Chapmanbdsp has appointed Chris Kirkland as Project Director, Head of Workplace, leading the company’s Middle East commercial fit-out and corporate workplace offering, further growing its expanding team.
With over 26 years in the industry, Chris brings extensive experience delivering high-profile corporate office projects across the UK and the Middle East. Starting his career as an apprentice in Edinburgh in 1999, Chris progressed through senior roles across five companies, spending over a decade in the UAE region. Between 2010 and 2025 Chris has successfully led over 80 corporate workplace office fitout projects across the Middle East in the capacity of Project Lead and Project Director, working with multinational corporates, government entities, and major developers.
Chris’ career has been founded on both his ability to create long-standing, trustworthy client relationships and his deep knowledge of commercial fit-outs, particularly in the Middle East. His network within the UAE’s real estate and construction sectors, built over many years, will be central to Chapmanbdsp’s strategy for expanding its workplace offering.
In his new role, Chris will focus on building on Chapmanbdsp’s strong position in the market, supporting existing clients while driving growth in the global corporate real estate sector. His ambition is to position the already established practice as the go-to MEP consultancy for commercial workplace projects in the UAE.
Commenting on his appointment, Chris said: “Chapmanbdsp already is a respected name in the market, and I’m excited to build on that legacy. My aim is to strengthen our client relationships, grow our network, and deliver workplace projects that meet the evolving needs of businesses in the Middle East. This region moves quickly, and our approach will be to combine technical excellence with agility and strong collaboration.”
Chris also sees sustainability and workplace strategy as key growth areas for the sector:
“ESG is becoming a real driver for projects here, and we’re now seeing sustainability targets heavily influencing corporate real estate decisions. In the Middle East, that means finding innovative ways to meet global standards while navigating the unique challenges of the region’s supply chains and fast-track delivery models.”
Ray Upjohn, CEO of chapmanbdsp, comments, “We welcome Chris to the chapmanbdsp team. With his impressive track record in Commercial office fit-out within global engineering consultancies, we feel he is the perfect addition to further drive our workplace offer in the Middle East, working closely with our London team to further service our clients across EMEA.”
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