…partners Alternative, Mansad
International Workplace Group (IWG) says it is committed to providing the largest network of workspaces and co-working spaces for professionals and inspiring entrepreneurs to help stimulate businesses and economic growth.
The group said that as the world’s leading workspace provider operating in around 120 countries and serving over 2.5 million customers worldwide, it hopes to help professionals and business owners avoid set-up costs, capital investment and eliminate the burden of property management.
To achieve its aspiration, the group and The Alternative Bank recently signed a partnership agreement to address the rising demand for flexible workspaces in Lagos.
Speaking at the recent signing of the agreement between the partners at the workspace under the HQ brand in Lagos, Marc Descrozaille, chief executive officer, EMEA of International Workplace Group Plc said the establishment of its latest workspace office in Lagos is to further strengthen its much-needed footprint in Nigeria.
Descrozaille said the opening in Lagos which is an important business hub is a boost to its expansion plans, adding that the need for high-quality flexible workspaces continues to soar as hybrid working becomes the new normal.
“We are very pleased to work in partnership with Sterling Bank and APD to develop the brand under a management agreement that will add cutting-edge workspaces to the buildings. Our workplace model is also proven to increase productivity and allows for a business to scale up or down at significantly reduced costs,” he said.
He further said that by bringing high-quality office spaces to Lagos, International Workplace Group enables local people to experience living in a ’15-minute’ city, allowing workers to work close to their homes without commuting far from where they live.
The HQ workspace is set to open in Lekki in March 2025 and will be on the 2nd and 3rd floor, while the Regus location at Mansard Place will be on the 3rd floor of the six-storey building and will open in February 2025.
Ayo Akinmade, country director of IWG said that the partnership wasn’t just about creating offices for people to use but to create a space that will be used to be productive.
Akinmade pointed out that beyond creating a workspace, this new partnership would also enable professionals and entrepreneurs that use the space to meet their banking needs as they want it and whenever they want it.
On his part, Abubakar Suleiman, the managing director/CEO of Sterling Bank, said location is the banks’ interpretation of embedded banking in real life.
“What we see here today is part of a holistic thinking for the Sterling Group. The expression of this place is through our subsidiary, The Alternative Bank Limited,” he said.
Suleiman said that one of the challenges to creating workspaces is financing, as businesses find it difficult to access the right financing for workspaces like this and scale.
He said the Alternative Bank being a real sector-focused bank has the funding base to support the development of spaces like this.
“We know that the presence of a bank in those spaces improves the opportunities for those who use the spaces and we are hoping that not only would we be inviting IWG to our space, they will also be inviting us to their space,” Suleiman added.
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Caption:
L-R: Marc Descrozaille, chief executive officer, EMEA of International Workplace Group; Ayo Akinmade, country manager, IWG; Korede Demola-Adeniyi, executive director, South, The Alternative Bank and Fatai Tella, chief operating officer of The Alternative Bank at the signing of a partnership agreement between IWG and Alternative Bank in Lagos.
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