Powerlist Architects 30: DARRYL CUSTER MANAGING DIRECTOR—DESIGN DIVISION KEO INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS
Warryl Custer serves as the managing director of the design division for KEO International Consultants.
He has 32 years of international and domestic US commercial urban mixed-use design leadership and project management experience with an acute understanding of development, design and operations across multiple sectors and regions.
Custer was the Hong Kong office director at CallisonRTKL Asia Limited prior to joining KEO, and his primary focus during this time was project management and design studio leadership, with an emphasis on client and team growth throughout the design process.
He began working for CallisonRTKL in 2003, and had a variety of positions over his tenure. Custer had worked for several different US-based design firms before joining CallisonRTKL, and he adds a plethora of related expertise such as firm operations, marketing and business development, contract negotiation, team building, design management, training, and financial analysis.
Custer’s design focus is on working with clients to improve communities through sensible and creative vertically stacked mixed-use configurations.
On the operational side, he has brought tremendous strides towards improving the careers and lives of his teammates through steady leadership, smart team building, robust design management, in-house training, all while maintaining good financial management.
Most recently, Custer has brought a fresh vision to the design team for all KEO’s offices with a focus on being a global leader in multi-discipline design and design delivery using BIM technologies.
Custer is now involved in project delivery from Egypt to Oman, with a diverse mix of commercial, hotel, and residential projects.
EMAAR Beach Vistas in Dubai, Alemein Towers in Egypt, and a slew of huge hotels for the Red Sea Development in Saudi Arabia are among his current high-profile projects.