Q&A with Dashwood House

I can’t believe it’s already halfway through the year, and for our sixth Business Centre of the Month we selected Dashwood House, London, as winner. Part of the Servcorp group, the lovely business centre is located above Liverpool Street Underground Station. We caught up with Lesley Brice, the Manager at Dashwood House to find out more about the centre.

Tell us a little about Servcorp and their history.

In a corner space in Sydney's MLC Centre, Servcorp was founded in 1978 by Alf Moufarrige who, like any new business starting out, required office space, a receptionist and secretarial support. He quickly acknowledged that the overheads were eating into his profits so he looked to share the space, share the receptionist, share the costs and reduce the overheads. The idea of Servcorp began!

As Mr. Moufarrige sold one office, he acquired the next. With enthusiasm, passion and a clear vision of this new concept, the space quickly grew to one-quarter of a floor with 16 offices. Today, Servcorp is operating in 140 locations in 52 cities and across 21 countries.

What are the three best features of this office?

The best three features of Dashwood House are the spectacular 360 degree view of the City, classic fit out and our highly qualified reception team.

What perks does this business centre offer in terms of location?

We are located within close proximity of two main tube stations, Liverpool Street and Bank, both of which give the location easy access into London's public transport network, the airports, out to other UK cities and even into Europe, for our travelling guests.

What industries do the tenants you have work in, and how does this centre work for their needs?

We have a range of tenants on the floor – insurance, recruitment, hedge fund and finance to name a few. We provide them with a highly qualified team to assist with any administrative tasks.

What have you launched new for this year?

Apart from opening 10 new locations worldwide, with more in the pipeline, we have recently launched the ‘My Comms’ app, which allows our clients to update their call handling in real-time. Locally, we are opening our third location in the UK later this year in the much anticipated 122 Leadenhall Street, also referred to as the ‘Cheese grater’!

What sets you apart from other business centres?

We have original artwork commissioned by an Australian artist, with scenes of Westminster, a highly qualified professional bilingual team and stunning views from our reception area that’s free of Servcorp or any other company signage.

What changes and developments do you see for the centre in the future?

Servcorp Dashwood House is constantly investing in state of the art IT and development for the floor – we have no maintenance budget, therefore we spend when it is needed.

How are you celebrating the World Cup with your tenants?

We’ve decorated the floor and our infamous Friday bar cart (seen above on Australia Day!) with World Cup paraphernalia and multinational flag bunting! We’ve also put on a sweepstake for all our clients.

And, lastly, for you, what do you like the most about your job?

The best part of my job is being able to support such a wide range of companies from start-ups to large global corporations. To see the direct benefits and success of my clients as a result of operating in the Servcorp network is truly motivating and reinforces the value of the product I sell.

Thanks Lesley and thanks to the Servcorp team for contributing to our blog. To see space in this building, click here and to find out how to apply for our Business Centre of the Month Award, click here.