Buro Happold announces new Global Director of Commercial, Legal and Digital Risks
May Winfield has been appointed as Buro Happold’s Global Director of Commercial, Legal and Digital Risks.
In her new role, May takes the lead on all commercial, legal and insurance matters for our global practice. This includes the development of effective risk management strategies and new service offerings.
May will also establish, maintain and strengthen client relationships and form contracts across the practice. The digital aspect of her role includes providing support to develop new policies, systems and procedures on all services relating to construction technology, information management and Building Information Modelling (BIM). This also extends to managing the risk of implementing new digital-related technologies and services.
May brings a wealth of experience to the role, having worked as a senior construction and insurance lawyer for over 16 years. She has considerable knowledge in dispute resolution, contract negotiation and risk management. She has previously supported various international organisations across the design and construction industry, including consultants, contractors and insurers, in multi-million-pound projects and disputes.
I’m delighted to be appointed as the Global Head of the Commercial and Legal team. It’s a privilege to be able to lead on the legal strategy of the business, as well as the development and implementation of new policies and systems that allow Buro Happold to do what it does best – provide an innovative range of digital and construction technology services to its global client base.
May Winfield, Global Director of Commercial, Legal and Digital Risks, Buro Happold
As a regular speaker and author on construction law and technology and a passion for industry innovation, May is recognised by her peers as a leading expert in the field. She is renowned as a leading legal expert in BIM and construction technology, becoming one of the first UK lawyers to specialise in this aspect of law, and is a member of a number of key industry working groups in this area, including the Centre for Digital Built Britain’s National Digital Twin Programme.
With significant experience in both contentious and non-contentious matters, May is adept at providing guidance on contractual issues, dispute resolution and establishing action plans to provide commercial and legal solutions that add value or mitigate risk.
She has led teams drafting key guidance and standard form documents in this area. For example, she was part of the team who devised the UK BIM Framework’s legal guidance and information management standard, the BS EN ISO 19650 series.
May has also received recognition for her work in the industry. In 2020, she won ‘Best Woman in Construction Law’ at The European Women In Construction and Engineering Awards (WICE).
As a dynamic, forward-thinking business, we’re always looking to improve and expand our digital offering to our clients. May will play a crucial role in delivering these aspirations and her reputation within the industry speaks for itself. To have her expertise in leading such a vital part of our business is invaluable.
James Bruce, Chief Executive Office (CEO), Buro Happold
