The HAKS Group Inc., a multi-disciplined, global construction management, engineering, architecture, land surveying and material testing firm headquartered in downtown Manhattan, has appointed Elliot “Lee” G. Sander, former CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York, as its new president and CEO.

Sander will be responsible for directing daily operations of HAKS’ national and international offices, and will be working in tandem with Chairman and Co-Founder Husam Ahmad, P.E., to expand the firm’s global operations.

In addition to his leadership at the MTA, the largest public transportation and toll network in the Western Hemisphere,  Sander’s long resume of public-sector service includes Commissioner of the New York City DOT, Director of Transit for the New York State DOT, and Deputy Commissioner of the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal. Founder of the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management and a founding Co-Chair of the Empire State Transportation Alliance, Sander currently serves as Chairman of the Regional Plan Association, an independent planning organization that has played a vital role in the region’s infrastructure and economic development. Prior to joining HAKS, he led the worldwide transportation practice of a large global architecture and engineering firm.