HDR CEO John Henderson Takes the Helm

John Henderson, HDR’s chief executive officer, was featured in the June/July 2024 edition of B2B Omaha Magazine. The article “John Henderson Takes the Helm” provides an inside look into the new CEO leading the largest employee-owned architecture and engineering firm based in the United States.

The feature shares a portion of Henderson’s life journey, including nearly 24 years of decorated military service. Henderson served six tours in the Asia-Pacific Region and had five assignments with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 2016, he was nominated for appointment by then-President Trump and later confirmed by the Senate, assuming office as assistant secretary of the Air Force.

Henderson discusses his 2021 start at HDR as senior vice president and chief administrative officer before ascending to president and chief operating officer in 2023 and the CEO role in 2024.

Henderson reflects on his transition from military command hierarchy to the private sector, “I’ve learned that the fundamental principles are the same: how leaders build strong teams, how they build trust in those teams, how they train those teams to perform well and in a consistent manner, how to build trust with the stakeholders.”