Peter Gertler Joins HDR to Provide Global Transportation Strategic Consulting
Peter Gertler, AICP, has joined HDR’s strategic consulting team as vice president and is responsible for helping the firm grow its strategic consulting practice worldwide. Based in HDR’s Oakland, CA, office, Gertler will work with HDR clients around the globe to advance their visions for smart, sustainable mobility solutions. His 30 years of experience in planning, transportation engineering and technology brings added depth to HDR’s comprehensive strategic consulting practice.
Prior to joining HDR, Gertler was director of business development for Autodesk global consulting practice. He also held leadership roles with two other large North America-based architectural/engineering firms. He has contributed to high-profile projects in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including projects such as the California High Speed Rail program; Mexico City’s new international airport; the United Kingdom’s West Coast Rail Modernization program; the Qatar Rail program; and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Area Airport Transport Linkages study in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Gertler chairs the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) High-Speed and Intercity Rail Committee. He helped found, and has presided over, the California Association for High Speed Trains. His influence earned him a place on the 2010 Civil Engineering News “Power List,” which distinguished 15 of the most eminent professionals in civil engineering. His expertise has brought him before government agencies to testify about high-speed and intercity rail issues. He has also written for Forbes and been interviewed by Fox Business Network and NPR’s “All Things Considered,” among other news outlets.
Gertler earned his bachelor’s degree in political economy from the University of California, Berkeley. He earned two master’s degrees — in transportation engineering and city planning — from the University of Pennsylvania.
“We are pleased to welcome Peter as a member of HDR's senior professional staff, providing strategic consulting and advisory services to clients in both the public and private sectors,” said Senior Vice President and Director of Professional Services Mike Schneider. “Peter's knowledge and experience in the intercity and high-speed rail and technology sectors and public transport enhances HDR's capabilities in offering advisory and program management services globally, particularly with respect to innovative methods of project delivery."