Kirsten Ritchie

Kirsten Ritchie is Principal/Director of Sustainable Design, Asia/Pacific Region, for Gensler, a global architecture and design firm. In this role she serves as one of the firms leading sustainability ambassadors and evangelists, engaging staff, clients and the public on innovative and sustainable design, construction and operational thinking. She is an accomplished speaker and educator, whose dynamic and practical insights have inspired audiences across the world. A recognized expert in green product standards and sustainability rating systems (including LEED and CHPS), Kirsten is a leading advocate for performance based design. She played a pivotal role in the development of SCS Indoor Advantage, Floorscore®, level, NSF’s sustainable flooring standards (140 and 332), and BIFMA’s sustainable furniture standards (e3, M7.1 and x7.1), which have led to transformational changes in the flooring and furniture industries. She is now actively involved the development and implementation of standards and guidelines at the organizational level, focused on improving the sustainability performance of global estate portfolios. Ms. Ritchie is a LEED® AP+ (O+M) and a licensed Professional Engineer. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from California State University, San Jose. She serves on the Board of Directors of the US Green Building Council and the Ecological Building Network and is an adjunct professor at the California College of the Arts.