Workspace Advisory Group
Aims
Workspaces such as incubators, accelerators, co-working spaces, artists’ studios, and maker spaces, play an important role in the continued success of London. These workspaces have shared facilities, flexible terms, and curate users such as entrepreneurs, creatives and small businesses. This allows businesses and professionals to share space, facilities, and/or specialist equipment at more affordable rates.
The Workspace Advisory Group (WAG) was set up as an advisory body to the Deputy Mayor and the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP). Members represent the views of workspace providers, users and developers as a sector and act as a conduit between the wider sector and the Mayor and the LEAP.
Board members
Sarah is the co-founder of Amazing If, a company with an ambition to make careers better for everyone. Together with her business partner Helen Tupper, she is the author of The Sunday Times number one bestseller The Squiggly Career (Penguin) and host of the Squiggly Careers podcast. In January 2021 they recorded their TEDx talkThe best career path isn’t always a straight line at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Prior to Amazing If Sarah’s career included leadership roles at Barclays and Sainsbury’s before becoming Managing Director at creative agency Gravity Road. Sarah is an alumnus of Harvard, London and Warwick Business Schools (MBA), a qualified professional coach and a mental health first aider. She is also Mum to her non-sleeping son called Max.
Simon is CEO of the business improvement districts Camden Town Unlimited and Euston Town, as well as being CEO of Camden Collective, and the Camden Highline. He is also Co-Chair of the Cross River Partnership and Chair of Camden Giving. Simon sits on the London Enterprise Action Partnership (LEAP) and is its Champion for Small Business. During the pandemic Simon was seconded to Mayor’s Covid Business Forum and the London Transition Board, where he Chaired the Business Reopening Strategy Group. He now sits on the London Recovery Board. Simon has been leading the Camden Highline project since its inception in 2017.
Naima is the co-founder of London Business Partnership (LBP), an enterprise agency based in West/North London. LBP was set up in 2012 to advice, support and provide space through Harrow Work Hub to entrepreneurs, start-ups as well as SMEs. Naima has over 20 years’ experience in supporting incubation/co working spaces and working in various roles to support start-ups and growing SMEs and managing regional and European projects include the London Business Hub Shared workspace support programme. Her experience also includes the managing of Stanmore Business and Innovation centre where she provided most needed support for the workspace tenants. Naima is also an Innovation Director for Brunel University Co-Innovate programme where she links SMEs that have a business challenge with the academics and students through collaborative projects.
John was the CEO of Capital Enterprise a not-4-profit that focuses on supporting first time founders of ambitious tech start ups. John is also an ex-entrepreneur, founder of two seed stage investment funds and an active angel investor.
Co-funder of 00:/ Alice trained as an architect and went to establish Impact Hub Brixton. She has experience in the strategic design and development of place design projects that focus on delivering social institutions and places. Alice's previous experiences include institutional development strategy for Somerset House, affordable housing schemes, innovative workspace environments and urban regeneration projects. She is a Future 100 winner for entrepreneurial flair and innovation in progressing a responsible business venture. Alice is a fellow of the RSA and served as a member of the RIBA Validation Panel visiting architecture schools in the UK.
Charles is a social entrepreneur founder of The Trampery which has eight sites. In 2009 Charles developed new kinds of workspace for start -ups and creative communities. Charles is a Fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs and he was the final student to be mentored by Michael Young (Lord Young of Dartington), the UK’s leading social innovator of the post-war period.
Shazia is the Centre Director of The Granville, a community centre with an affordable workspace. In 2010, she co-founded of Third Door, a family-friendly coworking space with an onsite Ofsted registered Nursery. Third Door was the first workspace in London and the world to offer a hybrid coworking and childcare model. It has inspired countless companies around the world to open their own version of Third Door where Family & Work can grow together’.
Shazia is an advocate for equality especially once a woman becomes a mother and is a trustee for two charities focused on working parents: Pregnant then Screwed and PiPA.
Co-Founder and Co-CEO The Office Group. Oliver is a pioneer in the workspace sector and has overseen the opening of 45 buildings with another 8 in the pipeline spanning both the UK and Germany and providing space to over 4000 companies and over 20,000 members.
Alex is the Founder of Huddle and Strategy Director at Romulus. He has a strong track record of developing, managing and operating spaces of all types across London, including the City, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kings Cross and Wimbledon. This includes the creating of mixed-use campus environments within these urban centres.
Simon has over 20 years’ experience in the flexible workspace sector with Workspace Group Plc, where he is Head of Leasing. Simon is a Chartered Surveyor (FRICS) and is Chair of the Commercial Committee at the British Property Federation where he is actively involved in industry initiatives to reform landlord and tenant law, business rates, flexible workspace valuation and connectivity/telecommunications.
Laura is a director and advisor to several organisations, both in the UK and abroad. She has worked in diverse industries including construction, motoring, and IT to name a few. Laura has a passion for business and enjoys bringing out the best in people.
She has been featured in a book chapter in “50 Inspiring Voices of Migrant Women” and recently wrote an article for the Parliamentary Society Magazine.
Jane is the Executive Director of the Flexible Space Association (FlexSA), the UK-wide trade association for the flexible workspace sector. The Association’s remit is to support, promote and represent the industry, and its members comprise the operators of flexible workspace and those providing services to the sector. The Association holds an Annual Conference and Exhibition, and presents Awards each year, alongside running smaller events throughout the year to provide information and enable networking.
Since taking on the role at the end of 2018, Jane has overseen a number of significant changes within the organisation. This included its change of name (from the BCA), to better reflect the wider range of workspace operators which now form the sector.
Kate worked in local economic development and regeneration in London for 20 years. As Camden Council’s Head of Inclusive Economy, Kate leads a team which delivers a wide portfolio of work designed to ensure that growth in Camden is purposeful, locally driven and generates opportunity for the borough’s communities and businesses. Kate’s experience includes developing the Council’s approach to affordable workspace in planning policy, working with the Knowledge Quarter Partnership on the BEIS-sponsored Science and Innovation Audit and the co-design and delivery of a re-imagined approach to supporting residents into good work
Former Senior Director for JLL, London, Michael is a commercial Chartered Surveyor with almost 20 years’ experience. His expertise is in advising on emerging trends in the commercial property sector, plus visual arts, social change and regeneration.
Gemma is Head of Development at Creative Land Trust, a charity founded to tackle the loss of affordable creative workspace in London. She focuses on property opportunities and impact investment strategies that facilitate long term growth, recognising the contribution of creative production to sustainable places and our cultural infrastructure.
Gemma’s career spans the real estate finance industry having previously worked on European commercial transactions in banking, restructuring and advisory roles at international firms based in London. Throughout her career, she has championed sustainability and wellbeing, as well as providing business and development advice to arts organisations in London.
Rachel is an experienced Programme Manager working as part of Westminster City Council’s Business & Enterprise Service within Economic Development. Rachel is responsible for the management and delivery of the City Council’s Business Support portfolio. Since the start of the pandemic Rachel has played a crucial role in the City Council’s emergency response to the business community and now managing the “Business Resilience” Programme as part of its economic recovery efforts.
Principal Regeneration Officer for London Borough of Brent. Specialised in architecture & urban planning, urban design, placemaking and affordable workspace projects, commissioning, managing designing and delivering small-medium scale design-led capital projects. Bruna leads on Brent’s Affordable Workspaces agenda, Church End Growth Area development and Brent’s Creative Enterprise Zone.
Bio coming soon.
Meetings, agenda and minutes
Workspace Advisory Group Meetings
2021
27 January 2021 - read the agenda - read the minutes
2020
4 February 2020 - read the agenda - read the minutes
23 June 2020 - read the agenda - read the minutes
23 September 2020 - read the agenda - read the minutes
25 November 2020 - read the agenda - read the minutes
2019
19 October 2019 - read the minutes
11 December 2019 - read the agenda - read the minutes
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