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U.S. Green Building Council Names Mahesh Ramanujam Next CEO

Sept. 16, 2015
Ramanujam joined USGBC in 2009 as senior v.p., technology, before being named COO in 2011. In 2012, he also was named president of Green Business Certification.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Board of Directors recently announced USGBC Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mahesh Ramanujam will move into the role of chief executive officer (CEO) when current CEO Rick Fedrizzi steps down at the end of 2016.

​Ramanujam, a native of Chennai, India, joined the USGBC in 2009 as senior vice president, technology, before being named COO in September 2011. In December 2012, he also was named president of the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), the offerings of which he broadened to better serve a wider client base, leading the organization to change its name to Green Business Certification Inc. earlier this year. 

“Mahesh has a highly impressive track record of success in both his role as USGBC’s COO and as president of Green Business Certification Inc.,” USGBC Board Chair Marge Anderson said. “He is a proven leader who has exhaustive knowledge of the organization, respect from its volunteer leadership, and strong support from its team. He has extensive global experience and broad business acumen. He is the perfect choice to lead the organization into the future.”

“As a founder, I could not be happier, and as a CEO, I could not be more satisfied that I’ll be able to leave USGBC in the best hands possible,” Fedrizzi said. “Since Mahesh first joined USGBC in 2009, he has transformed every corner of the organization, focusing on high performance and putting the needs of our customers and community members first. His personal core values are deeply aligned with our mission, and his comprehensive understanding of our work make him the ideal leader for this role.”

“I will serve the organization and our movement with a long-term vision: keeping innovation as a top priority,” Ramanujam said. “As USGBC’s CEO, I pledge to continually modernize and enhance our capabilities and performance to ensure we deliver the future that our founders envisioned.” 

Prior to joining the USGBC, Ramanujam was COO for Emergys, a business-transformation consulting firm in North Carolina. As a consultant to IBM, he was part of the team that led various business-transformation initiatives, including the sale of IBM PC systems to Lenovo and its printer divisions to Ricoh. He also was part of the team that led business transformation at Lenovo to ensure the successful establishment of Lenovo’s global manufacturing and operating platforms.

Ramanujam holds a bachelor’s degree in computer sciences from Annamalai University.