Guided by thirty years of industry experience, Diane Cowin is a Senior Vice President and the Director for Environmental Social Governance (ESG) for AECOM’s Global Transportation Business Line and the acting Transit Market Lead for the Americas. 

She currently supports the executive leadership team of AECOM (Fortune 500) driving transformation through strategy and growth by leveraging trends and future forward thought including providing input into the global strategy development for transportation and transit with key tenants ESG and innovation. 

She is the AECOM lead for ESG in Transportation globally. 

She serves on the AECOM Americas Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion steering committee.

In addition to operational and leadership roles, Diane has worked on infrastructure projects around the world. 

She is a principal and program manager for mega-transit and passenger rail projects, programs and multi-year planning contracts. 

Diane is a keen strategist with proven success in propelling rail visions towards implementation through strategic yet methodical planning. 

She is a trusted advisor to private and public entities as an industry leader in the regulatory and funding landscape for the transportation and energy sectors.

Diane is at the forefront of shaping a more sustainable transportation sector and recently sat down with Digital First® Magazine to discuss the latest trends in transit and what it means to lead and succeed.

Leading on ESG and Transit

"My role as the Global Transportation ESG Lead is a wonderful combination of my passion for a healthy planet, my education in Environmental Resource Management, my experience providing community and environmental benefits through infrastructure, and my need to always be learning. My role as the acting Transit Market Lead allows me to leverage my long-earned reputation, keen sense of industry trends, and business development and growth acumen in the transit and rail fields to help agencies succeed, communities thrive, and keep AECOM at the top," says Diane.

Implementing impactful projects

Diane's achievements were impressively recognized, making her one of The Top 50 Women Leaders of California.

"I am part of a service industry helping agencies and private entities implement some of the most impactful infrastructure projects in the world. First and foremost, I believe my success comes from my passion for the positive impact our projects can make on individuals, communities, and the world. Just as important are the relationships I’ve cultivated, a willingness to give time to help others in the industry, and the ability to place myself in my client’s shoes to best help them reach their goals," continues Diane.

Being an authentic leader

"Authentic Leadership, to me, is bringing your whole authentic self to bear on everything you do - from working with your Board of Directors, management team, clients, employees, and even your family and friends. Authentic leadership is best embodied by those who exhibit integrity, accountability, and empathy. Authentic leaders that I have had the privilege to work with at AECOM are committed to bettering themselves, the company and the employees, being disciplined, inspiring trust, and have the ability to focus on the goal and bring others along," explains Diane.

Bringing ideas to the front

"My best advice to aspiring leaders is to lean in, trust and bet on yourself and your ideas. Making a positive impact on your organization and industry often comes down to being bold and bringing your ideas to the front for discussion and consideration. It takes diverse voices to truly make a meaningful and sustainable impact in any industry," adds Diane.

Read the full article in Digital First® Magazine.

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