Name: Guy Windsor-Lewis
Job title: CEO and founder of Locale
What I do: I am the CEO and founder of Locale, a real estate tech business focused on creating best-in-class occupier experiences and connecting communities.
Why I got into the property industry: In a previous business, we worked with a company on the Bedfont Lakes campus at which time the park management asked us to build a community portal. This was 1997!
How I did it: Slowly. The UK real estate sector is pretty conservative and slow to embrace change, but the sector is evolving and things are starting to change with occupiers and residents now being so tech savvy.
My first proper job: Working nights in a bakery in Canterbury for six months earning enough money to go travelling.
My greatest achievement/proudest moment to date: Being a single father to four wonderful children.
The biggest misconception people have about the property industry: That it’s a small and insignificant sector. As one of the biggest asset classes in the UK it matters! It affects everything we do – where we live, where we work, where our pensions are invested.
My main career goals right now: Continue to grow the business maintaining our authenticity and purpose to deliver cutting-edge and sustainable digital solutions.
Who I’d invite, living or dead, to a dinner party: How many am I allowed? Let’s start with fellow Welshman and actor Richard Burton to inject some party vibes; Mahatma Gandhi to challenge the establishment; my paternal grandfather as he led an amazing life and I never really knew him; Mirella Freni the Italian soprano to sit next to my wife who is an opera singer; my two brothers, my father, and David Simpson, my wonderful chairman, who has been my business mentor for 20 years. Can I also invite the chef Raymond Blanc to do the cooking?
What I do in my downtime: I spend a lot of time thinking about the business, the people and opportunities. We live in a beautiful part of the world next to a river, so I love long walks with my wife and our dog. I’m co-chair of our local hockey club and spend a lot of weekends in the rain umpiring. Plus I still play competitive tennis.
The job I’d be doing if I was not doing this: Ski instructor or professional tennis player.
My advice for someone just starting out: Stay focused, keep to the plan, stay niche, NEVER give up!
My motto/mantra: Illegitimi non carborundum.
