After 43 years as Managing Principal at H. Hendy Associates, owner and founder Heidi Hendy has named longtime employees Susan Dwyer and Carolina Weidler as co-CEOs of the interior architecture and design firm with a newly formed employee stock option plan (ESOP) structure. Hendy will remain chairman of the board.
Under the new co-CEO leadership structure, Dwyer and Weidler will divide responsibilities for the firm that promises a commitment to designing high-performance environments that defy conventional norms. Dwyer will lead the firm’s finance and business operational functions. Weidler is responsible for marketing and practice operations, leading with her Lean Six Sigma training. The pair will share oversight of human resources and organizational growth, including a goal to expand the firm into new markets and bolster its newly formed healthcare studio.
“It is obvious that Susan and Carolina together are a significant force, each bringing wisdom, subject matter authority and sage leadership instincts to the mix,” said Heidi Hendy. “Their perspectives are complementary, and we’ve witnessed the power of their co-CEO compatibility these past two years as they expertly led Hendy through the pandemic with a priority for preserving our team and culture, diversifying the work, maintaining profitability and visioning for the future. A future that looks very bright, and one that I’m proud will keep the Hendy creative spirit alive for the next 40 years and beyond.”
As managing principals at Hendy, Dwyer and Weidler’s co-CEO appointment follows a growing trend among companies splitting the chief executive role. The co-CEO model is particularly well suited to lead Hendy’s new ESOP employee-owned organization, with all stakeholders vested in the success of the firm, the announcement said.
Dwyer brings 25 years of experience to the co-CEO role, including leading Hendy’s corporate studio for the past 18. Prior to Hendy, she served as a job captain at HKS and before that, a designer at DMJM Rottet. A graduate from the USC School of Architecture, Dwyer is a licensed architect and is NCARB-certified in six states.
Weidler created and has led Hendy’s Science & Technology studio for seven years. Prior to Hendy, Weidler honed her niche expertise designing process-driven spaces working at SAA as studio director of its Special Projects Group dedicated to process-driven spaces and industrial development. She began her career at Ware Malcomb in the project manager role that set her trajectory designing high-performance environments. Weidler graduated from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia with a B.S. in Architecture and earned her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from Villanova University.
