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Some people say they have seen the world. Then there’s Warren Ladbrook, WithersRavenel’s new Director of Commercial Development.
Iraq. Bolivia. Afghanistan. Jordan. Turkey. India. Sri Lanka. Italy. Brazil. Japan. South Korea. Australia. Two years sailing around the Caribbean. And that’s just a partial list of places the New Zealand native and recent North Carolina resident has been for work. Now, after many years of globetrotting, he and his family are putting down roots in the greater Asheville area. He’s also enjoying his new role working with WithersRavenel’s land development team.
We have a great group of bright, young, enthusiastic, and talented people,Warren said. In addition to providing leadership for the commercial development team, Warren will be working to continue to improve our internal systems and project delivery while focusing on long-term strategy and growth.
Warren has impressive credentials after his name, PE, IntPE, CPEng, LEED AP, PMP, MSP and BBCP, that reflect not only his background, but his passion for learning and growth as a professional. He’s worked stateside on a variety of pursuits, from land and resort development to water resources engineering, among other areas. Meanwhile, much of his work in engineering and land development abroad has involved infrastructure planning and reconstruction, which is near and dear to his heart. He reflected on a particularly meaningful job in Sri Lanka that focused on tsunami recovery.
The reason we build all infrastructure is to support people and communities,he said. Warren also worked on the ground in New Zealand following the devastating earthquake in 2011, in addition to several mission trips with Engineering Ministries International (EMI). He is concurrently working toward a Ph.D. with research to quantify the social benefits provided by the built environment post-disaster.
Warren has many interesting stories to tell, such as his award from the Iraqi Air Force commanding General Anwar, or about the week he and his team had to hide out from anti-government rebels in Bolivia. He was in Haiti when the ‘Baby Doc’ coup occurred in 1986, and was stuck in Istanbul for a week after the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, erupted in 2010. Another career highlight was the successful negotiation of the terms of an infrastructure deal between the U.S. and Indian governments following an extended time in India. But his greatest excitement comes when talking about his family.
Warren and his wife Colette, who he met on a mission trip up the Amazon, have three children. Peter is in filmmaking and living stateside; Luke is studying linguistics at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand; and Anna-Kate just graduated university at 19 with a degree in International Business and with plans to attend graduate school in North Carolina. Colette is a graduate of Brevard College and the University of Florida, and her extended family in Hendersonville is the reason the family has moved to the area.
Warren has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He completed his master’s coursework at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His Ph.D. is in progress (virtually) through the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
Do you want to put Warren and WithersRavenel’s Commercial Development team to work for you? Contact him at (828) 255-0313 or wladbrook@withersravenel.com.