Monday Meets Emily Prideaux - Executive Director

Emily Prideaux joined the company in 2010 and has played a pivotal role in steering it to new heights. Emily oversees the Leasing, Marketing, and Asset Management teams while also contributing to the Design Review Group, ensuring our products remain at the forefront of the industry.

In this compelling #MondayMeets, Emily shares her journey at Derwent London, the joys and challenges of her role, and the inspiration behind our DL/ Membership initiative.

Continue reading to gain insights from one of the leading voices at Derwent London.

What does your role involve? What do you enjoy most and what are the challenges?

As a Director and member of the Board, we are always thinking about Derwent’s future, our strategy and our messaging to the investor community and other stakeholders. I am particularly interested in considering how market trends and drivers of today should inform our strategies for the future to ensure we remain frontrunners in our industry.

Day-to-day, I work closely with the Leasing, Asset Management and Marketing teams on various transactions, projects and initiatives.

I most enjoy the people and relationships; with colleagues, tenants, agents, lawyers and investors – the list goes on. Over the years I have supported individual growth and development, which is something I take great pride in.

There are always challenges, whether it be personal or business, and sometimes it can be hard to juggle it all. I want to excel in every role of my life and have high expectations of myself. Finding the balance isn’t always easy, but it’s extremely rewarding when you do.

Over the last few years, I have been involved in our DL/ Member initiatives which aims to deliver best-in-class service, amenity and experiences for our tenants, and today we have released a new film showcasing what it means to be a DL/ Member.

How did the idea for DL/ Membership first come about?

As a business, Derwent London have a long-established reputation for being specialists in great design and quality architecture and we continue to lead the way and push the boundaries in this regard. However, there has been a real shift in the real estate sector over the last decade with tenants wanting more from their landlords. Having listened to this feedback, we wanted to be ahead of the curve in terms of what we could provide from an amenity perspective, enhancing their overall experience beyond just an office space.

We value community within our portfolio and wanted our tenants to feel like they belonged to something bigger. By creating DL/ Membership, we could provide meaningful and tangible benefits to our whole portfolio whilst elevating our brand and make our end user, our ‘Member’ know and appreciate who their Landlord is.

When we refer to our ‘Members’, this is anyone who works in a Derwent London building as employees of the Businesses that lease space from us.

What makes the DL/ Membership a differentiator to other Landlord amenity?

We have an incredible brand at Derwent London, but by getting into the hearts of the individuals who work in our buildings, we are removing the anonymity of the Landlord. We are making ourselves accountable for the experience people have; we want our occupiers to know and care that that they work in a Derwent London building.

Equally, no other Landlord is tackling the amenity piece at portfolio level in the same way. Our Membership benefits include complimentary access to two private Lounges, which is unique to Derwent London and a key differentiator to the rest of the market. We believe this complimentary amenity helps foster a more authentic community.

How does DL/ Membership fit within the wider narrative of the future of the office/ shifting workspace requirements?

We know now that when businesses are thinking about their workspace, it is their Talent that is the driving force. Increasingly, the office and working environment has become a competitive part of the recruitment process – whether it’s the wellness factor, the sustainability credentials, the social offer or the location (from transport and amenity perspective), the Talent needs to be happy. The DL/ Membership piece really talks to that audience, as it is for the employees not the employers, whether that’s in the c-suite or at junior level.

What makes DL/78 in Fitzrovia W1 and DL/28 in Old Street EC1 so unique?

The aspiration for our DL/ Lounges was for them to feel inviting, inspirational, exclusive and welcoming. We also wanted them to be representative of Derwent London – a space that demonstrates the thought, care and quality that goes into everything we do. They provide the opportunity for our community to come together and offer valuable amenity, elevating our overall product and brand. You just need to visit them to see how unique they are!

Why did you decide to launch DL/ Service and what has the feedback from Members been like?

Our DL/ Service cafés have recently opened in five locations and whilst still early days, feedback from our tenants has been very positive. Bringing hospitality in house has enabled us to develop a bespoke offering, tailored to the needs of our audience. We can ensure the offer, price point, service and delivery are aligned to the wider Derwent London brand. DL/ Service operates the cafés, service the meeting rooms at both Lounges and can cater for private hire events; providing an efficient and cost-effective solution. We’re early in the journey and the team have done an amazing job. It’s been fun and a real learning curve but are monitoring closely and tweaking as we go!