Institute appoints new president and announces president-elect

The Australian Institute of Architects has announced the appointment of Adam Haddow as national president and current Victorian chapter president David Wagner to the position of national president-elect.

Haddow's tenure commenced at the conclusion of the 2025 Annual General Meeting on 3 May. He assumed the role from Jane Cassidy, who has served as national president the past year.

Haddow reflected, "I am both honoured and excited to be stepping into the role of national president of the Australian Institute of Architects. This is a crucial time for our country and industry. Sustainability is the greatest challenge of our lives, housing affordability the greatest of our generation."

Likening the role of national president to one of a relay runner "without a first or last runner," Haddow noted that his "role is to pick up where the last president finished and ensure that we run a good race for the next.

"I must congratulate our outgoing National President Jane Cassidy on her phenomenal work," Haddow said. "Of particular note I want to point out Jane's advocacy that led to all state and territory housing ministers agreeing on mandatory and aligned carbon reporting, her leadership in collaboration with the CEO to structurally realign the business of the Institute to ensure we are equipped for the next 50 years, and her leadership in appointing the first all First Nations curators to represent Australia at this year's Architectural Venice Biennale."

Haddow promised to continue to champion Cassidy's initiatives while "weaving three new objectives" into the discussion:

"First, an absolute focus on our profession being in the driving seat to help solve the national housing crisis," he said.

"Second, that as an organisation we work out how to better listen, engage and mobilise our regional, rural and international members.

"Finally, a big ambition - a seismic shift in thinking from Architects to Architecture for the Institute and its advocacy agenda. Working together with National Council, the Board and many factions of influence - we will work to uncover a more outward facing organisation that can continue to advocate for the role of architecture in our communities. We need the academics, design managers, project managers, landscape architects, urban designers and interior designers who all trained in architecture to be part of us - so that together, and with numbers, we can advocate more broadly for what we believe in - that through good design Australia is a better place."