Cindy Simpson
Via Natalie Esfandiary | Gensler
Cindy W. Simpson, Mississippi State University alumna and co-managing director of Gensler’s Dallas office, has been named one of the Dallas 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas and Fort Worth for 2017 by D CEO Magazine.
Divided into over 60 different categories, the prestigious standalone publication recognizes the most influential business and civic leaders and entities in the DFW Metroplex. A result of exhaustive research and interviews, the Dallas 500 is coined the ultimate “business bible;” Simpson shares this platform with such iconic powerhouses as Ross Perot and Charlotte Jones Anderson.
Simpson is one of six powerful leaders awarded within the Architecture and Design subcategory of Real Estate – and the only woman in her group. Within the Real Estate category as a whole, she is one of only nine women out of 54 awardees. In dealing with her toughest challenges, she emphasizes, “In the male-dominated profession of architecture, it is imperative that women in the industry are professionally confident, intellectually valiant and mentally agile.”
Since joining Gensler in 2002, Simpson has emerged as a visionary leader, inspiring confidence in her clients, respect among her peers and loyalty from her staff. Promoted to managing director in 2013, she is now supported by nine principals and a co-managing director in the Dallas office with over 200 passionate designers and architects. A design-centered, research-focused, business-minded architecture firm, Gensler works with clients to deliver bold solutions that meet the constantly evolving demands of a changing workforce and rapidly growing city. A dedicated client advocate, Simpson serves on the Firmwide Client Relationships Management Committee, working across the firm to strengthen client partnerships. As both an accomplished project leader and designer, she offers her clients and project teams strategic solutions that also respect and advance design excellence. Her leadership style, breadth of experience, knowledge of the market, effective communication skills and intense focus on her clients’ business drivers have merited her a reputation as a strategic partner and trusted advisor.
Simpson graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Interior Design from Mississippi State University’s College of Architecture, Art and Design in 1996, and was named Alumnus of the Year by the College in 2010. Dedicated to numerous philanthropic initiatives, at MSU she established the Cindy W. Simpson Loyalty Scholarship, providing scholarships to incoming freshmen who exhibit academic excellence and leadership potential; she also supports the advancement fund for the Interior Design Program and in September 2016, established the Cindy W. Simpson Endowed Scholarship in the Interior Design program of the College of Architecture, Art and Design. In January 2015, she became a member of the MSU Foundation Board of Directors. She serves on the Executive Committee for MSU’s Foundation Board, is a member of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, and is Chair of the Fundraising Committee.
Check out Simpson featured in Alumnus magazine.