During a 25-year career working in financial leadership roles for companies in Singapore and the U.S., Angie Choy Edwards has achieved more than most. But she also recognizes that success is contingent on the team, not on any one individual.
“To be effective, a leader needs to listen to other diverse voices and lean on the collective efforts of the team for success,” she said. “Each person on the team has unique strengths and background that helps provide parts to a solution. The leader’s role is to navigate the team through the diversity of thoughts and endeavors toward an aligned outcome that everyone is proud to be part of.”
Edwards was hired in 2021 as CFO at HGA, a national design firm rooted in architecture and engineering. HGA believes the best design results from insight into the people and passions that animate each environment, the company said. HGA has more than 1,000 people in 12 offices from coast to coast working for clients in healthcare, arts and culture, community, corporate, education, government, science and technology and energy markets.
HGA was founded in 1953 by Minnesotans Richard Hammel, Curt Green and Bruce Abrahamson, who were committed to superb modern design and a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach. Hamel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA) set the course for the entrepreneurial spirit that guides the company that bears their name today. Leadership is now spread throughout the country, with many ascending through the ranks. Edwards was recruited to HGA’s Milwaukee office to lead the company through the next level of sustainable growth.
Edwards has an extensive background with Fortune 500 and privately-owned companies in both manufacturing and service industries. Over the last year, Edwards has helped guide HGA through a period of rapid growth, focusing on instilling a financial regimen for strategic and tactical decisions.
HGA is already projected to improve more than 25% in revenue over the last year, and 2022 will be recorded as the most successful financial year in HGA’s history.
Edwards received her Bachelor of Accountancy degree from the National University of Singapore and earned her MBA at Marquette University. She began her career as an auditor with Ernst & Young in Singapore and proved herself as a strategic thinker and financial leader, holding positions as division CFO at iQ International AG and vice president of finance at Apple Leadership Group. Edwards also held financial leadership roles at Milwaukee-area companies including Johnson Controls Inc. and ManpowerGroup.
“Angie is a seasoned leader with the right expertise, foresight and collaborative skills to help our firm continue to grow and evolve,” HGA CEO Tim Carl said. “She brings a deep understanding of the relationship between an organization’s culture and its financial performance and how strategy integrates both.”
Edwards served as chair of the leadership board at the American Diabetes Association of Wisconsin from 2015 to 2017. Currently, she is president of the Booster Club at Brookfield East High School. She also leads the Career Ministry at her church, supporting the unemployed and underemployed.
