Andy Cohen, FAIA, IIDA
Global Co‑Chair
Andy Cohen is Global Co-Chair of Gensler, the world’s most influential architecture and design firm. He has spent his entire 43-year career at Gensler. Since 2005, he and Global Co-Chair 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 strategic guidance, Gensler has organically grown to become the most admired firm in the field, with some 6,000 people networked across 53 offices around the world, serving more than 3,500 clients in over 100 countries.
With expertise in four sectors — cities, lifestyle, work, and health — and 33 practice areas, the firm’s diverse work ranges from aviation, urban design, and 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.
Andy is a champion of the power of design to enhance and enrich the human experience. In 2022, he and Diane were included on Forbes’ inaugural “Future of Work 50,” recognizing leaders shaping the office of tomorrow, today. In 2021, they were named to Business Insider’s list of “100 People Transforming Business,” which honors business leaders in 10 sectors who are innovating, sparking trends, and tackling global challenges. In 2016, Business Insider included Andy and Diane on its inaugural “Creators” list, which recognizes the world’s 100 top creative visionaries. And for 8 consecutive years, Andy has appeared on the Los Angeles Times’ annual “LA500” list, which highlights the region’s most influential, powerful, and impactful business professionals.
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, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Board of Advisors, and the USC School of Architecture Board of Councilors, among others.
Andy has delivered keynote talks at premier industry conferences and for groups including ULI, the Young Presidents Organization, the Milken Institute Global Conference, the Pension Real Estate Association, the California Contract Cities Association, CREtech, TEDx, and more. He spoke at the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference COP28, and his thought leadership and insights have appeared in Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Quartz, Curbed, and many other general and trade publications.
As Gensler’s Global Co-Chair and Co-Chair of its Board of Directors, Andy is a key creator of what Fast Company recognized as one of “The World’s Most Innovative Companies” and what Forbes identified as one of “America’s Best Large Employers 2024.” Acknowledged by its peers as the preeminent architecture and design firm in the world, Gensler is pioneering new project types and innovative design strategies that are shaping the built environment of the next century and beyond.
A registered architect in 41 states and 3 Canadian provinces, Andy is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a graduate of the Pratt Institute.