Mirko Orgolitsch

Senior design and operational strategy architect with 20 years' global experience across hotel, resort, retail and restaurant development. Track record spans multi-billion-dollar Royal Residence projects, group-wide BIM/CDE transformation, and client-side rescue of a $1B international resort development. Combines strong commercial and budget discipline with deep technical fluency (Revit, BIM, ISO 19650/PAS 1192) across regulatory environments including RIBA (UK), SACAP (South Africa), AIA (USA & Caribbean) and UAE frameworks.

Project experience across South Africa, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia (including Makkah), Egypt, Europe, the Caribbean, the UK and UAE. Seeking a senior leadership role overseeing the hospitality design and delivery function for a client-side organisation or specialist hospitality design practice.

Senior Consulting Manager, Design & BIM at Forsite Creative + HSP (2022-02 – 2026-07)

• Co-led the build of two departments (Interior Design and Foodservice/BIM), mentoring interior designers, concept designers, foodservice designers and BIM teams.
• Migrated the business from legacy physical servers to a cloud-based CDE (Autodesk ACC) within 6 months and deployed a unified Revit platform across interior and foodservice teams; grew departmental headcount ~50%.
• Built commercial proposal structures and led region-specific negotiations covering interior design, BIM, foodservice and concept design.
• Directed master planning and operational concepts for hotels and resorts across the UAE, KSA and EMEA, including Royal and VVIP projects and two Royal Residence projects ($6B combined) delivered within 2 years.
• Grew and mentored the interior design team, providing direct input and approval on interior design, FF&E and look-and-feel, including Fairmont Windsor (UK) and Luton Hoo Hotel & Spa — working with the Aurora Group on the latter's redevelopment into a 21-hole golf course and family activity resort, currently closed for construction.
• Built and maintained a supplier database for FF&E, interior finishes and fixtures to support consistent sourcing and quality control.

Operational Design Consultant / Managing Director at Lucky Chance Design LTD (2023-03 – Present)

• Engaged client-side on Sandals Resorts International's $1B development to prevent project collapse: restructured internal teams and technical capability, rebuilt the project budget and construction timeline.
• Introduced ISO 19650-aligned workflows, new CDEs and a responsibility matrix for project management and consultant approvals; delivered the restructure in 8 months (vs. a 6-month target); project now in construction across Edge, MEP, Architecture and Structural teams.
• Leading interior design oversight on the Sandals project — approving and redlining room layout markups, coordinating offshore room mock-up builds (China) and travelling for on-site approval, and signing off ID finishes against group brand standards.
• Managed design and budget for Beachcombers Resorts' Trou Aux Biches extension (Mauritius) — $30M renovation, handed over for construction within 9 months of acquisition.
• Master-planned a new $3B, 700-key Beachcombers Resorts concept (Mauritius) — the group's first new-build resort on the island — with 25 luxury villas, 10 residential villas and an 18-hole golf course; kick-off scheduled 2027. Introduced BIM strategy across all appointed consultants.
• Prepared Project Approval Packs and Deviation Matrices; reviewed plans via Bluebeam/ACC; led tender adjudications and landlord/commercial negotiations.

Senior Design Manager at The Ivy Group | Birley Group | Caprice Group | Bill's | Annabel's (2021-02 – 2023-01)

• Led design operations across multiple prestigious UK hospitality brands, managing external consultants and cost/design integrity across all sites; built an internal design team.
• Directed FF&E selection, supplier sourcing and interior finish approvals across new and existing restaurant sites, building a preferred supplier database to streamline procurement.
• Presented design intent, budgets and forecasts to executive teams; ensured compliance with Grade ½ listed building, UK building and Health & Safety regulations.

BIM Manager / Senior Designer at Tricon Foodservice Consultants (2020-09 – 2021-07)

• Implemented company-wide BIM protocols aligned with RIBA stages and PAS 1192-2:2013; trained UK and Dubai-based CAD teams transitioning from AutoCAD to Revit/BIM.
• BIM lead on high-profile projects including Everton Stadium, Saudi Giga City (E-sports Arena, Six Flags), UK/US embassies and HSBC Japan; led COBie data integration for asset lifecycle management.
• Provided input and sign-off on interior finishes and FF&E specification alongside BIM and catering equipment detailing for major projects.

Design Director at Out There Group (2017-02 – 2020-04)

• Directed creative and technical design standards for global F&B brands including Starbucks and Domino's across Southern Africa; developed Starbucks International's first BIM-enabled CDE for cross-functional correspondence and site approvals.
• Managed commercial approval of locally-produced FF&E for Domino's, building a local supplier database that cut lead times; opened 8 stores concurrently within 12 months, securing council and brand-standard approvals.
• Managed investment budgets and stakeholder reporting; the brand was subsequently sold profitably to another South African investment group for national rollout.
• Delivered large-format retail and QSR developments for The Hadjidakis Group on company-owned property, managing full construction and brand liaison.

Senior Operational Technician at Grand Parade Investments (GPI) (2013-02 – 2017-02)

• Joined the Property division and built a self-sufficient internal team of architects and technicians supporting GPI's launch of Burger King SA, Dunkin' Donuts SA and Baskin Robbins SA; delivered 25 store rollouts/year on budget.
• Localised FF&E sourcing and fabrication using South African talent and built a supplier database for furniture and fixtures — cutting lead times and budgets; the model was adopted internationally for future global rollouts.
• Built cloud-based servers and CDEs, centralising commercial data and improving global contract approval rates.

Senior Operations Design Manager at Mac Brothers Catering Equipment (2008-10 – 2013-12)

• Introduced the architectural design function to the company, fully segregating internal design from the catering equipment division; pioneered Revit adoption — the first foodservice design company in South Africa to bring BIM into hospitality projects.
• Built a standalone design and architecture revenue stream delivering 100 restaurants per year, including FF&E input and approval integrated with foodservice equipment specs; became the group's go-to partner for FOH/BOH operational strategy.

Bachelor of Architecture in Architecture – Cape Peninsula University of Technology (2005 – 2009)

Project Management Professional in Project Management – Rosebank Varsity College (2011 – 2012)