Karen is a currently working as a Project and Design Manager at EKKR.

Recently, she has spent time working in the charity sector, serving as a Project Manager with Kent Wildlife Trust. Her involvement with the trust began through her work on a visitor center design competition that included Ekkist, a consultancy specialising in creating buildings that promote health and well-being, aligned with the international WELL standard.

Previously, she was a Project Design Executive at Canary Wharf, working as a member of the team delivering Wood Wharf, part of the mixed-use master plan for the completion of the Canary Wharf Estate

Karen first made the transition to the client side working as a Design Leader in the team delivering the new Terminal Two project for Heathrow Airports Limited. Her responsibilities included ensuring that the design and specifications fulfilled the airports strategic requirements, including standards of technical performance.

Before joining Heathrow, Karen was at BDP for 10 years where she was an Associate Director in the Living and Learning Studio, which specialised in designs for housing and mixed use master plan projects in the U.K. and internationally.

Karen studied at the Welsh School of Architecture. She was on the RIBA council from 2005-2009, when she joined the RIBA Building Futures steering group. She was also RIBA Honorary Treasurer from 2007-2009.  She is a member of the Women in Architecture Group.

She sat on The Edge Panel, led by Paul Morrell that produced the highly rated Edge paper: The Future of Professionalism.  She is a fellow of Royal Society of the Arts and a member of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects.  She is also a Trustee of the Architects Benevolent Society.