María Paula Sáenz

As a Strategy Director based in Gensler’s Costa Rica office, María Paula partners with clients and internal groups to develop strategies that trigger innovation, business transformation, and cultural change. Drawing on her 15 years of experience across multiple practice areas and multi-cultural background in architecture and urbanism, she believes in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and design thinking to address complex challenges. As an integrator, María Paula is committed to bringing the best of Gensler resources and thought leadership to all her spheres of action.

She is a strong partner to the Gensler Research Institute, having advised in important firmwide studies such as the City Pulse Survey and the Experience Index Research, while also acting as a research advocate at a local and global level. Alongside her teams in the Costa Rica, Mexico City, and Bogotá offices, María Paula leads important cross-sector strategy projects and pursuits that are transforming the way we deliver value to our clients in pre-design phases, while also exploring new collaboration formats with diverse stakeholders to maximize impact. María Paula’s notable clients include Microsoft, Adobe, J&J, BAC and local developer groups. Additionally, she exemplifies leadership through her role as a member of Gensler’s Global Race and Diversity Committee.