The chief executive of the British Council for Offices (BCO), Richard Kauntze, has announced plans to step down from the role in summer 2025.
Kauntze has held the position for close to 25 years, guiding the BCO through transformative growth and evolution. His successor will be appointed by the BCO presidential team in due course.
Kauntze said: “It will be bitter-sweet to say farewell to the BCO next summer. It has been an honour to hold the role of chief executive with the organisation for what will be 25 years this November. I will always have great fondness of the BCO and I am excited to see how it will continue to grow and progress with the excellent presidential team. Meanwhile, I am delighted to be launching the London Regional Committee and the Life Sciences Committee in this final year, which I believe will offer new springboards for discussion on progressive topics in the sector.”
The BCO has also announced that Peter Crowther, co-founder of HERE, has been elected president of the British Council for Offices (BCO). He succeeds Despina Katsikakis, executive partner and global lead, total workplace at Cushman & Wakefield.
Prior to co-founding HERE in April this year, Crowther – who has more than 25 years’ real estate experience – was chief development officer at Bruntwood SciTech.
His focus as president will be on how the sector can continue to evolve in response to the challenges posed by climate change and rapid technological advancements through solutions such as retrofit and the integration of AI, while improving occupier-experience for all.
Other changes to the BCO’s presidential team include the promotion of GPE’s director of projects Helen Hare to senior vice president and Andy McBain, head of future of workspace and design at NatWest Group, has become the new junior vice president.
Crowther said: “It is an honour to take on the role of BCO president. As we adapt to the new realities of hybrid, tech-enabled working conditions, the role of the office will continue to adapt to best meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s workers. I look forward to working with the BCO committees across the regions and the NextGen as we explore new models for office design and operation, and how commercial real estate can feed into the broader development of UK cities.”
Katsikakis added: “My warmest congratulations to Peter for his appointment as president of the BCO. It has been a pleasure to hold the position of BCO president over the past year and to be part of the organisation’s ongoing evolution. For me, finding new platforms for collaboration and testing ideas is one of the most important ways forward and the BCO continues to play a vital part in the industry by giving members from different sectors the chance to come together to learn from each other. I am excited to see what Peter will achieve in the coming year and look forward to continuing to support BCO members through my new position as immediate past president.”
Kauntze said: “I am delighted to welcome Peter Crowther to the role of BCO president. Peter has made his mark in the commercial sector as an innovative and ambitious leader, and I am a great admirer of Peter’s collaborative and creative vision for the future of the workplace. It was a huge pleasure to work alongside him on the curation of this year’s BCO conference in Birmingham, where his focus on social value and inclusivity was brought to the fore. I wish him the very best for this new role and look forward to seeing all he will accomplish during his presidential year.
“My sincere thanks go to Despina Katsikakis for her outstanding work over the past year. Despina has been a formidable leader for the BCO. Despina’s work with the BCO’s research committee to launch new research pillars to set the parameters for upcoming papers demonstrates her ongoing role in guiding the office sector as it continues to evolve in response to changing occupier needs, economic shifts, the rapid progression of workplace tech and growing sustainability standards. Despina’s human-centric approach, her inquisitive nature and her clear passion for creating spaces with wellbeing at their heart have left a lasting impression on the BCO.
“I would also like to thank Bruce Paterson for his dedication and continued work as BCO’s honorary treasurer, congratulate Helen Hare, who now becomes our senior vice president, and welcome Andy McBain, our new junior vice president.”
