CRB Names Vahid Ownjazayeri CEO

Posted April 8, 2025

Kansas City-based engineering solutions company CRB has named Vahid Ownjazayeri its new president and CEO.

Ownjazayeri succeeds Lee Emel, who served as interim president and CEO following the retirement of Ryan Schroeder in 2024. Emel will continue to as a member of the CRB executive leadership team and work closely with Ownjazayeri, according to a release.

Vahid Ownjazayeri is now the new president and CEO of CRB. Photo credit: CRB.

He has over 40 years of experience in design and construction and most recently served as managing director at Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc. He also held several key leadership positions at AECOM, including chief strategy and growth officer.

“Across our core markets, change is confronting our clients at an unprecedented pace. Companies need highly-skilled, knowledgeable partners who can efficiently scale their ideas and products – from R&D to the consumer – while ensuring profitability and safety,” Ownjazayeri said in a release. “I am grateful to join CRB’s highly capable project teams, and together we will seize this chance to turn those challenges into opportunities.”

Ownjazayeri earned both his Master of Science in Structural Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University.

CRB is a consulting firm focused on engineering, architecture and construction solutions for global life sciences and food and beverage industries. Headquartered in Kansas City, the company operates 20 offices across the United States, Canada and Europe.