Ep 25 | The Journey of James Townsend, CEO of Kontor

In this episode, I sit down with James Townsend, CEO and co-founder of Kontor, a leading office leasing specialist that has scaled from a two-person startup to a 22-strong team, transacting on nearly 5 million sq ft of space across 18 cities.

James' career began unexpectedly. After poor A-level results, he landed a job at a local estate agent and was encouraged to become a chartered surveyor, despite initially believing it involved “measuring buildings and counting bricks.” With financial support, he studied real estate management law at university, working part-time in a commercial agency.

Determined to prove himself, James moved to London and started at Matthews & Goodman, where he survived the 2008 downturn and passed his APC on the first try. After a lack of recognition, he joined Chevalier and Cheval, where he helped launch Helix, an asset management venture, before moving to DTZ (now Cushman & Wakefield): a corporate environment he quickly realised wasn’t for him.

Despite initial reservations, James joined CBRE, where he thrived in their entrepreneurial tenant representation team. His three-and-a-half years there gave him the structure, network and learnings that would later shape Contour’s foundation.

At just 28, James co-founded Kontor with business partner Luke. With minimal resources, two desks in a friend’s office and a last-minute bonus they closed their first deal and shortly after landed WeWork as a client. That relationship bankrolled the business for two years and expanded their European broker network.

From working with Monzo to Deliveroo, Kontor positioned itself as an in-house real estate partner for high-growth, flexible, culture-driven companies. But as clients scaled and became more corporate, Kontor evolved offering outsourced landlord solutions and building a unique hybrid model.

A strategic management buyout and the acquisition of Hedge enabled Kontor to expand beyond tenant representation. With clients like Derwent and British Land, Kontor now competes alongside CBRE and JLL, offering "Flexpertise" and landlord advisory services. Their five-year plan? Conservative revenue doubling, possible building ownership and strategic investments.

Outside of business, James is an amateur racer with professional aspirations. From go-kart inspiration to national-level competition, motorsport offers a focus unlike any other. With ambitions to race at Le Mans and join the British Racing Drivers Club, James is clear: motorsport drives him to push harder in business.

This episode is a deep dive into entrepreneurship, resilience and ambition from the boardroom to the racetrack. Whether you’re scaling a business or chasing a personal dream, James' story is a masterclass in navigating growth, risk and reinvention.

I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

See you next time,

Steve

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This podcast is sponsored by Fidgens providing project and cost management services for real estate clients.

And finally, connect with me on LinkedIn where I share my thoughts on industry insights and updates.

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Guest: James Townsend

You can follow James on LinkedIn here.

Kontor helps scaleups and unicorns find the offices they need. To get them access to inspiring spaces where their teams actually want to work. To give honest and expert advice every step of the way. To make sure they weren’t taken to the cleaners.

Helping startups scale from 10 desks to 20, from 50 to 100, from 100 to infinity. Helping them expand internationally. And helping them get through the tough times too. The downsizing, the budget cuts and yes... the craziness of coronavirus.