Gensler's Kirsten Ritchie Leads Design Firm's Green Initiative

SAN FRANCISCO--(Business Wire)--
Gensler, an international architectural, design, and planning
firm, announced today the promotion of Kirsten Ritchie, highlighting
her more than 25 years of experience in the design industry along with
her leadership abilities in green buildings and materials.

Based in San Francisco, Ritchie works with some of the world's
leading organizations to enhance the environmental performance of
their buildings and operations. She was promoted to senior associate
in recognition of her role as regional director of sustainable design.

"Over the course of her career, Kirsten Ritchie has shown
exemplary management skills and vast knowledge about current trends
and issues regarding sustainability," said Daniel Winey, managing
principal, Gensler's Asia-Pacific region. "Her exceptional know-how
about environmental topics prompts clients to seek out her sound
advice in regard to this competitive landscape. Kirsten's vision and
insight into key projects at Gensler have propelled her into a highly
visible position at our firm."

Since joining Gensler in 2006, Ritchie has been applying her
sustainable design expertise across the building spectrum, from new
product design to commercial interiors to large mixed-use
developments. Her numerous projects include leading the sustainability
assessment and LEED certification of new and existing corporate
campuses across the Pacific, including projects in the San Francisco
Bay Area and Chengdu, China. Ritchie also created environmental
guidelines for Oracle's offices projects worldwide and works on a
number of LEED projects in the United States and China.

Among her many professional associations, Ritchie is involved with
several organizations dedicated to making a more sustainable
environment, including San Francisco's Green Building Task Force and
the Material and Resources Technology Advisory Group of the U.S. Green
Building Council. Recently, Ritchie became the operations chair for
the Business Council on Climate Change (BC3), a joint collaboration of
the San Francisco business community, San Francisco Department of the
Environment, the Bay Area Council and the United Nations Global
Compact. She is a much-sought-after guest speaker who offers her
vision and insight into environmental topics affecting today's
competitive eco-sensitive landscape.

Previously, Ritchie, who is a civil engineer, was the director of
the Environmental Claims Certification Program at Scientific
Certification Systems, where she gained extensive experience
certifying green materials. She also has also worked closely with top
international companies to generate globally recognized standards for
environmentally preferable and sustainable products.

Ritchie holds both a bachelor's and master's degree in civil
engineering from University of California, Berkeley and California
State University, San Jose, respectively.

ABOUT GENSLER:

Gensler is a global design, planning, and strategic consulting
firm, with over 3000 professionals networked across 30 offices on five
continents. Consistently ranked by U.S. and international industry
surveys as the leading architecture and interior design firm, Gensler
leverages its deep resources and diverse expertise to develop design
solutions for industries across the globe. Since 1965, Gensler has
collaborated with clients to create environments that enhance
organizational performance, achieve measurable business goals, enrich
people and communities and enhance everyday experiences. For its
longstanding commitment to the advancement of sustainable design,
Gensler received the Leadership Award from the U.S. Green Building
Council in 2005. Gensler's Bay Area offices include San Francisco, San
Jose and San Ramon in California. For more information, visit
www.gensler.com.

Loomis Group
Rachel Goldberg, 415-489-7379
goldbergr@loomisgroup.com
Dabney Oliver, 415-489-7332
oliverd@loomisgroup.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008