Transformational Growth: Gensler’s Co-CEO Diane Hoskins on the Power of Design and Leading a Global Creative Enterprise with Purpose
By Amy Stone
Diane Hoskins is co-CEO of Gensler. As both an MIT-trained architect and holding an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, Diane’s career has spanned architecture, design, real estate, and business. Diane has broad responsibility in running the firm’s day-to-day operations which span nearly 7,000 employees networked across 52 offices in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Diane is a strong advocate for sustainable design, climate action, and net zero building. She has championed Gensler’s focus on diversity, inclusivity, equity, and justice in the design profession. A leader of a multidisciplinary firm, Diane repositioned the firm by focusing on creativity and design excellence combined with strategic planning and client focus.
In her interview with Amy, Diane discusses early influences in architecture, strategies behind transformational growth, her deep admiration for women leaning in, and her commitment to positively impacting the world through design.
Let’s start with the foundational years. How did you grow up and how did you develop an interest in architecture?
A combination of nature and nurture drew me into architecture. From the nature standpoint, my mom studied art and was a creative type. Most of my siblings had natural creative gifts and my mom worked at cultivating and testing our interests to see what each of her five kids were interested in. When I was about five years old, my mom enrolled me in the Art Institute of Chicago. The kids in the class would tour the museum before it opened on Saturday mornings and attempt to sketch various artwork and sculptures on our little sketch pads [laughs]. Also, my mom would bring home Architecture Record magazines from her job at McGraw Hill. I remember being six or seven and completely falling in love with that magazine. They were my prized possessions.
Like most architects, I built bridges and towers with Legos. I remember receiving one of those girder and panel sets that I wanted for Christmas. I appreciate that no one in my family ever commented that it was a ‘boy’s toy’ and I was never made to feel it wasn’t appropriate for a girl. I just got it and built the sets! Of course, like my three sisters, I also asked for Barbies. My sisters and I had dozens of Barbie dolls and we made countless Barbie houses and communities.
I’m from Chicago – born and raised. From the nurture standpoint, the city had a big influence on me because it’s a place that loves, treasures, and talks about architecture. I remember when John Hancock Tower and Sears Towers were monumental new structures and when we’d drive by the beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright's Robbie House not far from where we lived. There was an environment of enthusiasm for architecture all around me. Together, all these influences came together and drew me into architecture.
Diane and her mother at Diane’s graduation from the UCLA Anderson School of Business.
What did you learn about yourself while studying architecture?
As I look back today and observe my school years, I realize that what stuck with me was a fascination with how people interact with spaces and in particular, the ground plane. Places for human interaction and movement through space is fundamentally defined by the design of the plan. When I designed in plan, I had a way of projecting myself into the space to understand what you would see, your connection to other spaces and imagine how people would find happiness through a well thought out plan. This included materiality and level changes as well. That way of thinking helped me understand complex systems. It certainly led me to be interested in interiors, because this is where people live their lives.
Walk me through the first steps of your career. How did you get your start in the field?
I joined SOM right out of school and had the opportunity to work on large commercial office buildings. The scale of the projects were beyond anything we had done in school. My first project was a 600,000 sf, 29-story office tower in NY, it was at the corner of 53rd and 3rd Avenue. For such a large building, it was a pretty small team which meant that I got to do a variety of design explorations which I enjoyed. What struck me on this project, and subsequent others, is that we only designed the "base building," not the interiors. When I asked about designing the interior of the building, the response was essentially that ‘other people do the inside part’. After two and half years, I was exploring other companies and was introduced to Margo Grant, the head of Gensler’s New York office. During my meeting with Margo, I shared my portfolio of buildings, without a single interior, and I was honest and told her that I was genuinely interested in learning commercial interiors. I got hired!
I say Gensler gave me my Master’s degree in interior design. I was assigned to a project with Dina Frank, an amazing designer who took me under her wing. At the end of every single day, she would spend an hour with me going through each material, finish, and furniture selection I had pulled. She gave me a framework and an approach to interiors. Interestingly, I found that you start with the ground plane as the foundation. Learning interiors felt more like what I had learned in school about creating great architecture.
In just my second week at Gensler, I was included in client meetings. It was eye opening. I was hearing the client discuss how the design needed to respond to their business reorganization. What is unique about workplace design, is that it’s not just about the building as an object anymore. You are designing for the goals, objectives, and mission of the organization and its people. Eventually, these experiences led toward my decision to get an MBA as well. I wanted to understand what makes organizations tick and what is the role of design. It was about putting the pieces together.
“The designer is the one who is listening, understanding, and demonstrating how to achieve objectives in a creative, non-prescriptive way. I wanted to be on that side of the equation.”
What did the MBA add to your perspective?
For me, the more I understand something from a wholistic standpoint, the more I can understand the details. Getting my MBA helped me understand how architecture, interior design, real estate, and business all fit together. I learned how businesses operate. I really loved my real estate classes where I learned how finance and development deals work. When I completed my degree, I jumped into the deep end of real estate development to see what it was like to control and own all the parts of the process and beyond, from start to finish. As I entered the real estate industry, I didn’t know if I was ever going to come back to the design profession.
Walk me through your transition from design to development back to design.
As I began my journey into the real estate industry, I worked on some fascinating projects at Olympia and York, which at the time was the largest developer in the world. I chose to work for O&Y because they believed in the power of design as a crucial part of the value of a project. It wasn't just the money, it was about placemaking. Many developers see buildings primarily as a financial instrument. I could never feel good about abstracting the power of design and the impact of the built environment that way. A building is so much more than a financial instrument.
When the recession in 1990 hit, it was a real learning opportunity. I had been working on financial analytics for a million square foot office development and as interest rates climbed into the double digits, none of the financial scenarios worked anymore. Deals were falling apart. O&Y was starting to crumble, and I knew it was time to make decisions about my next steps. Ultimately, as I looked at all of my options, I made a conscious decision to go back to the creative side versus the real estate development side.
Earlier on in my career, I thought that the developer had the power to make all the creative decisions. After sitting in the developer seat, I realized that the developer is only able to respond to the ideas that the designer puts in front of them; they don't create ideas. The person that is imagining what could be and pushing the limits of what is possible is the one on the creative side. The designer is the one who is listening, understanding, and demonstrating how to achieve objectives in a creative, non-prescriptive way. I wanted to be on that side of the equation.
Shanghai Tower, photography by Black Station.
Fifth and Tillery Repositioning, photography by Matthew Niemann.
That’s a powerful insight. How has your role on the design side evolved over your career?
Not long after returning to architecture and interiors, I became the director of a forty-person office. While I love individual projects and I miss the hands-on impact of being "on the boards", I found that I could put my creative skills and business skills together through the role of leading and shaping a design practice. I had business training, knowledge of the marketplace, and a real connection to my clients. I loved the business, and I really loved the people side. That role fit me like a glove!
After moving from LA to Baltimore in 1995, I rejoined Gensler. I felt like I had really come home. What I loved about Art Gensler and the Gensler organization was their sophisticated, comprehensive way of thinking about clients, space, and the opportunity that design presents. Also, I felt like this firm – and this is something I believe strongly in – really believes in its people. I felt that incredible support from Art and the leadership team from day one. I felt I had found my place.
Twenty-seven years in now, I’ve had opportunities to run and grow the DC office, then the Southeast region, and then in 2005, I was asked to be Co-CEO along with longtime friend, Andy Cohen. I couldn't have imagined anything better!
Under your leadership as Co-CEO, Gensler has seen an incredible trajectory and is the largest design firm in the world. What have been your strategies and personal insights behind that transformation?
There isn’t an easy one-liner on this. There has been a lot of intentionality.
When Andy Cohen and I became Co-CEOs, the firm was two-hundred-sixty million in revenue. We are on track toward one-point-eight billion this year. I don’t want to pat us on the back. I want to say that a lot of people would not have thought that an architecture and design practice could scale like this and stay creative! I believe, and I can prove, that the larger we have grown, the more creative we have gotten. The more people you have, the more unique combinations of outcomes and innovations you can create. It’s pretty mathematical. So when you get to seven thousand, which is where we’ll grow to this year, the possible combinations grow exponentially.
“I want to say that a lot of people would not have thought that an architecture and design practice could scale like this and stay creative! I believe, and I can prove, that the larger we have grown, the more creative we have gotten.”
How do you lead so that scale and creativity are not in competition with each other?
Some firms scale and grow more hierarchical, rote, and formulaically safe. That makes people hesitant about bringing ideas and trying new things. We believe in our people and focus on the power of collaboration. Rather than having a centralized decision-making hierarchy, we strive to push decision making out to teams and individuals. We showcase design, innovation, research and ideas through internal awards, recognition, sharing ideas, and dialogues of design. Creativity inspires creativity across the firm.
Let me say something that is rarely said: you have more freedom in a large firm than in a small firm. Why? Because often the owner(s) of the small firm, who is also often the lead designer, has to approve everything that goes out the door. Often these individuals are more interested in their own fame and notoriety than lifting up their team members. I would be wary of a career in a small firm.
Circle T, rendering courtesy of Gensler.
Museo Miraflores, Guatemala. Image copyright Andres Garcia Lachner.
Does that emphasis on creativity and individualization detract from an overarching comprehensive strategy?
Fundamentally, ‘people first’ is our strategy, our culture, and the secret sauce. This idea of 'people first' has two components. First, it's about creating a place where people feel included, safe, and are able to bring their best self. Clients know when they come to Gensler, they are going to get the best talent the marketplace can offer. "People first" is also our value proposition, and this mindset shows up on our work. We value the people who use the spaces we create and their voice matters in the design.
What is the impact you’d like to have in the world? What is your core mission?
During the Great Recession in 2010, some tough things were going on. We needed to elevate our focus beyond just survival. We needed to focus on where we are going and what this firm is all about. We came up with Vision 2020, which encapsulated a pivotal moment for us to say that we are here to make a difference. Gensler isn’t just a great creative enterprise. It isn’t only a wonderful place to work. We have a purpose!
This idea of making a positive impact in the world and being accountable became core pieces of our vision. It really electrified people to understand they are truly part of something making a tremendous positive impact in communities and in the lives of millions of people. Every project counts. We know messages come through the work that we do, and as a firm we want to be accountable for that. Hold us to our vision.
Who are you admiring right now?
I genuinely admire the young women in our profession. I started coming back to the office in July of last year. Who did I find at the office? Mainly, our young women. That’s who was back, working hard, all day long. I could feel this ‘all-in’ attitude that energized and encouraged me at a time when I was just coming back to the ‘in person’ experience. It gave me such a passion and drive to come in every day, to give it my all, no matter how convenient or inconvenient.
I want to make sure we are the firm that continues to focus on creating a better world. Whatever I can do to continue to make Gensler that kind of place, that is what I’m committed to doing.
Design has a unique role as the world addresses issues like climate change, inclusivity and deglobalization. Design is a solution that can physically build the potential for positive outcomes in our cities and communities. I want to encourage our next generation of architects to seize the day and make every project count for lower carbon, greater inclusion, and a healthier future.