Jamie Hodari On “Massive Opportunity Ahead” As Industrious Expands Internationally

• Industrious has announced it will add over 350,000 square feet to its workplace portfolio across 6 international markets ahead of plans to further expand by the end of the year.  
• Motivated by employee demand for greater work flexibility, companies are increasingly leveraging workplace-as-a-service platforms. 
• In a Q&A with Jamie Hodari, CEO and Co-Founder of Industrious, he explained why his company decided to expand.  

Industrious, the workplace-as-a-service company, has announced it will add over 350,000 square feet to its workplace portfolio across 6 international markets (Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Paris, Brussels, and Eindhoven) ahead of plans to further expand by the end of the year.  

The company will acquire The Great Room and Welkin & Meraki, two premium flexible workplace providers in Asia and Europe respectively.  

Motivated by employee demand for greater work flexibility, companies are increasingly leveraging workplace-as-a-service platforms that can deliver an unparalleled workplace experience consistently across a vast network of international locations. 

The Great Room – headquartered in Singapore and co-founded in 2016 by Jaelle Ang, Su-Anne Mi and Yian Huang, consists of seven flexible workplace locations staffed by 70 employees across Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong.  

“Together with the visionaries at Industrious, The Great Room will be able to grow our Asia-Pacific footprint with pace and energy to meet the needs of an ever-evolving metropolitan workforce,” Jaelle Ang, CEO and Co-founder of The Great Room said.  

Welkin & Meraki, founded in 2018 by Alain Brosse, consists of five flexible workplace locations staffed by 30 employees across Paris, Eindhoven, and Brussels.  

“Globally, employees are the driving force that is moving workplaces toward a hybrid future, centered on flexibility, quality and enhanced amenities. Together, Industrious, The Great Room, and Welkin & Meraki, we will become one of the largest operators of flexible workplaces, purpose-built to meet the emerging needs of companies and workers worldwide,” Alain Brossé, Founder of Welkin & Meraki said.  

The Great Room and Welkin & Meraki will continue to operate under their brand names. Leadership and staff members from both teams will join Industrious with the ultimate goal of expanding the Industrious network internationally without compromising its commitment to quality and service. 

In a Q&A with Jamie Hodari, CEO and Co-Founder of Industrious, he explained why his company decided to expand.  

Allwork.Space: Why have you decided to expand now; why these new markets? 

Jamie Hodari: Over the course of Industrious’ growth, we have evaluated expanding internationally on a few occasions, but the timing just wasn’t right for us. Now though, new workplace strategies driven by the pandemic are resulting in rapidly rising demand for flex on every continent. And increasingly, occupiers are looking for a single provider across multiple geographies. So after years of waiting, now is the time, starting with the regions that see the most multi-market flex demand – Western and Central Europe and key markets in Asia. 

Allwork.Space: Why did Industrious choose to acquire The Great Room and Welkin & Meraki in particular? 

The Great Room and Welkin & Meraki have done a great job creating high-quality spaces that meet the needs and demands of modern occupiers. Their offerings align really well with the Industrious brand, so it made sense for us from a brand positioning perspective. They also have a strong presence in markets where we are seeing immediate demand for flexible space, and very dynamic leaders to spearhead our continued growth in their respective markets. 

Allwork.Space: What is your forecast on future growth for Industrious? 

There’s a massive opportunity ahead for Industrious, and flex space operators in general, as companies increasingly turn to workplace-as-a-service to meet their workplace needs. The trends that are driving increased demand for flex are here to stay and I expect the flex industry to grow in the coming years. For Industrious specifically, these two acquisitions are the first step we are taking to build a global flexible workplace network, with more growth to come in the near and long-term.