Andy Cohen, FAIA, IIDA

Andy is one of two co-CEOs of Gensler, the world’s top architecture and design firm. He just celebrated his 40th anniversary with Gensler. Since 2005, Andy and Co-CEO Diane Hoskins, have exemplified collaborative leadership, overseeing both the long-term strategy and day-to-day operations of the global practice known for its award-winning design innovation and research. Under their guidance, Gensler has organically grown to become the largest in the field, with over 7,000 people networked across 53 offices, serving more than 4,000 clients in 140 countries. With expertise in four sectors — community, lifestyle, work, and health — and 33 practice areas, the firm’s diverse work ranges from aviation, urban design, and sports stadiums to office, hospitality, life sciences, entertainment, and more. Award-winning projects such as the Shanghai Tower, BMO Stadium, and airports in major cities across the globe showcase the breadth and scale of Gensler’s industry-leading practice.

A registered architect in 41 states and 3 Canadian provinces, Andy is a champion of the power of design to enhance and enrich the human experience. In 2021, he was named to Business Insider’s list of “100 People Transforming Business,” which honors 100 business leaders across 10 distinct sectors who are innovating, sparking trends, and tackling global challenges. Business Insider also included Andy and Diane on its inaugural “Creators” list — a who’s who of the world’s 100 top creative visionaries.

Andy works as a dynamic and hands-on leader, mentoring and advising Gensler’s talented teams and ensuring the firm’s vision to create a better world through the power of design. An advocate for resilience, sustainability, and climate action, he is responsible for global design innovation initiatives, spearheading design excellence strategies, and pioneering cutting-edge technology across Gensler’s global footprint.

Heavily invested in client and community relationships, Andy regularly lends his decades of expertise to a diverse roster of organizations. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Urban Development and Mixed-Use Council, the Policy Advisory Board of the Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Board of Advisors, and the USC School of Architecture Board of Councilors, among others. An alumnus of the Pratt Institute, Andy has delivered keynote talks at premier industry conferences and for groups including ULI, TED, the Milken Institute Global Conference, the Pension Real Estate Association, the Young Presidents Organization, CREtech, and more. His thought leadership and insights have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Business Journal, Business Insider, Commercial Observer, the Atlantic, and many trade publications.

As co-CEO and former board chair, Andy is a key creator of what is acknowledged by its peers as the most admired and preeminent architecture and design firm in the world, pioneering project types and design innovation strategies that are shaping the built environment of the next century and beyond.