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1. Kevin McLachlan
Head of interior design
Godwin Austen Johnson
Kevin McLachlan has 25 years of experience in designing destinations in Europe and the Middle East, developing successful concepts for the hospitality, residential and corporate sectors – from small-scale food and beverage (F&B) outlets, to large-scale, master-planned, mixed-use developments.After four years at Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall (RMJM), and another two years developing his own design practice, McLachlan joined Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ) in 2012 as head of interior design, where he leads a 45-strong team hailing from 20 different countries. He has designed more than 200 restaurant, hotel, and leisure interiors around the world, from Glasgow’s Groucho Club Hotel to Ibiza’s Café Mambo, and Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah.
Under his leadership, McLachlan’s team recently delivered projects including the Fairmont Ajman; the Sheraton Hotel, Mall of the Emirates; the Hilton Garden Inn Dubai, Mall of the Emirates; and Ladybird Early Learning Centre in Dubai, for which they were awarded this year’s CID Award for Interior Design of the Year: Public Spaces.
The team is currently developing more than 40 restaurants and 17 hotels, and among these are projects that will transform Dubai Creek, the historic centre of the emirate.
McLachlan said: “We are particularly excited about our Dubai Creek developments. Firstly, Jewel of The Creek, next to Maktoum Bridge, where we are not only designing seven hotels and 24 F&B outlets, but importantly creating three new global and regional hotel brands in the process.
“Juxtaposed with this, we are also very much looking forward to the completion of our Marsa Al Seef project, on the opposite Bur Dubai side of the Creek, which is set to embrace and celebrate Dubai’s proud maritime traditions. This project has been designed as a culturally rich – yet thoroughly modern and vibrant – retail, hospitality, and entertainment destination.”
