Gensler was founded in San Francisco in 1965 by Art Gensler, his wife Drue, and James Follett. What began as a pioneering workplace design consultancy has since evolved into the world’s leading architecture and design firm.

Art and the founding generation, including Ed Friedrichs, Margo Grant Walsh, Tony Harbour, and Walter Hunt, established a self-governing, self-sustaining firm, laser focused on clients and growth. The next generation of leaders — Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins, who served as Co-CEOs for 20 years, with Dan Winey, Robin Klehr Avia, and Joseph Brancato comprising the firm’s first Executive Committee — brought a bold, long-term vision that elevated Gensler to a global design powerhouse.

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Sara Munday
Global Director, Public Relations
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Continuing and amplifying the firm’s legacy of interconnected, collaborative leadership and governance, Jordan Goldstein and Elizabeth Brink, Co-CEOs, and Philippe Phaneuf, COO, joined the Executive Committee as Andy and Diane became Global Co-Chairs of the Board of Directors in 2025.

Rooted in a culture of:

• mutual trust
• respect
• collaboration

Gensler’s legacy of leadership is defined by:

1. continuity
2. mentorship
3. collective vision for what’s next

We partner with our clients and empower our people to pursue their personal passions, in order to make a lasting difference in the world.

Together, our leaders have steered the firm into ever-greater design innovation and impact, while remaining resolutely focused on the human experience.

Laying the Foundations

Art and Drue Gensler and their colleague Jim Follet co-founded M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, Inc. in 1965, in a small, one-room office in San Francisco. Boldly entrepreneurial and visionary, Art challenged typical ideas of what architecture and design could do and is widely credited with creating the blueprint for how many professional services firms organize and manage themselves today. Along with other members of our founding generation, Art built the preeminent commercial interior design firm in the United States by approaching projects from the “inside out.”

The extraordinary Gensler leaders during that first decade played an essential role in shaping the culture of innovation and design excellence that would guide the firm’s trajectory for years to come. In addition to opening our second and third offices in Houston (1972) and Denver (1973), they brought a game-changing approach to the business of design, taking great care to intentionally attract, develop, and empower leaders at every level with an eye toward growth.

Broadening Expertise, Deepening Impact

As the savings and loan crisis and recession destabilized the United States economy in the late 1980s and early 1990s, architecture firms around the country began to downsize, merge, or even close their doors. Gensler, however, charged ahead, with projects spanning 40 states and 12 countries by the time we celebrated our 25th anniversary.

Firmly established in the industry, Gensler blossomed as a full-service professional practice, offering services from architecture and interiors to facilities planning, master planning, and graphic design, among others. As the firm’s expertise evolved, so did the business model and culture.

A Constellation of Stars

Ed Friedrichs succeeded Art as Gensler’s second President and CEO, leading the firm from 1995 to 2003 through a pivotal era of growth and diversification. A passionate advocate for people and culture, Ed codified the firm’s values, articulating the idea of Gensler as a “constellation of stars” — a practice defined not by a single personality, but by the collective contributions of talented individuals working together.

Under his leadership, Gensler formalized its practice area strategy, expanding beyond workplace interiors to establish new areas of expertise. Ed championed innovation, launched Gensler University, and fostered a tradition of mentorship and shared learning that remains foundational today. His influence helped shape Gensler into a more connected, resilient, and future-focused firm, strengthening both its business model and its culture.

Visionary Leadership for the Next Generation

In the mid-1990s, Art put a group of young, ambitious leaders at the helm of key offices: Andy Cohen in Los Angeles, Diane Hoskins in Washington, D.C., Dan Winey in San Francisco, and Robin Klehr Avia and Joseph Brancato in New York — the “constellation of stars” ethos in action. Bringing energy, passion, strategic vision, and grit, these five leaders, who became the firm’s first Executive Committee, kick-started Gensler’s transformation from family-owned-and-operated interiors practice to a multidimensional global brand.

By simultaneously focusing on design innovation and excellence, engaging new market sectors, and growing client relationships both locally and around the world, they brought bold new ideas and formalized an internal visioning and strategic planning process, the first of which was called “Leadership 2000.” It was in this era that the firm’s mission statement was cemented — one that still guides our work today: “to create a better world through the power of design.”

In 2000, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) recognized Gensler’s impact and influence with the prestigious Firm of the Year Award — the AIA’s highest honor to a collaborative practice. At the ceremony, Art Gensler invited all five Executive Committee members — Andy, Diane, Robin, Dan, and Joe — to join him onstage. It was a demonstration of Art’s, and the firm’s, commitment to the next generation of collaborative leadership.