DESIGN PROFILE

BENOY
June 2008

Following a landmark year in its evolution, there is a real buzz about Benoy. As the company continues to explore and embrace new opportunities, chairman Graham Cartledge talks to RLI about the practice’s recent management restructuring and his delight at winning the highly-coveted Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
To complement this regional activity, the company has also appointed Directors to lead the various disciplines of the business – for example the areas of ‘Design’ and ‘Process’; key roles in maintaining and advancing integrity of design and a strong and highly successful work ethic.

Graham Cartledge says: “We expected that this new structure may take a little while to take root, but I am delighted to say that it is working extremely well already — indeed it is flourishing.”

The big news at the moment is that Benoy has recently received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade. What does this mean to the practice?

“In a nutshell, it is recognition from the highest level of the hard work and enthusiasm of the international Benoy Team — we are truly delighted and of course honoured to have received this award,” he says.
“We have received a number of awards over the years, but this really applauds the entire business, including the ‘behind-the-scenes’ team, for its performance as global trading company. This acknowledgement by the Queen and the Prime Minister gives a certain gravitas. It is incredibly valuable internationally, where it is recognised and highly regarded.”

Whilst 2007 was significant for Benoy – with the opening of the award-winning Elements scheme in Kowloon, 2008 finds the practice in something of a state of anticipation.

The latter part of this year sees the opening of the first phase, the retail element, of Ion Orchard in Singapore where there is a real excitement about this high-end retail, leisure and luxury residential development.
Operations are expanding in Singapore, where the small but industrious local project office is poised to embark upon an energetic marketing campaign that will embrace Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and of course Singapore. 

Several projects in China, including the much-talked-about development on
Huai Hai Road in Shanghai, and a number in India are also taking shape.

With a newly opened office in Shanghai and plans for a base in Beijing, Mainland China is a key target for Benoy in 2008/09. Cartledge says: “Elements has proved to be an excellent calling card for us across the region and we are anticipating real growth in this incredibly active market.”

The company is looking forward to the opening of the retail-led, mixed- use development ‘Courtyard at Saket’, a scheme located in a suburb of New Delhi,
in late 2008.
Whilst the Indian market is maturing, Benoy is well placed to maximise the opportunities that this exciting country can offer. “We are fortunate to be working with the top five or six developers and conglomerates in the region,” says Cartledge.

Closer to home, is the eagerly anticipated opening of St David’s in Cardiff in 2009. Aside from this major scheme, the practice is working with some of the most influential developers in some of the most significant cities in the UK.
In the European market, Benoy has a lot to be excited about, with mixed-use projects on the drawing board and on site in Bulgaria, Romania and Russia, whilst also enjoying success in Spain and Sweden.

Cartledge has just returned from the Middle East where he visited Benoy’s Abu Dhabi office and a number of Benoy developments, cementing existing friendships and embarking upon new relationships. This is an interesting region for Benoy and the company is planning a major expansion of its Middle East operation in the coming 12 months.

“We are constantly working on the development of our global brand and are looking forward to increased recognition in both existing and new markets and continuing the expansion of our portfolio to extend beyond our traditional retail and mixed-used sectors.

For the full article please see the RLI June 2008 issue
 

   
 
 
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