Shireen Hamdan is a Senior Principal at Populous. In October 2018 she became the first female member of the practice’s Global Board of Directors. Having joined Populous in 2008, Shireen quickly climbed through the ranks, taking a leading role on projects including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the development of Wimbledon Centre Court, and the upgrade of the track and facilities at Silverstone Circuit.
In 2016, Shireen received industry-wide recognition when she was awarded RIBA’s prestigious Rising Star Award. She used this platform to lead an open discussion on encouraging the development of women in architecture, advocating a culture of “regular mentoring and performance reviews” to help women progress within the profession. At Populous, she has successfully implemented a programme of training workshops which help staff develop the skills they need to progress their careers. She has also introduced a new management training course designed to nurture the practice’s next generation of leaders and has been instrumental in the roll-out of a scheme that gives each employee access to an annual learning and development budget.
Shireen now also oversees all Populous’ work in the Middle East, finding reward in the opportunity to help develop a sports infrastructure. The term ‘Middle East’ can give the impression that there is one culture, one community, one set of practices, but in reality it is an incredible mix of culturally, politically, and economically diverse people. Across the region, Shireen has led major projects, been seconded client-side to develop major international events, and has been involved in the design of community-focused projects for the UN and other local agencies. Most recently she led the design team for the Qadsia Stadium in Kuwait for a top football club, as well as the Oslofjord Convention Centre design and the concept design for two stadiums for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, with teams of up to 80 designers and designers.
