Flex move

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Paul Bennett, who is the head of Centricity at Hongkong Land, knew as a teenager that he was interested in real estate.

Bennett went to boarding school in the UK from the age of eight, but he considers Hong Kong his home.

"Hong Kong is very much home and where the heart is," he said.

He particularly remembers reading in a newspaper about a HK$300-million sale on Plantation Road and how it drew his attention as a teenager.

Having experienced different fields and industries through internships, Bennett realized that his passion lay in real estate.

He studied human geography for his bachelor's degree at the University of Manchester before taking a master's in real estate investment at the Cass Business School in London.

He worked in London for four years after receiving his qualifications as a surveyor before moving to Singapore for another job. "I really enjoyed Singapore, It is a wonderful place. But once I was back in Asia, the call to come to Hong Kong was very strong. And when JPMorgan offered me a job in Hong Kong I joined them and was with them for 3 years," he said.

His love for the city of his birth is evident. "Hong Kong has a buzz, and the place has a life and passion. To me, it is the best place on the planet," he said.

"I love that you can be from city to the beach in 15 minutes, I love that everyone here has a strong can-do attitude, It is a great place to work and live. I have got a couple of kids and it is a great place to be a parent. For me, it just works."

He joined Hongkong Land in 2013.

"As a property professional, I wanted to work for a real estate company. Hongkong Land is the premier developer in Asia, and that opportunity does not come up very often," said Bennett. "I was very lucky to be asked to join. I couldn't say no to that and I never looked back."

The genesis of the Centricity platform came from Bennett's observation as well as Hongkong Land's support for innovation.

"As part of my old role involving asset management, a lot of it is down to customer service and client engagement. I knew what my tenants were looking for - my tenants quite often didn't have the meeting space that they wanted."

This idea became the prototype of Centricity, featuring a meeting and event space in Jardine House. While the initial plan in 2016 was not approved, Bennett worked continuously on the idea until it became the Centricity platform.

Centricity now hosts a variety of functions - including event space booking, table booking, ordering takeouts, concierge services and even an office space called Centricity Flex.

All of this can be accessed through a touch of the finger on the Centricity App.

The platform was created with two main concepts in mind: to provide more than just a bare office for rent and increase engagement with tenants.

"Through the last five to 10 years, there has been a strong focus on the change in the way people work. People don't come in and sit behind a wooden desk anymore.

"They work in a different way, and we want to make sure we provide the best quality environment and ecosystem for our tenants to come in and work from."

Among the various functions, the Centricity Flex office is one of the most recent additions, launching in July 2021.

"Hongkong Land can now turn to a tenant and ask: 'Do you want a hot desk for an hour or up to a 100,000 square feet for 10 years? We can do everything in between.' "

The timing couldn't have been better for the Flex office. Covid -19 pandemic restrictions meant that people were starting to switch to a more hybrid model of living and working - flexibility in working location, contactless payment and online events are just some changes in the world that Bennett's creation can serve.

"Throughout the pandemic, we still see a large number of tenants coming into the office because, as you know, Hong Kong residential space isn't always the easiest place to work in," said Bennett.

"The strength of the Centricity app has really come through during that time, and that is where we see a lot of our growth."

Originating from Bennett's acute observation of his tenants' needs, the platform continues to evolve with its members' needs at its core via feedback channels such as tenant interaction and data from its portfolio.

For example, a contactless payment heat locker that carries reasonably priced hot food was added as a convenient and quick solution for tenants.

"The center of Centricity is quality and service delivery that you don't get anywhere else," said Bennett. "We hope that there is something for everyone in there."

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