SF Architecture Firm Gensler Names New Co-CEOs

Gensler has named Jordan Goldstein and Julia Simet to run the world’s largest architectural firm.

The San Francisco-based company named the Washington, D.C., architect and the London-based executive as its new co-CEOs, effective Jan. 1, the San Francisco Business Times reported.

They replace Diane Hoskins and Andy Cohen, co-CEOs for nearly two decades, who will become the firm’s global co-chairs.

Goldstein and Simet now serve as co-firm managing principals, splitting oversight of U.S. and international operations.

“Julia and I have worked alongside Andy and Diane for the last several years and we’re excited to expand upon the legacy they’ve built,” Goldstein wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “We’ll push the limits of excellent design, combining new technology and next-generation talent to elevate the human experience.”

Goldstein has worked at Gensler since 1996. Recent projects include Capital One’s Tysons headquarters at 2112 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in the nation’s capital, and Marriott International’s upcoming global headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland.

An architect for more than 25 years, he has redefined the skylines of cities around the world with buildings such as Beijing’s twin 725-foot CP Towers. His projects have won numerous local and national awards.

Simet has 35 years of experience in leading global business growth. The co-firm managing principal now serves as co-regional managing principal for Gensler Europe, and previously led the firm’s Northeast region from New York.

She is an award-winning designer and has led big, complex workplace projects for clients such as Boston Consulting Group, Nomura, Simpson Thacher, Debevoise & Plimpton, Proskauer and Hearst.

Simet believes that, as a designer, you are compelled to support growth and change. In 2011, she was honored by Girls Inc. for her work to inspire and empower girls and young women.

Gensler has more than 6,000 employees at 53 offices around the world, with $1.83 billion in revenue last year. It was the most active architecture firm in New York City last year, with 123 projects, mostly for office interior design.

Also, the firm has analyzed the feasibility of office-to-residential conversion across North America.

In December, Gensler downsized its San Francisco headquarters by moving into the 131-year-old Mills Building at 220 Montgomery Street in the Financial District. The firm said the move from a 55,000-square-foot office at 45 Fremont Street to a 45,000-square-foot office on the second floor will “help meet its 2030 carbon zero goal and support its future of work strategy.”

— Dana Bartholomew