Today the flexible workspace and coworking industry is bustling with multitudes of choices for the modern-day professional. However, there is a standout leader within the premium flexible workspace segment amidst the competition: The Executive Centre (TEC).
Conceived back in 1994 when the flexible workspace industry was yet to be established and the concept of shared workspaces and coworking offices was still novel, The Executive Centre began to build its presence amongst corporate and professional clientele starting in Hong Kong. Today, TEC is the Asia Pacific’s premium flexible workspace provider with over 150+ Centres in 32 cities and 14 markets covering Greater China, Southeast Asia, North Asia, Australia, India and the Gulf countries.
A Formula for Success
At the heart of the business is a Member-First philosophy which drives their innovations, product offerings, functional design, aesthetics and sustainable development. By thinking from the perspective of the end-user, whether that’s professionals, MNCs or business leaders, TEC has been able to meet the workforce’s demands for a flexible alternative to taking out a long-term cost-inefficient lease to access prestigious addresses, grade A buildings and CBD locations.
This “demand-driven” approach to expanding their business has proven successful as the company is the third-largest serviced office provider in the Asia Pacific with an annual turnover in excess of US$237 million and boasts over 3.1 million sq feet of collaborative workspace across its global footprint. With over 30,000+ distinguished professionals and a 76% multinational corporate (MNC) client base who stay for up to 36 months on average (triple the average tenancy in the industry) clearly there is a demand for a flexible workspace tailored for business leaders and traditional sectors.
Integrated Solutions for The Future of Work
In listening to the needs and wants of Members and the workforce across a range of industries, TEC has developed flexible workspace solutions that can be customised and tailored to the specific requirements of individual companies. For example, their Enterprise Solutions can be tailored for businesses requiring large amounts of spaces or specific operational needs such as product testing rooms, specialised meeting rooms, private servers and internet infrastructure.
Similarly, TEC’s serviced office (private workspace) plans also offer a range of customisation in their layouts, workstations and lease terms. Coworking plans and passes provide an alternative to an office designed for the mobile workforce in mind who may need multiple touchdown locations across the city, or even internationally. TEC recently expanded their coworking passes to now offer access to Day Passes which unlock available serviced offices for a day without having to sign a lease of any length.
Virtual Offices provide leaders with the flexibility to work remotely and still have day-to-day managed “storefront” with a dedicated mail and call handling service. The advantage of TEC’s virtual offices is that you can access any of TEC’s prestigious business address around the world to use on your business cards, licenses and online listings instantaneously.
At The Helm of Excellence
It was Paul Salnikow who founded The Executive Centre with the ambition of fulfilling an apparent demand for a corporate real estate solution that could be leased in short to medium term during a time that precursors the coworking fad that bloomed in the turn of the century. For over 25 years, Paul has continued to drive the business forward towards the workforce’s ever-changing market demands and flexible needs whilst reinforcing their premium positioning and niche within the crowded flexible office market.
Over the last two decades, Paul has successfully navigated TEC through numerous market turbulences and is no stranger to the volatility and economic instability in Asia Pacific. From the Asia Financial Crisis of 1998, to the downturn resulting from the SARS outbreak of 2002-2004, followed by the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Paul has been at the forefront of TEC’s evolution to meet the demand driven growth, needs and changes of the workforce’s workspace requirements. In fact, as a reflection of the demand for premium flexible workspaces by corporates and business leaders, despite the global turmoil last year, TEC opened 14 new Centres across the Asia Pacific.
Looking ahead at the future of work, Paul anticipates an increased demand from business leaders in traditional industries as a premium flexible workspace helps shield businesses from uncertainties by increasing business resiliency. For instance, employees who work from home will also have the option to commute shorter distances to access a well-equipped and ready to use workspace for professional activities such as virtual conferences or focussed work which the home environment is not tailored for.
Moreover, with the advantage of short negotiable leases, Paul foresees more businesses using a hub and spoke model to give employees more choice and agility; and to allow business leaders to expand and upscale their business without having to take out long, inflexible fixed leases, thereby mitigating risks and saving on capital expenditure as TEC’s workspaces all come furnished and ready to use with secure high-speed connectivity.
A Community of Ambition
With a Member-First approach and demand-driven expansion strategy, what is crucial to TEC’s growth is the feedback and engagement of their customers and Members. Therefore, it comes as little surprise that TEC’s Engagement and Community Team are a group of highly trained concierge personnel who provide local knowledge and first-class business and administrative support to help Members and businesses transition into their flexible workspace.
The Team greet and support Members day in and day out at the front desk or around the Centre setting up events, mail handling, visitor greeting and administrative tasks and acts as an extension of each Member companies’ workforce. In many regards, a flexible workspace plan of any sort with The Executive Centre comes bundled with numerous benefits and support systems that make working from anywhere as easy and natural as starting up your computer and putting pen to paper.
All of TEC’s workspaces are fully realised spaces and are designed to reflect the local culture whilst intelligently weaving modern designer aesthetics for a professional, premium, luxury audience. Flexible height-adjustable workstations, optimised workstation density and floor plans, the Herman Miller Aeron Chair, Barista Bars, and award-winning interior designs are all hallmarks of a TEC Centre. These design details ensure that the Centre supports a diverse array of activities and preferences at work prioritising ergonomics and wellbeing for professionals across a diverse industry mix.
In a future of work where the space we need to perform a task varies as widely as the work, the importance of flexibility and agility has never been more critical. The Executive Centre is accustomed to embracing traditional companies, ambitious professionals and business leaders who want to incorporate more business resiliency, global scalability and reactivity. With their 25+ years’ experience and impressive multinational corporate clientele portfolio, The Executive Centre continues to prove that excellence built with a demand-driven approach is a formula for sustainable profitability, customer satisfaction and success.
Paul Salnikow, Founder, The Executive Centre
