business), working with Dufault to guide the strategic vision for the firm and put it into practice.
Dufault, who joined Cuningham in 1992 and previously served as President and CEO for 13 years, will focus on the CEO role spearheading the growth, long-term strategy, external representation, mergers and acquisitions, and new ventures of the firm.
Cavataio is inspired by Cuningham’s commitment to increasing its agility to drive value to its clients.
“This integral leadership role is a worthy challenge as Cuningham makes forward-thinking strides helping them navigate the changing design marketplace and trends specific to their respective industries,” says Cavataio, who has 30 years of experience in the architectural design industry. “Cuningham is a visionary firm, both in its innovative design projects, and in the way the team fosters a true sense of trust, open communication, and collaboration with its clients, as well as with its employees and other partners. This leads to innovative solutions that take inspiration from our mission of uplifting the human spirit both internally and externally.”
Cavataio has deep experience in developing relationships with clients and ensuring performance by building and leading superior collaborative teams.
“Christy has demonstrated unmatched leadership skills, including optimizing management structures and processes, as well as a true talent for bringing people and their strengths together to accomplish design projects valued at upwards of $2 billion,” says Dufault. “We are honored to welcome her to the Cuningham team at this key time as we successfully position the firm to more deeply advise our clients regarding evolving standards of aesthetic, performance, and sustainability in design.”
Dufault also notes that Cuningham will soon roll out new branding and positioning, culminating in a new website launching in June.
Cavataio has extensive architectural, firm leadership, and project leadership experience. One of her most notable projects was the $2.1 billion Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), a 3.6 million-square-foot healthcare complex serving Montreal, during her time a Senior Vice President at CannonDesign. She led the project and the 180-person architectural design team, comprised of team members from six CannonDesign offices as well as four consultant firms. To date, the project has been awarded over 30 international awards for design excellence and healthcare innovation.
During her time with CannonDesign, Cavataio also served as the Business Practice Leader for the both the New York City and Montreal offices of the firm.
Previously, Cavataio served as director of operations for Jacobs Southern California Design Division, a 140-person full-service architectural and engineering team. Cavataio was also Vice President and Director of Operations for the international headquarters of Leo A Daly Company, where she managed a 120-person full-service architectural / engineering office while mentoring satellite offices in Hong Kong and Miami.
In addition to CHUM, Cavataio has successfully led teams on a number of large complex projects including the Vdara tower at CityCenter in Las Vegas, the World War II Memorial in Washington DC, and Microsoft’s $2B Global Data Center Program.
Cavataio is an associate member of American Institute of Architects (AIA) and holds a Bachelor of Science, Architectural Engineering with an Emphasis in Construction Management from University of Kansas, where she has served as an Advisory Board Member for the School of Architectural Engineering since 2004.
About Cuningham Group: Founded in 1968, Cuningham Group® is celebrating more than 50 years of Uplifting the Human Experience through great design and a client-centered, collaborative approach. Cuningham Group transcends tradition with architecture, interior design, urban design, and landscape architecture services for a diverse mix of client and project types. Awarded the American Institute of Architects Minnesota Firm Award, the firm is consistently recognized as a design leader and has grown to more than 355 employees in offices in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, San Diego, Phoenix, Beijing and Doha. For more information, please visit cuningham.com