INTERVIEW: The future of office space relies on nurturing clients: Equitativa CEO

INTERVIEW: The future of office space relies on nurturing clients: Equitativa CEO

While 2020 was the year when many companies began questioning whether they really needed office space, it has taken until this year for a post-Covid work format to take shape for them.

Though COVID-19 no longer dominates the news, it has nonetheless raised questions about the future of the commercial real estate market as companies scrambled to find some kind of stability that allowed their employees to work in offices while still mitigating virus spread.

Despite claims at the height of the pandemic that the death of the office market was nigh, Thierry Leleu, CEO of Equitativa, which manages UAE-based Emirates REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust), says it is a mistake to believe office space is a thing of the past. Emirates REIT is the UAE’s largest listed Shariah-compliant real estate investment trust.

The office still has a place

In an interview with Zawya, Leleu said, “You still need [office space] to drive creativity, to drive growth and to drive a work culture.”

Noting that there has been downsizing linked to COVID-19, he said that landlords must now not only attract tenants, but they must then also cherish them, treat them well, and be flexible, allowing them to grow into the space they need.

Emirates REIT’s