Shirley Chen

Shirley Chen grew from landscape designer to executive in the world’s leading infrastructure consultancy and Fortune 500 firm, AECOM. She thrives on being challenged, whether in driving complex projects, relating with clients, or business management through strategy, operations, and finance. Shirley believes: “There are many values, some seemingly contrasting, that a landscape designer needs to balance: beauty, utility, sustainability, heritage. Beautiful landscapes create so much value for the communities and people they serve. It’s like art meets problem solving, and this is what drives me to design.” Her enthusiasm for design, creative implementation of solutions, and resilience were swiftly noticed by senior leadership and the industry. Her approach, dedication, and quality of work have gained favourable reviews and praise from clients. In a span of nineteen years after her graduation, she progressed from landscape designer in the Shenzhen office to Tourism & Hospitality leader in Guangzhou, where she oversaw project quality management, business development, and employee programs, to managing director at Asia headquarters in Hong Kong. Today, Shirley oversees the regional design hub, Urbanism + Planning (U+P), which spans urban planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and economics. The UN Women’s APAC Snapshot 2020 reports that women’s representation in specialized services leadership is only 17%. AECOM has set an industry-leading target of women comprising at least 20% of senior leadership roles. Being part of that, Shirley paves the way for more women leaders in the Architecture, Engineering & Construction industry. She staunchly supports the various initiatives to develop more inclusive working environment and company culture for all. Her leadership of landscape projects, opening opportunities to all at the workplace, astute client management, and motivating aspiring designers have made great contributions to the design industry.