In this first episode our host Qasim Virjee and CRE expert Dave Cairns recount career histories that brought them to working in commercial real estate and setup their expectations for upcoming episodes of this series.
About ‘An Office For All‘ – In each episode we’ll welcome guests to StartWell’s broadcast studio on King Street in Toronto to hear their thoughts on how commercial real estate is evolving with coworking and ‘flex offices,’ and what the implications are for office workers and the people whose business it is to build and rent offices.
About the Presenters:
Qasim Virjee – As the Founder, owner and CEO of StartWell, Toronto’s independent innovation campus, Qasim has worked with hundreds of companies to facilitate flex office / coworking solutions – ultimately aiding to their ability to scale and overall sense of wellbeing.
Before founding StartWell, he led IBM’s efforts across Canada to support tech startups, made angel investments in early stage ventures and built numerous companies working globally – including record labels, interactive design agencies, SVOD channels and more. In the 1990s Qasim was the first independent educator and reseller to introduce Internet access to Kenya.
Dave Cairns – As a former professional online poker player, Dave brings a wealth of strategic thinking to his practice as a commercial real estate broker and Senior Vice President at CBRE – the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm.
Dave is known within the commercial broker community as one of the leading proponents of a shift towards flex office and coworking – helping to transform corporate perceptions of what infrastructure and services define their need for office space.
