Talent Spotlight: Coco Lin
International Women's Day 2024
Name: Coco Lin
Role: Principal, Director of Healthcare
Studio: Shanghai
How has the architecture & design industry evolved in terms of gender diversity since you began your career, and what changes would you like to see in the future?
People used to perceive that men dominated the architecture & design industry. However, I think this is a bias on a certain level. The fact is, in the past, women did not have many opportunities to join work fields. The convention ‘needs’ them to stay at home and do all sorts of housework, including cooking, laundry, and parenting. Nowadays, women are fabulous and shine in every field with their talents, capability, inclusiveness, and many more.
At B+H, as part of our ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) across all areas of our practice, B+H established a global “DEI Task Force”, to examine the broad and far-reaching dimensions of gender, racism, inclusivity, and equity in all its forms in our communities and help build holistic policies, procedures, and strategies in our studios.
In the third Women Empowerment Awards 2023, B+H was nominated for the Best SME for the Advancement of Women award. The Women Empowerment Council (WEC) is an engaged network of leaders and decision-makers that aims to advance gender equality in businesses in China and beyond. At the award ceremony, outstanding female representatives such as Li Na, the two-time Grand Slam champion; Smriti Aryal, UN Women’s Country Representative in China; and Xu Baoyan, Vice President of FedEx China Operations, shared their excellent speeches. The nomination demonstrates B+H’s efforts and achievements in promoting gender equity.
“As Principal and a director of healthcare and senior care, I supervise healthcare and senior care project management and business development in Mainland China.
Sometimes, it could be challenging as a female Principal, but with my years of solid experience and team efforts, I found the position as a leader very appealing.”
Do you think women are treated equally in competing for leadership positions in the industry?
At B+H, I think we are fairly treated. As I mentioned, it is not about females lacking capability or professionalism towards architecture and design. We are talented and professional, just as males are in this industry. We have equal rights to compete for leadership positions, and at B+H, we commit to BOLD action to drive Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.
- Globally, B+H has a 50/50 split of female architects and male architects across the firm
- 40% of B+H’s Senior Leadership Team are women
- 40% of the Management Committee at B+H are women
As Principal and a director of healthcare and senior care, I supervise healthcare and senior care project management and business development in Mainland China. Sometimes, it could be challenging as a female Principal, but with my years of solid experience and team efforts, I found the position as a leader very appealing. Over the years, with the support of leadership and team, we have won several healthcare projects and achieved remarkable awards-winning performance, including Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital Science & Education Building, Columbia China Jiaxing and Wuxi Hospitals, and Suzhou Cascade Youyi Senior Living.