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2025 Ones To Watch - Industry Leaders: Rose Williams, Unispace

Rose Williams
CEO, Americas 
Unispace

“Rose Williams is one of the smartest and most impactful executives I’ve had the good fortune to work with. I had an opportunity to work alongside her for four years at Unispace, and watched her advance from senior management roles to earning her current top executive position (CEO, Americas). Rose’s forward-looking and empathetic leadership style, deep understanding of markets and project lifecycles, and client-centric mentality make her “One to Watch” as we continue navigating the future of commercial real estate.” - Marjorie McCarthy, Chief Marketing Officer, ISS.

Turning problems into opportunities: 

As a company offering an uncommon service within the US design and construction market, historically it was challenging to build confidence in our methodology. Although 50% of our US staff were based in our NYC office, potential clients knew little about our brand and how we could elevate their office or life sciences project. To grow and reinforce our NY offering, we focused on delivering exceptionally for local clients and building trust in our end-to-end design-build services, increasing our repeat business to >65% (and growing), and are continuing to expand into new and existing sectors.

Sharing knowledge and expertise: 

I strongly believe in leading by example, including sharing knowledge with others. I’m a collaborative and transparent leader and take a hands-on approach, sharing expertise through examples wherever possible. I’m also a true believer in not being the smartest in the room it takes diverse perspectives for any business to be successful, and this rings true at Unispace too. I’m very curious and believe in continuing to learn – so while I enjoy sharing knowledge with others, I equally enjoy hearing about others’ experiences and learning from those in my business.

Best books, podcasts, or apps for aspiring leaders: 

Dom Harvey Podcast and High Performance Podcast; I appreciate synergies between sports and business.

Best advice for new leaders: 

Be curious and embrace all opportunities that come your way.

 

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