Leaders with commitment and vision, like Gregory Kimpton, are pioneering transformation in their fields. With a career spanning wide regions and years, he is known for leading complex developments into clear pathways. By efficiently managing multidisciplinary teams, Gregory empowers everyone around him to excel to their full potential.
As the Director of Development for AECOM, his contribution to transformative projects is unmistakable. With a journey that’s filled with challenges and triumphs, Gregory’s vision is simple: to shape developments that are commercially sound, culturally sensitive, sustainable, and meaningful for future generations.
The Beginning
Gregory Kimpton’s career has always been drawn to complexity and scale; working on developments that begin as ambitious ideas and require structure, discipline, and conviction to become reality.
Today, as the Director of Development for AECOM based in Riyadh, he has the privilege of his past, contributing to transformative initiatives such as NEOM and significant mega and giga-projects requiring strategic oversight, innovative and sustainable ideas, environmental considerations, and structure to drive success through delivery milestones.
Gregory even mentions, “Alongside this, my background in portfolio management and private equities has shaped how I think about value creation; not just at the asset level, but across entire ecosystems. It’s given me a broader lens, one that looks beyond individual projects to how capital, innovation, and long-term strategy intersect to shape the future of real estate development.”
Evolution of the Journey
Gregory’s work has evolved over the years both rapidly, and profoundly. What often starts as a visionary concept quickly becomes a highly intricate system of company structuring, financial models, infrastructure and master planning, governance, and delivery frameworks. He reflects, “Typically, the transition from concept to execution is looked at for an accelerated approach, requiring a far more integrated system of management from project inception through the design stages.”
Gregory’s role constantly evolves accordingly, from strategic planning to something more holistic, from connecting design functions, finance, and delivery, to long-term asset performance. “It reinforced the idea that the more ambitious the vision, the more rigorous the execution must be,” he adds.
Impact on the Regional Ecosystem
The projects AECOM delivers are not just developments, they are platforms for an economic transformation. They attract global talent, enable new industries, and set benchmarks for how future cities are conceived and experienced, with Saudi Vision 2030 being a true testament of this in the region.
Gregory reflects, “What excites me equally, however, is how work in the Kingdom intersects with broader shifts in investment and technology. As the region evolves, there’s a growing opportunity to rethink how real estate is financed, owned, and accessed, creating a more dynamic and inclusive ecosystem for capital and innovation.”
What Defines Success in the Industry
To succeed in this field, Gregory believes clarity is essential. The ability to make decisions in complex, often ambiguous environments makes a leader stand out from the competition. Also, focusing on resilience is non-negotiable, because delivering at scale inevitably comes with challenges and setbacks.
“As a people-centric leader, recognizing that the best outcomes are always the result of strong, aligned teams is equally important. Ultimately, success in this industry is as much about how you think and collaborate as it is about what you deliver,” he states.
Embracing Technological Advancements
In a period where technology is fundamentally reshaping real estate and development, Gregory’s interest lies beyond advanced modelling and AI, in the evolution of proptech, especially the integration of blockchain networks and the tokenization of assets.
He firmly believes these innovations have the potential to redefine how real estate is owned, financed, and traded, introducing new levels of liquidity, transparency, and accessibility into what has traditionally been a relatively illiquid asset class. “While still evolving, I believe this space will play a meaningful role in the future of investment and development, complementing rather than replacing traditional models,” he shares.
Insights of an Expert
Addressing the beginners, Gregory shares, “I would encourage them to embrace complexity early and seek out roles where they are pushed beyond their comfort zone. That’s where real judgment is built.
At the same time, develop both technical depth and commercial awareness. Understanding how projects work financially is just as important as understanding how they come together from a design perspective and physically.
Finally, take a long-term view. This is a relationship-driven industry, and your reputation depends on how you operate under pressure; how you treat people will define your career far more than any single project. So stay grounded, stay curious, and focus on building something meaningful over time.”
Connect with Gregory Kimpton on LinkedIn to gain industry insights.
Find AECOM on LinkedIn and visit their website to learn more.
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