As architectural practices across Australia and New Zealand navigate growth, succession and cultural relevance, Cottee Parker has launched ‘Elevate’ – an eight-month leadership program. It’s designed to fundamentally rethink how emerging leaders are mentored, recognised and prepared for entry into the rigours and realities of the profession.

Rather than focusing solely on promotions or technical excellence, Elevate identifies high-potential individuals across both design and non-design roles. The aim is then to equip them with the commercial, strategic and cultural capability required to lead a modern, multi-studio architecture practice. 

“The industry has traditionally relied on legacy leadership models that were shaped in a very different market,” says Matthew Caswell, Managing Director at Cottee Parker. “Elevate is our response to that shift. It’s about recognising potential early and deliberately equipping future leaders to manage commercial complexity, client expectations and cultural change, not just hoping they’ll pick it up over time.” 

Elevate brings together nine emerging leaders from across Australia and New Zealand, reflecting the practice’s footprint and commitment to developing leadership capability across geographies. Participants will come together in person throughout the year, investing time and presence to build relationships, share perspectives and develop a genuinely connected leadership cohort. 

“We were deliberate about making this an in-person experience,” says Caswell. “Leadership is built through relationships and shared experience. Bringing people together across studios and countries is a significant investment, but it’s essential if we want future leaders who think beyond location and lead as one practice.” 

For Cottee Parker, the program represents a meaningful commitment of time, senior leadership involvement and resources, reinforcing that leadership development a strategic priority rather than an optional extra. Rather than treating leadership as a reward for tenure or profile, Elevate is designed to recognise capability, curiosity and influence. 

Participants undertake a structured development journey that combines leadership coaching, business development capability and strategic thinking – all grounded in live, practice-critical challenges. Each participant pair leads a strategic initiative sponsored by a Director and presented directly to the Board, addressing real business priorities including business development positioning, cross-studio collaboration, design quality, AI-enabled feasibility and quality assurance. 

“This is not a theoretical leadership programme,” says David Thornton, Managing Director – New Zealand. “Participants are working on real initiatives that affect how the practice operates, how we collaborate across studios and how we position ourselves in the market. It’s about building leaders who can confidently operate across people, projects and business.” 

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This wider approach comes in the context of increased cost pressure, heightened client expectations and rapid technological change. Participants are expected to lead client conversations, contribute to business development activity, make informed strategic decisions and influence culture ahead of stepping into formal leadership roles. 

“Great design doesn’t exist in isolation,” says Naveen Dath, Design Director. “It’s shaped by clients, commercial constraints, collaboration and critique. Elevate helps emerging leaders develop the confidence to engage in that complexity, to test ideas, participate in rigorous design dialogue and ultimately lift the quality of our work and our culture.” 

Elevate also responds to a common question for established practices: how to transition leadership responsibly while honouring the legacy that built the business. In this context, the program aims to create a two-way exchange between generations of leadership. Cottee Parker says the intent is evolution, not disruption. 

“Strong practices don’t grow by protecting the status quo,” Caswell concludes. “They grow by creating space for new leadership voices while maintaining clarity around values, quality and purpose.” 

Cottee Parker
cotteeparker.com.au