With over 40 years of industry experience, Lester brings a deep understanding and experience in designing and delivering world-class buildings to the practice. He is a licensed architect in the United States and the United Kingdom, having practised equally in both countries on projects worldwide. Lester trained with John Lautner, Paul Rudolph, Herman Hertzberger, and then Richard Rogers, which brought him to the UK.   

Commercial experience includes several office buildings in the City of London and New York City, as well as Singapore and Indonesia, and the design for the headquarters and dealing floors of the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE). Residential projects include single-family residences throughout the United States and several large-scale and high-rise multi-family projects. Education projects include university buildings in Qatar and more than 100 education projects in the UK, including primary, secondary, further education, and SEN buildings, several of which became case studies used by UK government agencies. Lester and his team also developed estate strategies for many UK educational institutions and local authorities. 

Lester is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and has received numerous design awards. Lester is a past president of AIA International and currently serves on the AIA’s Strategic Council. He regularly mentors early-career architects and has served as a design awards juror in the US, UK and internationally. 

Beyond his architectural activities, Lester is a practising artist interested in the intersections of architecture and sculpture and has several public art installations in the UK. He is a PhD Candidate (Practice-Led) in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds.