About
Leadership is often measured by the scale of responsibility one holds, but its true impact is defined by the ability to empower people, strengthen organizations, and create systems that endure long after individual achievements are celebrated. In an era where businesses are navigating unprecedented technological change, rising complexity, and evolving stakeholder expectations, the leaders making the greatest difference are those who combine strategic vision with operational excellence while never losing sight of the human element. Rich Plumery has built his career around this philosophy, demonstrating that sustainable business success is achieved not through authority alone, but through servant leadership, disciplined execution, and a relentless commitment to continuous improvement.
With decades of unique executive leadership experience, Rich has become a respected authority in enterprise operations, project delivery, leadership coaching, organizational transformation, quality, governance, and risk management. Throughout his career, he has successfully guided global engineering, infrastructure, and consulting organizations through complex operational challenges while helping executive teams build resilient, high-performing cultures. His expertise spans enterprise risk governance, strategic planning, project delivery excellence, digital transformation, leadership development, and performance optimization, making him a trusted advisor for organizations seeking long-term sustainable growth.
Most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Project Delivery Leader for the Americas at AECOM, Rich was responsible for overseeing project delivery governance and operational performance across approximately 50,000 active projects supported by more than 6,000 project managers across six major business lines. Beyond operational leadership, he played a pivotal role in enterprise risk oversight, global project management training, and executive governance, ensuring organizations could execute large-scale initiatives with confidence while maintaining accountability and operational excellence.
One of Rich's defining strengths has been his ability to transform organizational culture. Rather than relying on traditional command-and-control leadership models, he championed a servant leadership philosophy centered on enabling, engaging and embracing people to succeed. By shifting quality and technical audit functions from enforcement-focused practices to coaching, mentoring, and collaborative improvement, he helped organizations strengthen delivery quality while reducing operational risk. His leadership consistently demonstrated that empowering teams ultimately produces stronger business outcomes, greater accountability, and more resilient organizations.
Rich has also established himself as a highly accomplished transformation leader capable of delivering measurable enterprise-wide impact. During his tenure at AECOM, he led the implementation of a major Project Management Information System (PMIS) transformation that generated approximately $20 million in annual savings while achieving a strategic global transition without any reported business disruptions. His leadership extended across multiple executive steering committees focused on enterprise risk management, procurement improvement, learning and talent development, software asset management, project management standards, digital delivery platforms, and operational analytics. These responsibilities positioned him at the intersection of strategic governance and operational execution, where his ability to balance innovation with disciplined oversight consistently delivered value.
Earlier in his career, Rich demonstrated his ability to revitalize underperforming organizations when he was appointed Regional Project Delivery Leader for AECOM's Los Angeles Metro Region. Under his leadership, the region achieved 17 consecutive months of EBITA target performance, increased annual EBITA from $5 million to $20 million, significantly reduced distressed projects, and strengthened project controls, quality systems, and supply chain capabilities. His experience working alongside legal teams on major claims and enterprise risk matters further reinforced his reputation as a leader capable of navigating complexity while driving sustainable operational improvement.
Rich's professional journey also reflects an entrepreneurial mindset that complements his corporate leadership experience. As the founder of Work Smart Management Consulting, he advised organizations on productivity improvement, project management implementation, construction claims, operational performance, and strategic business development. He later owned and operated two Velocity Sports Performance training centers, serving athletes ranging from youth competitors to collegiate, professional, and even NFL Hall of Fame players. These experiences broadened his leadership perspective while reinforcing his belief that successful organizations, regardless of industry, are built upon discipline, accountability, and people-first leadership.
Beyond executive leadership, Rich has become an influential voice within the global project management and engineering community. As Technical Board Director for the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) International, he has contributed to industry-recommended practices involving earned value management, decision tree analysis, forecasting, variance analysis, estimate classification, and risk-centric performance measurement. He also serves as an advisor to organizations, where he continues to support leadership development, customer experience initiatives, and project management innovation.
His passion for developing future leaders extends well beyond the boardroom. Rich is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and thought leader whose publications explore servant leadership, organizational transformation, project governance, emotional resilience, and operational excellence. His award-winning book Palms Up Leadership: Developing Our Future Leaders earned international recognition for ethics and leadership, while his other works, including Moving at the Speed of Silence, Calm, Your Unspoken Power, and Risk-Centric Project and Portfolio Leadership, provide practical frameworks for organizations striving to improve decision-making, governance, and organizational performance. His writings consistently emphasize trust, empowerment, accountability, and human-centered leadership as essential drivers of lasting success.
As businesses continue to navigate an increasingly complex global landscape shaped by technological disruption, artificial intelligence, and evolving governance expectations, leaders like Rich Plumery demonstrate that lasting transformation is never achieved through systems alone. It is built through empowering people, fostering trust, strengthening organizational culture, and creating resilient frameworks that enable sustainable growth. Through decades of executive leadership, advisory excellence, and unwavering commitment to servant leadership, Rich continues to inspire organizations to lead with purpose, execute with discipline, and build a future where operational excellence and human potential advance together.
