From mainframes to the metaverse, William Ruh has spent his entire career at companies like Cisco and General Electric, playing a part in the technology transformations that have shaped our world. Today, as CEO of Lendlease Digital, he has set his sights on one of the least disrupted sectors in the world: property.
“It makes up 40% of the world's GDP,” says Ruh. “What can happen if we re-imagine the property world?” That’s what he’s working on answering at the company. Central to Ruh’s work is the application of data analytics and AI to property development and construction, but he’s also keenly aware that everything could change tomorrow. “Whatever you build tomorrow is good for one day. There needs to be a constant shift of applying and changing best practices for the needs of the future.”
We talked to Ruh about the biggest challenges and opportunities on the horizon for the construction industry, from sustainability to the metaverse, and how Lendlease is preparing for that future, today.