CBRE expands flex team with Birmingham appointment

Daniel White, CBRE’s new flexible office advisor for the Midlands.

Property consultancy CBRE is expanding its flexible workplace solutions service into the Midlands with the appointment of Daniel White to head up the new Birmingham team.

Daniel joins the firm from PropRec, a recruitment consultancy based in the Midlands where he specialised in the flexible property sector. Prior to this, Daniel developed his career as a senior consultant at the largest independent broker for flexible office space in the UK.

In his new role, Daniel will be responsible for advising occupiers, investors and operators on their flexible office leasing and acquisition strategies, leveraging his knowledge of the sector and Midlands market. He will work with CBRE’s other dedicated flexible office advisors in Central London and other UK regions.

CBRE is the first property consultancy to appoint a dedicated flexible office advisor in Birmingham. The move is a direct response to the increasing demand and evolution of flexible workspace across the UK.

In Birmingham, around six per cent of the total available office stock is flexible. In the foreseeable future, CBRE anticipates that flexible office space will account for around 15 per cent of total stock, with new operators targeting the city.

CBRE’s recent report, The Flexible Revolution, highlights the dramatic changes in the way corporate occupiers are approaching their real estate decisions. One of the key findings was the proportion of companies expecting to make significant use of flexible space over the next three years is 20 per cent higher than those who currently do so.

Will Ventham, senior director and head of CBRE’s Birmingham office agency team, said: “Daniel’s expertise amplifies our existing capability and builds upon CBRE’s full service offering to both our investor and occupier client base throughout the Midlands. Having built a career in the sector in the Midlands, Daniel is perfectly equipped to support CBRE’s already established Flexible Workplace team and broaden our geographical reach.

“Birmingham continues to experience increasing demand from both established and new entry serviced providers and this trend, coupled with an increasing appetite from SMEs in the Midlands, offers an enviable platform from which to grow our offer.”