Meet the Team
Richard Nelson, MIoD
Founder & Managing Director
After 20+ years of running around the world building businesses for architecture, engineering and construction firms, Richard decided to establish his own independent consultancy to offer his expertise more widely.
Since founding Abyss in 2012, he has advised numerous AEC firms in developing and implementing successful international business strategies, working in over 80 countries along the way.
Richard is Co-Founder of the campaign group Don’t Waste Buildings, an Ambassador and Past Chair (2020-24) of the Institute of Directors Property & Built Environment Group, and a member of the Urban Land Institute.
View his full profile on LinkedIn.
Photo by Tash Busta Photography
Jo Walker
Client Relations
Meticulous attention to detail. Highly organised. Totally reliable.
Jo’s background in event planning and management for large corporate events, human resource management and training & development have enabled her to keep the trains running on time at Abyss since 2017.
Our clients and contacts often comment on how effective and thorough Jo is, and she is a delight to work with.
View her full profile on LinkedIn.
The Name
We often get asked where the company name comes from. Read on (and click the image to play the video for a little throwback moment!)
““Man looks in the abyss, there’s nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.””
(Video via TheManWith OneRedShoe/YouTube/20th Century Fox)
GETTING INVOLVED
DON’T WASTE BUILDINGS
DON'T WASTE BUILDINGS is the voluntary effort to put a spotlight on embodied carbon and make the case for the productive use of empty and underperforming buildings across the UK.
The group is calling on the UK government to tackle this by introducing policy clarity, regulation and financial incentives that will make the reuse of existing buildings simpler and more profitable.
DWB was co-founded in late 2022 by Richard alongside leading industry figures Leanne Tritton, Chair of The London Society and Founder of ING Media, and Will Hurst, Managing Editor of The Architects’ Journal.
INSTITUTE OF DIRECTORS
Richard has been active in the Institute of Directors since 2016, initially joining the City of London Branch and its Property Group committee. In September 2019, he was co-opted to the board of the IoD City Branch, and in September 2020 he took over from Hamish McArthur as Chair of the IoD City Property Group.
In January 2022, the new IoD London Region was formed by merging what was the IoD City and IoD Central London branches, and the Property Group was elevated to a new status as an independent Special Interest Group (SIG), working across all of the IoD as a centre of excellence for the sector. It was renamed the IoD Property and Built Environment (PBE) Group, and Richard continued as its Chair until the end of December 2024, when he handed over the reins to his longtime friend and colleague, Christine Baltas.
Richard continues to serve on the IoD PBE Group board as an Ambassador.
Page cover image via MR.Yanukit/Shutterstock.