HLW Announces Firm-Wide Leadership Promotions Across Global Offices
Global architecture and design firm HLW is pleased to announce the promotion of seven leaders across its offices, recognizing exceptional talent, dedication, and the continued evolution of the firm's design and delivery capabilities. These appointments span disciplines including interior design, project management, digital practice, and base-building architecture, reflecting HLW's commitment to investing in the people who heighten our ability to excel in all areas of our business.
"These promotions represent the very best of what HLW stands for," said Ed Shim, AIA, NCARB, Managing Partner at HLW, speaking on behalf of the firm's entire Global Leadership Team. "Each of these individuals brings the curiosity, passion, and collaborative drive that define HLW's legacy of innovation. They challenge themselves every day to explore solutions and create spaces that matter — for their teams, their clients, and the communities we serve. We are proud to recognize their contributions and excited about what they will continue to build."
Senior Principal
Louise Sharp, LEED AP, Senior Principal — Los Angeles
Sharp joined HLW in 2010 with a passion for innovative placemaking and a meticulous approach to interior architectural design. Over the past fifteen years, she has established herself as a dynamic workplace design leader across the New York, London, and Shanghai offices before making Los Angeles her permanent home. As Senior Principal, Sharp will guide the Los Angeles interior design practice while contributing to global business development and design leadership across the firm. Her work spans some of the most forward-thinking companies in California, including Google, YouTube, Mattel, Belkin International, Procure Technologies, and Paul, Weiss.
Principal
Johanna Devia, Principal — New York
Devia is a Principal and Studio Director at HLW, recognized for her operational leadership, strategic coordination, and management of highly complex workplace and financial sector projects. Since joining HLW in 2017, she has grown from a hybrid Job Captain/Junior Project Manager role into one of the firm’s trusted client and team leaders. Devia oversees multidisciplinary teams across all phases of delivery while helping standardize project management processes throughout the organization. She has cultivated long-standing client relationships with organizations, including New York Life Insurance Company, serving executive leadership teams with consistency, precision, and trust.
Jeremiah Hancock, LEED AP, Principal — Connecticut
Few designers understand the demands of live media and broadcast architecture quite like Hancock, who has spent nearly two decades specializing in technically complex projects spanning live-feed studios, broadcast renovations, and workplace interiors. Having led HLW's Connecticut studio since 2021 and serving as Sector Leader for Media and Broadcast since 2023, he will expand his influence as Principal across global business development and complex project execution. His client roster includes PGA Tour Studios, Charter Communications, NBC Sports, CBS News, and Brooklyn Steel.
Ikue Sone, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal — New York
Licensed in both Japan and the United States, Sone has built a career defined by continuous growth and a rare international perspective, having practiced across leading firms in both Tokyo and New York. Over a decade at HLW, she has become one of the firm's most versatile leaders, directing the Architecture Studio since 2021. As Principal, Sone will continue to lead the studio, delivering high-performance solutions across all project phases. Her portfolio includes the United Nations, Disney, NBCU, Rutgers University, and RXR.
Director
Stephanie Kotowski, NCIDQ, WELL AP, Delivery Director, CA Studio — Los Angeles
Known for her mastery of technical detailing, code compliance, and jurisdictional permitting, Kotowski's promotion to Delivery Director, CA Studio, reflects her significant contributions to HLW's Los Angeles practice. In this expanded role, she will guide teams through complex constructability and regulatory challenges, leveraging her deep relationships with consultants, vendors, and clients to strengthen project delivery across the board. A diverse and high-profile portfolio reflects the range of her expertise, spanning Google, MSG Sphere Studios, Mattel, Paul, Weiss, FKKS, and PlayQ.
Shelley Quinn, Design Director — London
Spanning over 15 years of industry experience, including 13 years with HLW across Los Angeles, New York, and London, Quinn's promotion to Design Director, London, reflects the breadth and depth she brings to every endeavor. With a portfolio spanning major European cities and a rare combination of creative leadership and technical rigor, she is equally at home shaping bold design concepts as navigating complex construction delivery. A LEED Green Associate, her portfolio includes Grant Thornton UK, Google, Core Five, Wix, and Willis Towers Watson.
Jeff Bailey, Director of Digital Practice — New York
With over fifteen years of experience at the forefront of BIM, digital design, and architectural delivery, Bailey's promotion to Director of Digital Practice reflects his exceptional leadership of HLW's Design Technology group. Rooted in democratizing BIM delivery and developing pragmatic, scalable solutions, Bailey has authored firm-wide BIM standards, led R&D initiatives, and created tools and workflows that enhance coordination and project efficiency, ensuring technology serves as a genuine partner in realizing great architecture.
