UK flexible workspace operator, Citibase, is powering up with a trio of new Area Managers. Citibase’s new team members will assist the firm’s continuing ambitious growth strategy and further boost overall customer experience in its flexible officing hubs.
The appointments come during a record period of growth for the company, as Citibase – the self-billed Property Manager for the New Economy – now has 37 fully serviced hubs across the length and breadth of the country, from Aberdeen to Brighton.
Having started his career in the leisure industry, Steve A’Hearne joins from IWG Plc (formerly Regus), where he was Area Manager. In his previous role, Steve was responsible for managing a portfolio of large serviced offices with million pound+ P&Ls. At Citibase, he will oversee the company’s centres in the South West.
Jonathan Willoughby will be based in London, where Citibase has opened five new hubs in the past six months in areas including Knightsbridge and Victoria. He also joins from IWG, where he was a highly successful London Area Manager, having also held management roles with Marks & Spencer and Sainsburys.
Sean Edwards will also be based in London and brings with him a wealth of experience from Avis Budget Group, where he has most recently managed a portfolio of car rental sites across London and a fleet of over 1,000 vehicles. Sean will take on a cluster of centres in and around London, building on his enviable track record in growing high performing teams.
All three of the Area Managers will have overall responsibility for compliance, standards, and service for the Citibase centres in the regions they oversee.
The hat-trick of appointments comes during a time when the flexible officing revolution continues to boom, with the latest report from Colliers International revealing that average lease lengths in London dropped to just five years in 2017.
This finding was backed up by the latest of Citibase’s own exclusive quarterly Business Confidence Indexes, which highlighted that of the 1,100 SMEs surveyed across the UK, a staggering 74% said they wanted terms of less than three years, suggesting that the ‘battery has gone flat’ on the traditional long lease.
Steve Jude, Citibase CEO, comments: “These new appointments will play a crucial part in ensuring we can meet our ambitious growth strategy. As we continue to transform building owners’ vacant office space into vibrant flexible officing hubs, our new Area Managers will also ensure that our SME occupiers are delivered industry leading customer experience at all times.
“2017 was a headline year for the flexible officing sector, and as demand continues amongst cost-conscious SMEs and larger corporates alike, I can only see this continuing in 2018.”
