Simon Stracey

Simon came to project management through art and architecture. He won a school scholarship in painting and was accepted into the Elam School of Fine Arts, but chose architecture instead, practising for six years in New Zealand and four in the UK and Europe before moving into project management.

His architectural background is what sets him apart. He reads design the way designers do and understands how early design decisions play out downstream in delivery, which is why the design teams he manages tend to trust him. He speaks their language.

Over more than twenty years he has become a specialist in design-led mixed-use development, particularly hospitality and food and beverage, and in the public realm work that brings intricate stakeholder management with it. Simon joined RCP in 2016 and was soon on the team delivering Commercial Bay, where he developed the retail compliance strategy with Auckland Council and managed the fitouts of food and beverage tenancies such as Ahi.

Equal parts practical and creative, Simon is a quick thinker under pressure. He is good at removing roadblocks and keeping a solution in sight, mindful of budget and programme, and he listens before he directs. Where others see complexity, he tends to see patterns.