Fit-Out Powerlist 2022 - KPS, Ranks 6th

Stephen Taylor, UAE managing director, KPS

With over 500 employees, an annual turnover of more than US$ 150 million and 15 million square feet of space designed and transformed, KPS is a significant player in the interior construction sector. Across education, innovation hubs, IT, finance, workspaces, retail, healthcare, food and beverage, and hospitality, for three decades KPS has brought commercial spaces to life. With strong Swedish roots, over the years KPS has spread its wings. Founded in Dubai in 1992, the company now has a presence in nine countries across Europe and the Middle East. Its UAE offices are in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah; New Cairo in Egypt; Beirut in Lebanon; and Paris in France; while its Saudi Arabian sister company RAM Construction has offices in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar.

KPS satellite offices in other markets, including Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait, complete the growing network. This is ideal for clients with a multinational presence and in many cases KPS has been responsible for delivering projects for the same client across multiple markets, allowing professional knowledge sharing to generate efficiencies that can be passed back to clients in time and cost savings. However, despite its size and international reputation, KPS is still 100% privately-owned. This means the personal approach the company values in all its work is reflected in everything it does. It also allows KPS to innovate and find surprising solutions when unexpected challenges pop up – and invest in a technology-led approach to interior design and construction.

In a recent Design Middle East interview, Stephen Taylor, who took over the helm as managing director of KPS UAE earlier this year, said he believes that onnected construction technology will be one of the main drivers that will unlock new value for the interiors sector: “Construction is like a team sport, and you are only truly successful if all the stakeholders are working together as one. Today, connected construction technology is transforming companies like KPS.” Stephen went on to share his vision for the sector: “At KPS, we believe that technology changes will make everyone, and everything works smarter. From building information modelling, through data collection apps, virtual reality, and wearables, to 3D printing, open communication between technology to ensure the whole project team has the right information at the right time, will invariably lead to better project out- comes. With everyone on a project using the same set of information and communicating seamlessly, it becomes easier to minimise changes, address risks, and improve time and cost issues. These changes will affect more than just our day-to-day operations; they will shift the entire approach to creating and managing construction projects in many ways that are still hard to predict.”

“After a long and successful international career, and several years managing operations at KPS in Dubai, Stephen took over the helm as managing director earlier this year” – Stephen Taylor, UAE managing director, KPS

“The newly reopened D3 showroom gave KPS the chance to transform its own space and create a new physical presence to demonstrate its FF&E capabilities to the world.” – KPS Showroom, Dubai Design District

KPS Showroom, Dubai Design District (d3)

KPS always takes the time to understand its clients and their business and works alongside them collaboratively to bring their goals to life. These lifelong friendships, as KPS calls them, have not only fuelled the com- pany’s spectacular growth but have also ensured an unusually high share of repeat business. In many cases, KPS is refitting spaces today that it first created for the same corporate clients ten or even fifteen years ago. Whether those clients want a complete service solution from beginning to end, or only need support on certain aspects of a project, KPS always takes the time to understand each unique need and helps to find the best solutions. The world is complicated enough so KPS likes to keep things simple. A consultation is the first step where KPS assesses the space to be transformed and the exciting opportunities it contains. KPS then plans designs and sets budgets and timelines for the project, from conception to completion. KPS’ project managers supervise every detail, including logistics, construction, and onsite installations. The KPS team is always an extension of each client’s team, helping them stay on track and within budget. When clients need custom features, furniture, and installations, KPS creates a solution tailored to each specific need. Long after the completion of each project, KPS is still there for its clients, with post-contract support and aftercare services to guarantee peace of mind. KPS’ in-house design studio is a hub of inspiration, where over fifty in-house designers experiment with technology and creativity.

From the intricacies of MEP to the beautiful details of furnishings and finishes, the team takes pride in planning every detail with one purpose – to surprise and delight KPS’ clients. KPS is also proud to give back to the community and recently found an innovative way to mark the UN’s thirtieth annual World Water Day – a special day to raise awareness of the two billion people across the globe who don’t have access to clean drinking water. It all started with replacing single-use plastic bottles in all KPS offices with refillable water flasks. Not only did this save plastic waste, but it also saved a lot of money. Those savings were then put towards the installation of an AquaTower at an elementary school in the Philippines. The tower came with an active filtration system, to remove viruses, bacteria, pathogens, and other contaminants from the water. Now in full operation, it will provide crystal-clean drinking water to the school and local community for generations to come.