Who is the CEO of Regus?

Alice Tuffery, writer

Published at 29/06/2019, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 5 min

Who is the CEO of Regus? — Photo © regus-ceo.jpg

Regus is a Switzerland-based company that provides high-quality workspaces across the globe. These are intended to be used as an alternative to privately owned or rented commercial premises, or as a temporary meeting place for travelling professionals.

The business was established in Brussels in 1989 and is now the biggest network of workspaces and co-working spaces in the world. It encompasses 3,300 locations in 1,100 towns and cities across 110 countries. This number is set to increase in line with the growth of the flexible workspace industry, as more and more people take advantage of the opportunity to temporarily book a desk or room in a light, bright and professional environment that is conducive to productivity.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Regus

Regus’ aim is to enable “people and businesses to work where they want, when they want and how they want”. That’s why it puts flexibility first, creating spaces that can be used for meetings, pitches, presentations, interviews and training, and allowing users to book them for as long or as short a time as they wish. When they’re there, workers can use the sites’ secure Wi-Fi, printer, scanner and photocopier, and help themselves to free teas and coffees.

Ease of use is important to Regus, which offers varying membership plans to suit every user. These range in price from £84 to £188 per month. Regus workspaces are also placed in high footfall areas that are easy to access, such as city centres, airports, railway stations and public buildings.

These workspaces are perfect for self-employed workers who find working at home lonely and distracting, and value having a professional business address, telephone number and access to meeting rooms when they need them. Regus also offers an appealing alternative to renting or leasing dull, old-fashioned or cramped offices for a set amount of time. For others, Regus workspaces are simply a convenient place to meet business partners, clients or colleagues while travelling.

Start a Business with Regus

If you would like to take advantage of the growing flexible workspace industry, you can join Regus as a franchisee and launch your own business. This will give you the backing of a stable and profitable brand, which will provide financial security, an established customer pool and vital support and guidance throughout the contract period.

However, because of Regus’ ambitious expansion plans, you must have the capital and motivation to open at least five new Regus sites over three years. To do this, you will need to identify suitable locations of at least 8,000 square feet in busy places and have the organisational skills to manage multiple sites. For the first franchise branch, you will need to invest a total of £1 million, which will cover initial training and ongoing support.

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Regus CEO

Regus’ Chief Executive Officer is Mark Dixon. He has held the post since he founded the business in Brussels in 1989.

Dixon was the son of a car mechanic and left school at the age of 16. He spent his free time setting up his own business that involved selling and delivering sandwiches by bicycle to the people of Chelmsford.

When this business failed, he bought a catering van for £600 and sold hot dogs to passers-by on the North Circular Road in London. Dixon soon realised that it was difficult to find suppliers that would provide the perfect hot dog roll, so he soon established a second business to supply his first one. The Bread Roll Company was sold in 1988 for £800,000.

Over the years, Dixon also worked as a logger and encyclopaedia salesman, but he got his big break when he noticed businessmen hunching over small tables in a local café. He realised that entrepreneurs, self-employed workers and employees needed professional, clean and convenient spaces to meet, work and grow their businesses, so he set about building a business that could facilitate this.

Today, the 60-year-old entrepreneur is worth just under £1.2 billion and has a £900 million fortune. Dixon has also earned several awards for his work in the hospitality and retail industries.

Regus Leadership Team

However, Regus is more than just its CEO; Dixon relies on the support of a whole team of talented individuals. Let’s take a look at some of the other key players in Regus’ leadership team.

Regus Chairman

Douglas Sutherland has been Regus’ Chairman since May 2010. Prior to joining the company, he acted as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Skype while it was acquired by eBay.

Regus Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & Chief Operating Officer (COO)

These two posts are held by Dominik De Daniel. He joined Regus in November 2015, but before then, he was CFO of the HR solutions firm, Adecco Group, for nine years.

Regus Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

Further down the leadership ladder, Lance Brown is Regus’ Senior Independent Non-Executive Director. He was given the role in August 2008, which he accepted after serving as the CEO and Chairman of the Standard Chartered Bank (China) and Non-Executive Director of IMI.

Other B2B Franchise Opportunities

Regus is a fantastic franchise opportunity for those that can afford it. However, if you have a lower budget, there are still plenty of similar franchises you can get involved with. Consider browsing other businesses in the B2B sector.

If you think you’d make a good teacher, you could start a Sandler Training franchise for £55,000, providing sales and management courses to help other businesses boost their revenue. If you fancy making products to put local companies on the map, you could join signage franchise Fastsigns for £120,000 or personalised product business Recognition Express for £35,000.

Alternatively, start a B2B delivery franchise with World Options(/franchise/world-options). This will cost £32,500. On the other hand, if you see yourself as a business boffin, you should look into starting a Business Doctors franchise, which requires a total investment of £39,500.