For the second edition of our WOD Feature series, we caught up with Tina Norden – Principal and Partner at Conran & Partner’s.
WOD: Let’s start off with your background and how you became involved with the workspace sector…
TN: We are not workplace designers, our core sectors are hospitality and residential. Despite this we have been asked to work with clients more and more to design modern, lifestyle-oriented workplaces, both the public areas and the actual working zones. Our hospitality experience is a key factor why clients are keen to get us involved – and they like the fact we are not workplace experts but look at the projects with a fresh lens.
WOD: Tell us more about your current role…
TN: My role as one of two partners on the ID side is to lead projects creatively, liaise with clients and the team and make sure that projects run to plan. We are the key client contact and also look after our new business and business development to bring new projects and clients to the practice. Together with our senior team we lead the practice in all aspects, including resource planning, HR, project procedures and the distinctly more fun creative and social aspects.
WOD: What are the key issues relevant to your client base at the moment?
TN: Cost, creativity, uncertainty – there are a multitude of issues that occupy us and out clients at this strange time. Clients want unique and bespoke projects but pries have been going up and up so there is nervousness about budgets and cost planning. The regulatory framework in the UK post-Grenfell is changing and whilst not yet applicable to most workplace projects they will be very soon.
Read the rest of this interview on WOD Digital – click here.