McLaren recruits divisional design director: delivery and governance notes for project teams
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
McLaren Construction has appointed architect Lucy Craig as design director for its construction management and specialist projects division, bringing 20 years’ design and delivery experience from Mace and Laing O’Rourke, including leading technical design on 40 Leadenhall, Paddington Square and Battersea Power Station Phase 2. Her remit centres on strengthening in-house design governance and multi-disciplinary capability for complex construction management projects, where early-stage technical input and client alignment are critical. The division is currently delivering the new Cardiff Arena and the refurbishment of Birmingham’s Colmore Gate office tower.
Technical Brief
- Role is confined to McLaren’s construction management and specialist projects division, not group-wide design.
- Craig arrives directly from Mace’s independent project management office, where she led global design and engineering.
- Vince Lydon explicitly links her remit to strengthening in-house design governance for construction management–procured programmes.
- Governance focus targets early understanding of client requirements, reducing late-stage design change on complex schemes.
- McLaren cites “significant” investment in technology to integrate design and engineering workflows within project teams.
- Craig notes client demand for contractor-led, multi-disciplinary design teams able to flex around evolving project requirements.
Our Take
Lucy Craig’s track record on complex London schemes such as 40 Leadenhall, Paddington Square and Battersea Power Station Phase 2 positions McLaren to compete more directly with tier one contractors like Mace and Laing O’Rourke on design-led city-centre projects.
With Mace already leading the £200m over-station office scheme at Paddington station, McLaren’s hire from a background including Paddington Square suggests it is gearing up to bid more aggressively for similarly constrained transport-adjacent sites in the United Kingdom.
Her experience across Cardiff Arena and Birmingham’s Colmore Gate gives McLaren in-house design leadership that is familiar with regional planning and stakeholder environments, which is likely to support its push beyond London within the United Kingdom infrastructure pipeline.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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