Office Matters: The BCO Podcast

In this episode of the BCO's Office Matters Podcast, BCO chief executive Samantha McClary sits down with Alla Elmahadi and Peter Joaki, two finalists in the BCO NextGen Ideas Competition, to discuss their journeys, inspirations and ambitions ahead of the competition's grand finale on 22 October.Drawing on careers spanning architecture, workplace design and project management, both explain how real industry challenges inspired them to develop ideas aimed at creating meaningful change within the built environment. While keeping the details of their proposals under wraps, they reveal how the competition has provided a unique platform to test new thinking, challenge established norms and connect with like-minded professionals.The conversation also explores the intensive public speaking and leadership coaching delivered Ginger Leadership Communications, with Elmahadi and Joaki both reflecting on how storytelling, authenticity and confidence can transform not only presentations but also everyday professional communication. Alongside expert mentoring, the programme has helped them refine their ideas while building valuable networks across the industry.But as both Elmahadi and Joaki say, the BCO Ideas Competition is more than just an event, it is a live example of the power of collaboration, community and innovation and offers an inspiring insight into how the next generation of industry professionals are stepping forward with bold ideas and a determination to make a lasting impact on the future of work and the built environment.Don’t you want to be part of the conversation? Of course you do. Join us on 22 October by securing your ticket here: https://www.bco.org.uk/product/bco-ideas-competition-finalist-showcaseListen in to:Gain an exclusive preview of the innovative thinking emerging from the next generation of built environment leaders.Discover how storytelling, mentoring and public speaking skills can accelerate personal and professional growth.Be inspired by two passionate professionals using ideas, collaboration and creativity to drive positive change across the industry. Huge thanks to the BCO’s NextGen Ideas Competition supporters, including platinum partner Knight Frank and gold partners Hawkins\Brown and NCG Global.

In the second of our trilogy of special BCO Office Matterspodcasts, host Samantha McClary continues her journey behind the scenes of the BCO Next Gen Ideas Competition, introducing listeners to finalists Stephin Abraham of Gensler and Ewan Howell of Arup, alongside judge Kathryn Cripps ofKnight Frank. As anticipation builds towards the competition final, theconversation explores the diverse backgrounds and perspectives shaping the next generation of industry leaders. From computational design, data and AI-driven innovation to engineering solutions that address the challenges facing thebuilt environment, the finalists discuss what inspired them to put their ideas forward and how the competition has helped them refine their thinking. A recurring theme throughout the discussion is personalgrowth. Abraham and Howell reflect on the value of the mentoring and presentation coaching provided through the competition, including the now-infamous experience of being “JoJo’d” by the team at Ginger Leadership Communications. Together they share how learning to craft a compelling storyhas challenged them to think differently about communication, influence and leadership. With practical advice from Cripps - who has herself been “Gingered” - this episode captures the excitement, nerves and optimism that surround the competition while highlighting the power of fresh thinking, confidence andcollaboration in shaping the future of the workplace.Get your own experience of the power of a well-crafted storyby joining us at the NextGen Ideas Competition finale on 22 October. You can secure your ticket here: https://www.bco.org.uk/product/bco-ideas-competition-finalist-showcaseListen in to:Explore how AI could reshape the future of the built environment, as finalists Stephin Abraham and Ewan Howell share innovative ideas on harnessing data, automation and artificial intelligence to solve industry challenges.Gain practical insight into the opportunities and risks of AI adoption, from improving decision-making and design processes to helping create smarter, more efficient and more resilient workplaces.Hear honest reflections on leadership, storytelling and public speaking, with lessons that apply far beyond the competition stage. Huge thanks to the BCO’s NextGen Ideas Competitionsupporters, including platinum partner Knight Frank and gold partners Hawkins\Brown and NCG Global.

In this episode of the Office Matters podcast, BCO chiefexecutive Samantha McClary speaks with BCO NextGen Ideas Competition finalists Ben Mead  of Cundall and Leelou Coppleman of OD Group ahead of the competition’s grand finale on 22 October.The pair share what motivated them to enter the programme,the excitement of being shortlisted, and the challenge of preparing to present their ideas on a major industry stage.The conversation explores the transformative journey of thecompetition, from developing an initial concept to refining it through expert mentoring and intensive public speaking coaching.Without giving too much of their presentations away, Meadshares his ambition to better connect sustainability with commercial decision-making in the office sector, while Coppleman discusses the need to bring sustainability considerations to the forefront of design and procurementprocesses.Beyond the ideas themselves, this episode highlights theunique power of mentorship, collaboration and personal growth. Both finalists reflect on stepping outside their comfort zones, learning valuable communication skills and gaining confidence in sharing their vision for a moresustainable built environment.What this discussion really is, however, is a showcase ofthe passion, innovation and optimism of the next generation of industry leaders.What this discussion does, is offer a compelling preview ofwhat promises to be a standout event for the sector. So, if you haven’t yet secured your ticket for the best and most inspiring event you’ll get the opportunity to attend this year, right that wrong by booking your ticket here: https://www.bco.org.uk/product/bco-ideas-competition-finalist-showcaseWe promise you won’t regret it.Listen in:For an exclusive preview of innovative sustainability ideas that could help shape the future of the builtenvironment.To hear firsthand how mentoring and public speaking coaching can transform careers, ideas and confidence.To be inspired by the passion and ambition of emerging industry talent determined to create meaningful change.Huge thanks to the BCO’s NextGen Ideas Competitionsupporters, including platinum partner Knight Frank and gold partners Hawkins\Brown and NCG Global.

The commercial real estate industry spends a huge amount of time asking what occupiers want. But according to architect and strategist Fakhry Akkad, we're still missing the point.In this fascinating episode of Office Matters, Akkad, founder of architectural practice Manufacturing Taste, argues that while the sector has become highly effective at refining the supply side of the equation - designing better buildings, improving specifications and adding ever more amenities - it has paid far less attention to understanding the people those spaces are ultimately for.Drawing on lessons from consumer brands, retail strategy and behavioural psychology, Akkad explores how developers can move beyond simply following market trends and instead shape demand through meaning, identity and storytelling. From the campaign to save the former London College of Fashion building to the industry's ongoing obsession with amenity arms races, he challenges conventional thinking and asks whether real estate has become trapped in an echo chamber of its own making.This is a conversation about culture, consumer behaviour and competitive advantage. Most importantly, it's a reminder that people don't fall in love with products. They connect with stories, values and experiences. The workplaces that succeed in the future may be those that understand that best.Listen in to:Learn why developers should think more like consumer brands and less like commodity providers.Discover why amenities alone are no longer enough to differentiate a workplace.Hear a powerful argument for putting culture, meaning and human behaviour at the heart of real estate strategy.Enjoy!

In the latest episode of the BCO's Office Matters podcast host Samantha McClary sits down with Suzan Ucmaklioglu, architect and inclusive design specialist at Foster + Partners, for a candid conversation about what it really means to design inclusively.Ucmaklioglu explains the philosophy of "with, not for" - designing alongside the people who will use a space, not assuming their needs. She shares striking findings from Foster + Partners' Spaces for Inclusion research, developed with Disordinary Architecture, including how something as simple as a missing bench can drain a person's energy before they even reach a meeting.This powerful conversation covers everything from architecture education's blind spots, the power of language, and Suzan's own personal journey growing up with a wheelchair-using father.It's a warm, honest, and genuinely eye-opening listen. And one that comes with a little important homework for every listener.Listen in to:Rethink what "accessible" actually means. Compliance is a starting point, not the finish line. A building can tick every code box and still fail real users. Find out why treating accessibility as a design driver, not a checklist, produces better buildings for everyone.Discover how small interventions have outsized impact. Research across four completed Foster + Partners buildings found that entrances, toilets, and communal "urban rooms" are where inclusive design succeeds or fails most and that something as simple as adding rest spaces changes how welcome people feel in a scheme.Find out why the whole delivery chain needs to be involved. From developers and investors to fit-out teams and leasing agents, everyone shaping a building's design and operation influences who can actually use it. It’s time to make inclusive design a shared responsibility across the entire real estate value chain.You can find out more about the Space for Inclusion project by watching this film:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV8LIlcgOpg