Bespoke Careers Podcast

What the AIA President Wants Every Architect to Know - Illya Azaroff

Illya Azaroff calls architecture his side gig. He's also the 2026 president of the American Institute of Architects and has spent 30 years responding to disasters around the world.His father arrived in the US as a displaced war refugee from Ukraine, and Illya grew up at a dinner table where hunger was a firsthand memory. That upbringing led to a degree in geography, then a career in disaster mitigation, and now the presidency of a 100,000-member institution.We get into what the presidency is like from the inside, why his kids are the reason he ran, the ethos he borrowed from the Kalinago people in the Caribbean, why nearly half of small businesses never reopen after a disaster, and the message he wants every architect to hear: you are more powerful to your community than you realize.

Inside the Mind of ZHA Architects' AI Pioneer - Shajay Bhooshan

Shajay Bhooshan is an Associate Director at ZHA Architects and co-founder of ZHA CODE, the practice's computation and design research group, now 28 people inside a studio of around 500. He studied at the AA's Design Research Laboratory, where he still teaches, and completed his PhD with the Block Research Group at ETH Zurich. His work spans high performance geometry, robotic fabrication, game engines and participatory design, including the 3D printed concrete bridge Striatus.

How an Architecture CEO Hires - Scott Clement, Revel

Scott Clement has seen thousands of portfolios. He doesn't want to see yours.Scott is the CEO of Revel Architecture and Design, a San Francisco firm that grew headcount 50% in 18 months and is sitting right at the 60-person point where he says firms start to break. We get into what an architecture CEO does all day, why Revel grows its leaders instead of hiring them in, the Colliers fit-out that ended with a giant bar the client insisted they didn't want, and the phone call that came 14 hours before we recorded.

Starting a Design Studio - What's it Really Like? | WILDFLOWER Founders Cara & Robyn

Cara Stizza and Robyn Levin run Wildflower, a Melbourne studio that owns the furniture side of a project. Selection, procurement, coordination, everything down to the cutlery in the drawers. Cara built and grew an interior design practice before this. Robyn spent years inside one of Australia's leading furniture brands. Together they sit between the creative eye and the part where it all has to get built, on budget, and hold up.This one's about the business of design. How they cut about a third out of a build-to-rent budget without gutting the design. Why furniture gets wedged in early, before it turns into an afterthought. What they look for when they hire for a job that's half taste, half operations. And what stays human when AI can knock out a mood board in seconds.

What I Learned Starting A Design Studio (Without a Degree) - Mitch Jones

Want to work at amazing studios like Made For? You can browse our live jobs here: https://www.bespokecareers.com/jobs/At Bespoke we work with 1,000+ firms every year across the UK, US and Australia to find them great candidates just like you. Want to know where you salary sits in the market? Download our global Salary Guide: https://www.bespokecareers.com/salary-guide Mitch Jones built Made For, a Melbourne workplace strategy, architecture and interiors studio, without a design degree. Ten years on it's a team of twenty with a client list that runs from Starbucks to Autex to Yarra Valley Water. He started it with his wife Cara in a rundown Collingwood warehouse, and in this episode he's straight about the whole ten years. Why he's kept every pitch he's ever made. Why he wants to own less than half his own company. The hiring mistake he keeps making and regretting. How he reads a business before he designs a single desk. We get into what changed for offices after Covid, why he runs a studio that's built to not look like an office, and the part of the job he's certain AI won't touch. "Do you need a design degree to run a design business? You don't. In fact, I've got no degree at all."

How to Plot Your Own Path In Architecture - Selasi Setufe MBE

Selasi Setufe came out of architecture school with two degrees and couldn't get a job. Two interviews in two years. An unpaid internship in Slovenia she'd "highly not advise." So she stopped trying to fit the mould and built her own route through the profession.Selasi is a co-director of Black Females in Architecture, the network she co-founded in 2018 that now runs to a global membership of more than 400. She's a registered architect, a Public Practice alumna, and a Principal Project Officer in the GLA's Place Unit, after years as a Senior Architect at Be First in Barking and Dagenham. In 2022 she was awarded an MBE for services to diversity in architecture.In this conversation she gets into the two years she spent outside architecture after qualifying, the advice from Elsie Owusu about being the change rather than trying to fix a broken system, why she calls strategic work "architecture with a big A," what architecture education does to the students it can't accommodate, how BFA grew from a group chat into a social enterprise, and why she hesitated before accepting an MBE with "British Empire" in the name.

The Most Underestimated Profession? - Chithra Marsh | RIBA Elections

his summer, RIBA elect the institute’s next president. Four candidates are running to be president: Duncan Baker-Brown, Chithra Marsh, Jay Morton and Austin Williams. We sat down with all four, to hear their vision for the future of the profession. We’ll be releasing one episode per day in the lead-up to the voting opening on Monday, 15 June. Next up: Chithra Marsh.Chithra is a Director at Buttress Architects in Manchester, with over 30 years’ experience across practices of varying size. She leads on community regeneration, social value and equality, diversity and inclusion within the practice, which is both B Corp certified and employee‑owned.Chithra has served RIBA extensively at regional and national level, including on Council, committees and advisory panels. Former National Chair of Women in Property, she is recognised for her collaborative leadership style, strong governance experience and ability to build meaningful professional relationships. She is committed to strengthening RIBA as an inclusive, connected and representative professional community. Voting opens at 9 am on Monday, 15 June and closes at 4 pm on Friday, 26 June. Results announced Thursday, 2 July. For more information, head here: https://www.riba.org/about-us/governance/elections/

Why Architects Aren't Taken Seriously - Duncan Baker-Brown | RIBA Elections

This summer, RIBA elect the institute’s next president. Four candidates are running to be president: Duncan Baker-Brown, Chithra Marsh, Jay Morton and Austin Williams. We sat down with all four, to hear their vision for the future of the profession. We’ll be releasing one episode per day in the lead-up to the voting opening on Monday, 15 June. Next up: Duncan Baker-Brown Duncan Baker‑Brown is the founder of BakerBrown Studio, a small practice based in Brighton, and has over four decades’ experience combining practice, education, and policy. He is a university postgraduate course leader, author and internationally recognised advocate for low‑carbon, retrofit, and circular design. Duncan has represented RIBA at multiple UN COP summits and worked directly with the UK government on net‑zero, circular economy and retrofit policy, including VAT reform. His practice has delivered 100% social housing and is a Certified B Corporation. He brings a regionally grounded, research‑led perspective focused on fairness, sustainability and supporting practices across the UK and internationally. Voting opens at 9 am on Monday, 15 June and closes at 4 pm on Friday, 26 June. Results announced Thursday, 2 July. For more information, head here: https://www.riba.org/about-us/governance/elections/

Has Architecture Lost Its Nerve? - Austin Williams | RIBA Elections

This summer, RIBA members elect the institute's next president. The RIBA president chairs the institute's council, sits on its board, and speaks for the profession to government, media and the public. Whoever wins takes office as president-elect on 1 September 2026 and serves as president from 2027 to 2029. Those two years run straight through housing policy, climate targets, architectural education, and what the job looks like for the people coming into it. There are four candidates standing. We sat down with each of them, asked them the same questions, to help you decide who to vote for. We'll be releasing one episode per day for the next four days in the lead up to voting opening on Monday 15 June. The candidates:Duncan Baker-Brown, founder of BakerBrown StudioChithra Marsh, director at Buttress ArchitectsJay Morton, director at Bell Phillips ArchitectsAustin Williams, architect, academic and writerAbout Austin Williams:Austin is an architect, academic and writer, and course leader for the Part 3 Professional Practice programme at Kingston School of Art. His career spans practice, education, journalism and research, with experience as a sole practitioner, lead architect, expert witness and author. Having studied and worked across the UK and internationally, including six years in China, he brings a broad and critical perspective on the profession.Austin is known for his plain‑spoken approach to issues such as regulation, education, fees and professional support, and advocates for open debate, clearer guidance and stronger engagement with the everyday realities facing architects. Voting opens 9am Monday 15 June and closes 4pm Friday 26 June. Results announced Thursday 2 July.Head here for more information: https://www.riba.org/about-us/governance/elections/

Overcoming Architecture’s Biggest Challenge - Jay Morton | RIBA Elections

This summer, RIBA members elect the institute's next president. The RIBA president chairs the institute's council, sits on its board, and speaks for the profession to government, media and the public. Whoever wins takes office as president-elect on 1 September 2026 and serves as president from 2027 to 2029. Those two years run straight through housing policy, climate targets, architectural education, and what the job looks like for the people coming into it. There are four candidates standing. We sat down with each of them, asked them the same questions, to help you decide who to vote for. We'll be releasing one episode per day for the next four days in the lead up to voting opening on Monday 15 June. First up: Jay Morton. The candidates: Duncan Baker-Brown, founder of BakerBrown Studio Chithra Marsh, director at Buttress Architects Jay Morton, director at Bell Phillips Architects Austin Williams, architect, academic and writer About Jay Morton: Jay Morton is a Director at Bell Phillips Architects, where she works on large‑scale housing, masterplanning and regeneration projects. Alongside practice, she has spent over a decade shaping housing and built‑environment policy at local and national level and contributing to public debate. Jay regularly engages with media, policymakers and professional forums, and hosts the Architects for Change podcast. She serves on design review panels and the steering group for Architects’ Action for Affordable Housing. Known for her clear communication and advocacy, she brings experience in policy influence, public engagement and practice leadership. Voting opens 9am Monday 15 June and closes 4pm Friday 26 June. Results announced Thursday 2 July.

How to Accelerate your Architecture Career in 2026 - Noris Obijiaku

Noris Obijiaku, known online as Mr Chuck, is an architecture student and content creator with more than 300,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram. He's become known for his tours of London's housing estates, leading him to interview London's mayor Sadiq Khan, speak on panels and partner with the likes of Arsenal and Dezeen. Born in Italy, raised on a London estate, now finishing his Part 2 at the London School of Architecture while working in practice. In this episode we get into the estate tours, the crits that skin you, and the new roadmap for 'making it' in architecture.

How to Become a Successful Architect - Sabrina Klor

What does it actually take to run 400 architects across nine studios? Sabrina sits down with us to talk about the business of architecture - the side most architects would rather not think about. Sabrina Klor is the CEO of 10 Design, a global architecture and masterplanning practice employing 400+ architects and designers across studios in London, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Miami, Dubai, Dallas, Edinburgh, Shenzhen and Singapore. 10 Design is part of 10N, a 1,500-strong collective of six architecture and urbanism practices under Egis Group.Sabrina is also Chair of Women in Architecture (WIA) UK, advocating for systemic change in the built environment for women and other underrepresented voices in the profession.

• Transcript

How AI Helped Design Switzerland's Largest Chocolate Park - Tim Fu

Tim Fu is the founder of Studio Tim Fu, a design practice working at the sharp end of AI in architecture, where the conversation is no longer just about the visuals and starts being about real projects with real risk and real responsibility. Tim's work sits in that gap between hype and reality, looking at what AI can genuinely do, where it doesn't quite meet the standard and where it's going to. Our conversation is a dissection of some of the practices latest international projects, exploring the opportunities and complexities around authorship, liability, and even the economic model of practice as a whole. This is a must watch or listen episode wherever you sit on AI.

• Transcript

The Rise of India's Most Prolific Architect

Sanjay Puri is the founder of Sanjay Puri Architects, a Mumbai-based practice of 100 people with projects spanning 55 cities across India. The studio has won over 350 international awards and is known for sculptural, climate-driven design, using massing, shading, and natural ventilation instead of bolt-on sustainability.

• Transcript

Why We QUIT Architecture - Caswell & Dainow

Charlie Caswell and Adam Dainow met at architecture school in Sheffield, climbed the ranks at London practices, and then walked away from it all to become property developers. In this episode, they talk about what they had to give up, the five-year grind of building a business from scratch, why they think architecture education is broken, and what architects can learn from the development side of the industry. Charlie and Adam are the co-founders of Cawell&Dainow, a design-led property development company that transforms London's overlooked sites into high-quality homes.

• Transcript

Ex-AIA President: "We're 3 Recessions Away from Extinction!" Evelyn Lee

Evelyn Lee is an architect, entrepreneur, and tech strategist who served as the 2025 President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). She operates at the intersection of design, technology, and business, currently serving as a fractional Chief Operations Officer (COO), startup advisor, and angel investor within the built environment.

• Transcript

AIA President on the future of Architecture in Australia and Beyond - Adam Haddow

Download the 2026 Salary Guide: https://www.bespokecareers.com/salary-guide/ Adam Haddow is an Australian architect, partner at SJB and the current National President of the Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA). In this conversation, Adam makes the case that architects have spent decades drifting toward irrelevance, avoiding the hard conversations about cities and housing while celebrating beautiful houses and hoping politicians notice. He believes that needs to stop. We cover what meaningful influence looks like for the profession, why AI is the biggest democratisation architecture has ever seen, how his own 67sqm terrace house is a direct argument against suburban sprawl, and what the RAIA needs to become to stay worth belonging to. SOCIAL LINKS: https://www.instagram.com/bespokecareers/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bespoke-career-management/ https://www.tiktok.com/@bespokecareers Hiring or looking for a job? Head here: https://www.bespokecareers.com/ 00:00 Intro 00:53 Growing up in rural Victoria 02:03 Early interest in architecture 03:24 University experience 05:45 The walk-in catchment philosophy 07:12 Joining SJB 10:08 Transitioning practice ownership 13:22 Bringing in multidisciplinary voices 17:13 The tiny terrace house project 20:32 Housing density and apartment standards 26:31 Becoming RAIA National President 27:46 Architects and political relevance 30:28 Rethinking the architecture profession 43:02 How the architect identity has shifted 45:44 Advice for the next generation

• Transcript

Why Architects Don't Make Much Money – Phin Harper

Phineas Harper is a London-based writer, founder and cultural leader. A regular contributor to The Guardian, their career spans criticism, curation, education, youth work, journalism and sculpture. 00:00 Intro 1:00 The personal toll of speaking out 3:22 Discovering architecture 6:47 Working at the Architecture Review 10:51 Do architects see the value in writing and critique? 13:51 Architecture Foundation and New Architecture Writers1 5:37 Open City and Open House Festival 21:20 The big wall between architecture and the public 23:43 Architectural communication 25:58 The protection of function 29:10 Filmmaking and social media 35:59 Going freelance 37:28 Writing for the Guardian 39:02 The future of the profession 41:22 Advice for the aspiring architects 43:10 Architecture school 44:25 Persuading the mainstream media to talk about urban issues 47:24 Do architects care about politics? 52:15 The misguided public perception of architects 53:27 Work and values

• Transcript

The Truth About Becoming An Architect - Lucy Carmichael

Lucy Carmichael, former Director of Practice at the RIBA and current Board Member for the University of the Built Environment, explains why the traditional, linear path into the industry is failing most students, and what the alternative looks like. From her upbringing with architect parents, to navigating the "heyday" of design policy at CABE, Lucy has spent her life 'falling in and out of love with architecture.' The thing that keeps her coming back is the huge potential for positive impact on society. We explore the "radical realism" of the London School of Architecture, the looming impact of AI on graduate roles, and why the most impactful architectural careers are often the ones that look the least traditional. 00:00 Intro 00:56 Route into architecture 5:48 The reality check: first jobs in architecture 8:10 Stepping out of practice 9:38 The CABE movement 14:17 Communication and storytelling in architecture 18:41 Director of Practice at the RIBA 27:10 The profession's lack of engagement with the RIBA 33:08 The school that works differently (joining the LSA) 35:25 "Radical Realism" - the LSA ethos 47:04 AI and the future of the education and the profession 55:18 Has her career turned out how she imagined? 57:54 Career advice for the next generation

• Transcript

How an 'Un-Hireable' Architecture Grad Built a World Famous Practice - Kathryn Gustafson

Founder of Gustafson Porter + Bowman, Kathryn Gustafson reflects starting a studio in a second language, and learning the business side of practice through trial, mentors, and persistence. 00:00 Intro 0:59 Growing up in the desert 2:35 Discovering design 6:33 Journey from fashion to landscape architecture 12:04 Business vs Art 16:31 Founding her businesses and 'the invisible years.' 25:47 How to be a good leader 28:39 Building a workplace culture 29:21 Key projects and dealing with criticism 35:52 Navigating cultural contexts as a designer 38:59 Key skills designers need 41:05 Working with other designers: "Architects think they can do everything" 43:31 The changing nature of landscapes 47:58 Legacy 49:36 The next generation of designers

• Transcript