Canvas Offices create inspiring places and spaces designed to help you and your business thrive. They understand your business is unique and so are our office spaces. Wherever you are in the collection, you know it’s a Canvas. Soothing interior design working in harmony with the original features we find. And they choose bright, booming neighbourhoods that reflect our clients and create a shared sense of belonging. Their role is to enhance your experience through the spaces and connections they create. Pro-collaboration. Pro-growth.
Ep 28 | Building Homes Away from Home: Yaron Rosenblum on the Future of Workspaces
London Construction + Offices Podcast
Release Date: 10/02/2025
Ep 30 | Matt Jackson on 30 Years of Interior Design, Workplace Evolution & the Future of Work
London Construction + Offices Podcast
In this episode, Steve sits down with Matt Jackson, co-lead of interiors at Hawkins\Brown, to explore his remarkable 30-year career in interior design and workplace strategy. Steve and Matt first crossed paths back in 2011, when Matt was Design Director at Gensler, one of many pivotal chapters in a career defined by creativity, mentorship and industry-shaping projects. Matt reflects on his early years growing up in Berkshire, where his love of graphic design, music culture and record sleeve art (think Peter Savile, Neville Brody) paved an unexpected path into interiors. After five formative...
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Ep 29 | From Headcorn to Partner: Tom’s Journey Through Engineering, Growth & Leadership
London Construction + Offices Podcast
In this inspiring episode, I sat down with Tom, a partner at TB+A, to uncover his journey from a small village in Kent to leading one of the UK’s most respected engineering consultancies. Tom shares candid insights into his early years, from struggling academically and almost joining his dad’s fabrication business, to discovering a passion for problem-solving through engineering. You’ll hear how a chance conversation led him to university, why his unconventional BTEC-to-degree route shaped his resilience and how hands-on learning at Sheffield Hallam became a turning point. We trace...
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Ep 28 | Building Homes Away from Home: Yaron Rosenblum on the Future of Workspaces
London Construction + Offices Podcast
In this episode, we sit down with Yaron Rosenblum, Co-Founder and CEO of Canvas Offices, to explore his unconventional journey from professional drummer to entrepreneur re-shaping the future of workspaces. Born in Israel in 1982, Yaron’s creative drive started early - at 15, he converted a redundant chicken coop into a recording studio with the help of his architect mother. What began as a local hub for musicians foreshadowed his later success in London. Arriving in 2005 with just cymbals, drumsticks and £1,000, Yaron quickly immersed himself in the UK music scene, launching a production...
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Ep 27 | The Future of Real Estate with Antony Slumbers
London Construction + Offices Podcast
In this episode, I sit down with Antony Slumbers — serial entrepreneur, global speaker and one of the most forward-thinking voices in real estate innovation. Antony’s career is anything but conventional. Starting out as an art dealer in Belgravia, he made his way into property development during the late 80s boom, only to face the harsh reality of the 90s market crash. His mantra at the time: “Stay alive till ’95.” That resilience led him to discover the internet’s potential for real estate. In 1995, he taught himself to code and launched the UK’s first commercial real estate...
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Ep 26 | Confidence, Change & Culture: Bex Moorhouse on Leading Transformation
London Construction + Offices Podcast
In this episode, we sit down with Bex Morehouse, Head of Strategy, Operational Excellence and Performance at WPP; the world’s largest creative transformation company with over 100,000 employees across 100 countries. Bex takes us on a candid journey through her career – from her childhood in the small Welsh town of Knighton, to her early roles in serviced offices and her time as part of Nike’s UK leadership team, where she played a key role in workplace design and connectivity. We dive into her bold decision to leave corporate life in 2021 to launch her own workplace and well-being...
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Ep 25 | The Journey of James Townsend, CEO of Kontor
London Construction + Offices Podcast
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...
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Ep 24 | From School Leaver to COO by 28 with Sammy Kingston
London Construction + Offices Podcast
In this episode, I sit down and speak with Sammy Kingston, the Chief Operating Officer at Adeline Grantham, about his unconventional path into the real estate industry and what it takes to rise through the ranks without a traditional academic background. Sammy left school at 16, admitting he was never the most academic — more into sport than studying — but his career started with a spark: two weeks of work experience at CBRE, one of the world’s largest real estate firms. That experience turned into a life-changing opportunity when he was accepted onto CBRE’s first real estate...
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Ep 23 | Leading with Purpose: Vince Simpson on Culture, Confidence and Collaboration
London Construction + Offices Podcast
In this powerful episode, we sit down with Vince Simpson, Managing Director of Spark Collective, to unpack his remarkable journey from the east coast of Scotland to leading some of the UK’s most innovative workplace strategy and project management initiatives. Vince opens up about his childhood growing up in a single-parent household, the financial hardships his family faced, including moments of relying on food parcels and support from the Salvation Army and how early involvement in Cubs, Scouts and the Army Cadets gave him a sense of purpose and belonging. Enlisting in the army at...
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Ep 22 | Grit, Design + Global Delivery: A Conversation with Liz Purcell
London Construction + Offices Podcast
In this episode, we dive into the inspiring and dynamic career journey of Liz Purcell, currently the Global Workplace Delivery Manager at Equinix. From pulling weekly all-nighters at university to leading global teams, Liz’s path is one of passion, persistence and bold moves. Liz’s love for design was sparked by her aunt and stepmother, both interior designers. Surrounded by creative minds, she pursued a BA (Hons) in Interior Architecture, graduating with First Class Honours. A natural team player with a sporty streak, Liz balanced academic excellence with half marathons to find calm and...
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Ep 21 | Building Careers Brick by Brick with Toby Badcock
London Construction + Offices Podcast
In this episode, we sit down with Toby Badcock, Director at Cyril Leonard, to explore the personal journey behind a dynamic career in property and surveying. With roots in real estate stretching back to childhood - thanks to a grandfather who quizzed him on architectural detail - Toby reflects on how family influence, early leadership opportunities at grammar school in Kent and a love for maths and science set him on his path. Toby opens up about the ups and downs of his academic years, including a challenging A-level experience and his eventual entry into Kingston University to study building...
info_outlineIn this episode, we sit down with Yaron Rosenblum, Co-Founder and CEO of Canvas Offices, to explore his unconventional journey from professional drummer to entrepreneur re-shaping the future of workspaces.
Born in Israel in 1982, Yaron’s creative drive started early - at 15, he converted a redundant chicken coop into a recording studio with the help of his architect mother. What began as a local hub for musicians foreshadowed his later success in London. Arriving in 2005 with just cymbals, drumsticks and £1,000, Yaron quickly immersed himself in the UK music scene, launching a production house in Soho that grew to three studios and 25 employees. Partnering with his brother Oren, a lawyer, they balanced their complementary skills - Yaron leading on creativity, sales and people; Oren on operations and finance.
After selling their music business, the brothers pivoted into real estate almost by accident - helping a vocal coach find a space sparked the idea that would become Canvas Offices. Starting small in Shoreditch, they applied lessons from the music industry to create bespoke, human-centered workspaces designed as “homes away from home.” Today, Canvas has grown to nearly 40 employees, operating across prime London locations and continues to expand with sustainable growth in mind.
Yaron shares the philosophies that guide him: listening deeply to client needs, creating spaces for “dreamers and builders,” and building a business rooted in trust, creativity and community. He discusses the evolution of the serviced office market, how Canvas differentiates itself from “glass box” spaces and why passion and transparency are the keys to attracting top talent.
Looking ahead, Canvas is exploring managed solutions for landlords, global expansion -beginning with Munich - and even future concepts like localised “home away from home” hubs and strategy retreats. For Yaron, entrepreneurship is about action, creativity and always chasing the next idea.
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.