Adaeze Cadet is a Design Principal at HOK, where she leads the Los Angeles studio and shapes the firm’s broader design direction through her roles on its board of directors, global design board, and marketing board. With over two decades of experience, she is known for advancing bold design concepts while ensuring they are realized with clarity, rigor, and technical precision.

Her portfolio spans complex, high-impact projects that merge design excellence with civic purpose including the California Institute of Technology’s Center for Quantum Precision Measurement, Kedren Children’s Village, and major infrastructure improvements at Los Angeles International Airport. These works reflect her ability to operate at the intersection of vision and delivery bridging creativity, performance, and constructability at scale.

Recognized as one of the Los Angeles Business Journal’s LA500 most influential leaders and Building Design+Construction “40 Under 40”, Adaeze is also among a small group of Black women leading design at a major global firm today. Her leadership extends beyond projects into shaping design culture mentoring emerging professionals, advancing equity in the industry, and advocating for more inclusive and impactful design outcomes.

Adaeze’s approach is grounded in a clear belief: design intent must be actively led, protected, and translated at every stage of a project. Through her work, she challenges traditional silos between design and technical execution ensuring that ambitious ideas are fully realized in the built environment.